Foul Ball: Mid-Season Awards

Enough with MVP, Rookie of the Year, and Cy Young talk. It's time for the first ever KSJ MLB Mid-Season Awards. Time to look at the best facial hair, overrated players, crazy moments, and best trades. Be prepared to laugh or boo.............

Best Facial Hair
Honorable Mention: Carl Pavano
Winner: John Axford- Axford actually overtook Trevor Hoffman as the Brewers closer during the season. That isn't what I love about Axford. I love the fact that Axford is rocking a Rollie Fingers handle bar mustache. This world is better because of Axford's mustache. I'll now drink a Milwaukee Best in honor of this beauty.

Player Going Bat Sh*t Crazy Moment
Honorable Mention: Dallas Braden yelling at Alex Rodriguez for running across his mound.
Winner: Carlos Zambrano yelling at Derek Lee in the Cubs dugout has to be the winner. Lee, considered worldwide as one of the good guys of the game, was yelled at by Zambrano for not "hustling." Zambrano was promptly suspended by the Cubs and has brought up in trade rumors recently. Whatever happens to Zambrano, he'll probably never play with the Cubs again.

Best Dugout Fight Honorable Mention: Zambrano vs. Lee
Winner: B.J. Upton vs. Evan Longoria- While the Zambrano vs. Lee dust-up was good, they didn't get nose to nose like Rays teammates Upton and Longoria. Longoria was upset at Upton for not "hustling" in the outfield and wasn't afraid to tell Upton. At this point of the season the Rays were hitting rock bottom. They were no-hit by Edwin Jackson and the lowly Arizona Diamondbacks and were sliding down the AL East standings.



Biggest Disappointment
Honorable Mention: Aramis Ramirez
Winner: Pablo Sandoval- Last year the Panda hit .330 with 30 home runs and 95 RBIs. Big things were expected from Sandoval this season. Instead the Panda showed up to Spring Training over weight and hasn't come close this season to recapture the same magic from last year. Sandoval is hitting .263 with six home runs and 34 RBIs this season. Luckily for Sandoval, Aubrey Huff has relieved the pressure by hitting out of his mind. Hopefully for the Giants sake, Sandoval wakes up and recaptures the magic from last year.

Biggest Trade
Honorable Mention: Cliff Lee to Texas
Winner: Bengie Molina to Texas- The Rangers have been busy with trades so far this season. The Rangers are competing for the AL West so they needed help. The Cliff Lee trade may have wrapped up the division for them. The Bengie Molina trade has been the best trade so far, for the Giants. The Giants somehow convinced a team to take the decomposing corpse of Bengie Molina off their hands. Even better was the fact that the Giants received much needed help for the bullpen in Chris Ray and a pitching prospect. The trade of Molina also freed up the opportunity for Giants prospect Buster Posey who has hit .350 with seven home runs and 25 RBIs in only 38 games this season. While Molina has hit .249 with three home runs and 17 RBIs in 68 games. Thank you Texas Rangers.

Game Where the Earth Shook
Honorable Mention: No One
Winner: Toronto at San Diego- The Blue Jays-Padres game in San Diego back in June, the Earth shook. My favorite part of the video below, is Blue Jays 1st baseman Lyle Overbay adjusting his cup while the Earth is moving. The foul polls are swinging back and fourth while Overbay just stands there grabbing his crotch.



Most Gruesome Injury
Honorable Mention: Marcus Thames
Winner: Joel Zumaya- While Zumaya was unloading one of his famous fastballs, his elbow literally exploded. Zumaya said "It was like someone took a hammer and shattered my elbow." It was one of those injuries where you had to just look away after it happened. Zumaya will be out for the year with a fractured elbow but there was no ligament damage, so he could return to the mound by the beginning of next season.