With the regular season ending for baseball, here is the third annual Admirable Thoughts Awards.

• Code Monkey’s Jim Leyland Award
  

  Description: Given to someone who quits on their team early in the season
  Nominees: Pirates, Pirates, and Pirates
  Winner: The Pirates ownership/GM proved to the fans and players that they had given up very early in 2009. So much so that players (Wilson and Sanchez) rejected contract extensions and then at the trading deadline a lot of players were traded for a major salary dumping. After 17 losing seasons, the Pirates organization is still giving up.

• Code Monkey’s Cubbie Choking Award
  

  Description: Given to someone that falls-apart when it matters
  Nominees: Dodgers, Cubs, and Tigers
  Winner: The Tigers let their lead become a play-in game and then lost.

• Code Monkey’s Jose Canseco Award
  

  Description: Given to the player or team who who had the worst defensive day
  Nominees: Eric Byrnes, Luis Castillo, and the Cubs in just about every game.
  Winner: Luis Castillo drop let the Yankees win and it was on every Sport Show for days.

• Code Monkey’s Terry Tate Award
  

  Description: Given to the best home plate collision of the year
  Nominees: May 20, 2009 – Jordan Schafer (ATL) into Chris Iannetta (COL), May 25, 2009 – Adam Kennedy (OAK) into Kenji Johjima (SEA), and Sept 18, 2009 – Matt Diaz (ATL) into Carlos Ruiz (PHI)
  Winner: Iannetta held onto the ball, took a bone crushing hit, did not get hurt, and got the out; therefore, I will give him the best collision at home.

• Code Monkey’s Hatfields & McCoys Award
  

  Description: Giving for the best brawl
  Nominees: Brewers and Pirates on 7/20/2009, Tigers and Red Soxs on 8//11/2009, Dodgers and Giants on 8/12/2009
  Winner: Brewers and Pirates is the winner. After losing to the Brewers 17 straight times, the Pirates finally beat them and show some fight at the same time.

• Code Monkey’s Congressional Award
  

  Description: Given for the biggest waste of money
  Nominees: The New Yankee Stadium, Oliver Perez, and Milton Bradley
  Winner: It is close, but the Cubs can get rid of Bradley next year. However, the Yankees will need to spend more and lower ticket prices to make the new stadium better.

• Code Monkey’s Deer Meat Award
  

  Description: Given to weirdest injury of the year
  Nominees: Ricky Romero (oblique by sneezing), Chris Dickerson (knocked out by revolving glass door), and Carlos González (cut hand by dropping a knife doing dishes).
  Winner: I am going with Ricky Romero. To me sneezing while listening to rap music causing his oblique muscle to be injured is just plain weird and maybe a warning for listening to rap.

• Code Monkey’s Michael Jackson Award
  

  Description: Given to the weirdest event of the season
  Nominees: Shin-Soo Choo game-winning, 10th-inning single off a sea gull, Delay of Game Due To Bee Swarm, Back to Back milestone 300 home runs.
  Winner: The winner is Delay of Game Due To Bee Swarm is very unique. Too bad it did not involved the Triple A, Salt Lake City Bees team.

• Code Monkey’s Overcoming Hardship Award (new this year)
  

  Description: Giving to those who had to overcome the most hardship during a year
  Nominees: Angels, Scott Schoeneweis, and Ernie Harwell
  Winner: It is a tie between the Angels and Scott Schoeneweis. People dying because of drunk drivers really ticks me off. The Angels lost Rookie Pitcher Nick Adenhart in early April after his first career win to a drunk. The team did a good job of dealing with it. Scott Schoeneweis’ wife died in May while he was on the road with the team and that is a tough lost, too.

My favorite quote for the year:
“Manny Ramirez is being suspended for 50 games for taking a banned substance believed to be a woman’s fertility drug. While some people are calling it a suspension, Manny’s calling it maternity leave.” – Jay Leno

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