The 2008 Cardinal Blogger Awards

First, I have to say thanks to the wide variety of bloggers that participated in this year's voting.  We had 18 different ballots submitted, though not all ballots voted on all categories.

We'll go through the ballot in order, even though there are blowout races on both ends.  Along the way, I'll toss in some quotes from our bloggers about the selections.

And now, to the awards.............



Scroll Down to Continue Reading

Also on the Network: √ Subtle Shifts [C70 At The Bat] √ March Madness 2K10 Open Thread [Tremendous Upside Potential] √ No Love for Aubrey Huff's Glove [El Lefty Malo] √ A Bit Of Shea In WWE's Hall Of Fame [Loge 13] √ Off Day Miscellany [C70 At The Bat] √ Playing Pepper 2010: San Diego Padres [C70 At The Bat] √ Joe Alexander Joins Club Trillion [Tremendous Upside Potential] √ Camp Cuts, Quickly [El Lefty Malo]

1. Player of the Year
Official nominees: Ryan Ludwick, Yadier Molina, Albert Pujols.
And the winner is...............Albert Pujols

This is like someone coming up to you when you are wolfing down some pizza and asking you if you like pizza. The answer is that obvious.--Busch Birds

I don't care who you are or what team you're on, if Albert's your teammate you'd better learn a little humility 'cause he's going to draw all the attention, all the accolades, and all the glory (although, surprisingly enough, not all the walks).--La Beisbolista

There's nothing to say about the man that can ever adequately describe his awesomeness, so I won't even try.--The Rundown

Pujols won this one going away, tabulating 16 votes to Ludwick's 2.  Ludwick's season was enough to win most any other year, but with Pujols being Pujols and nabbing the NL MVP, it was tough to go with someone else.

2. Pitcher of the Year
Official nominees: Kyle Lohse, Braden Looper, Adam Wainwright
And the winner is................Kyle Lohse

He was lights out in the first half, which was HUGE in the wake of losing Chris Carpenter, Mark Mulder and Adam Wainwright.--Bugs and Cranks

Who was the one pitcher that kept the Cardinals afloat all season? Not Adam Wainwright, not Chris Carpenter. Kyle Lohse.--Rockin' the Red

Let's stay on this ballot for the next few years, Kyle.--Redbird Review

Another mandate in the voting, though Lohse had a little more competition than Pujols. Lohse received 14 votes, with Wainwright (2), Looper (1) and Todd Wellemeyer (1) garnering the others.  Many grappled with the quality vs. quantity decision, but in the end Lohse's year-long performance won the day.

3. Game of the Year
Official nominees: July 5, August 22, August 27, September 9
And the winner is................July 5

Ankiel's walk-off hit off Kerry Wood was one of the few moments to smile about in late-game situations this year as a Cards fan.--The Cardinal Virtue

Our first tight race, as the walk-off win against the Cubs, with 5 votes, barely beat out the September 9 game (another walk-off against Chicago), which received 4 tallies.  Others in the mix included August 22 (2), August 27 (2), September 19 (2), May 7 (1), July 26 (1) and August 9 (1).

4. Surprise Player of the Year
Official nominees: Kyle Lohse, Ryan Ludwick, Skip Schumaker
And the winner is................Ryan Ludwick

For the first month and a half of 2008, this is a guy who was still losing at-bats to Chris Duncan!--Pitchers Hit Eighth

Ludwick was simply awesome, and there just wasn't a history to suggest that he would have such an amazing year.--The Redbird Blog

Ludwick made this award his own, getting a Pujolsian 15 selections in the category.  Schumaker and write-ins Troy Glaus and Todd Wellemeyer received one pick apiece.

5. Disappointing Player of the Year
Official Nominees: Chris Duncan, Ryan Franklin, Jason Isringhausen
And the winner is...................Jason Isringhausen

This is like trying to choose between a migraine, a cold sore, or diarrhea.—CardinalNationGlobe

I think Joe Buck was examining his psyche after SLU gave him his honorary doctorate.--Redbirds Fun

With all of the heartache that the bullpen caused Cardinal fans in 2008, it's not really a surprise that Izzy bore the brunt of this voting.  11.5 votes for the former closer, followed by 4 for Duncan, 1.5 for Franklin and one for Tyler Johnson.

6. Cardinal Rookie of the Year
Official nominees: Joe Mather, Kyle McClellan, Chris Perez
And the winner is...................Kyle McClellan

I’ve never heard of the kid before spring training and he had never pitched above double A. so, I thought he would have been gone in a couple of weeks. he hung in there, and wouldn’t you know it, he made the opening day roster.--Redbird Ramblings

McClellan may have stumbled down the stretch, but his early strong work was not forgotten among CBA voters.  He swung 13 of the votes his way, with Perez receiving 4 and Mather 1.

7. New Cardinal of the Year
Official nominees: Troy Glaus, Cesar Izturis, Kyle Lohse
And the winner is....................Troy Glaus

What’s the downside here?  All Glaus did was provide Gold Glove-caliber defense at the hot corner (how much would you bet Glaus will never sign with a turf-based team again?), and .270/27/99?--Pitchers Hit Eighth

my gut told me he was not going to do much…good thing my gut was wrong.--Redbird Ramblings

For the fact that it was supposed to be a swap of deadwood, of disgruntled guys, Glaus sure made John Mozeliak look good.  It was a close race, but Glaus edged Lohse 11-7.

8. Most Anticipated Cardinal
Official nominees: Bryan Anderson, Colby Rasmus, Jess Todd
And the winner is.....................Colby Rasmus

I hope, and I know this may be blasphemy in Cardinal Nation, but I hope that we trade Rick Ankiel for some middle infield help and bring Rasmus up ASAP--Busch Birds

In fact, considering all the other callups in '08, I thought he should've been in St. Louis a few times.--4thebirds....

Even though it seems like we've been waiting for Rasmus forever, he still tops the list of players we want to see.  He received 15 votes, with Todd and write-ins Jason Motte and Brett Wallace receiving 1 vote apiece.

9. Best Individual Cardinal Blog
And the winners are……..C70 At The Bat and Fungoes

We think C70 qualifies as an individual blog; with the quality and frequency of the posts, it’s hard to imagine it’s just one person manning the keyboard.—Fungoes

Pip puts some amazing research into his statistical postings, stuff that usually 1) makes my head spin and 2) makes me wonder how he came up with that.  The creativity and mix of quality writing and advanced statistical analysis makes for a great read.--C70 At The Bat

I often find myself watching games, thinking “from what I’ve seen, I bet so-and-so is really having struggles with 0-2 counts when facing a left-handed hitter,” only to find that Pip had written about just such a player and his struggles the night before.—Pitchers Hit Eighth

It seems representative of how much quality is in the Cardinal blogosphere that seven different blogs got a vote in this category.  Pip and I tied with four votes, two people thought Bird Land was too good to be limited to the professional category, and one vote apiece was cast for Cardinal Diaspora, Mike on the Cards, Pitchers Hit Eighth and Whiteyball.  Trust me, if I had some tiebreaking power as “head of the UCB”, this would be all Pip’s and it’s an honor to be mentioned in the same sentence.

10. Best Team Cardinal Blog
And the winner is…………….Viva El Birdos

Everyone who reads Cardinals blogs knows that one of them trumps all of us, and it's really not even close.—Busch Birds

Hands down, still the best in Cardinal CyberNation despite the departure of Lboros.—Rockin’ the Red

VEB, our winner for best overall Cardinal blog last year, received 8.5 votes for the top team blog this year.  Future Redbirds wasn’t that far behind with 3.5, followed by The Cardinal Virtue with 3 and 1 for Cardinal Diaspora.

11. Best Professional Cardinal Blog
Official Nominees: Bernie’s Extra Points, Bird Land, Obviously You’re Not a Golfer
And the winner is………………….Bird Land

I like his polls, I like his explanations, I like his style. I also like the fact that he doesn't seem to have anything else to do but cover the 'Birds.—la Beisbolista

Derrick does a great job of breaking news, breaking down stats, and interjecting his own sound and rationale (usually) opinions into his P-D forum.—The Redbird Blog

Being a friend to the UCB may have helped out here, as Bird Land ran away from the field, garnering 14 votes.  One vote went to all three of the nominees, while another went to Deadspin.  (In hindsight, I probably should have clarified professional Cardinal blog, as I did now in heading up this section.)

BTW, Derrick wanted to pass along his thanks for the kind words some of the UCB voters bestowed upon him.  "I've learned a lot about the field by watching and reading the entries of others," he said.

12. Best UCB Project
Official Nominees: Progressive Game Blog, Roundtables, Top 7 Prospects
And the winner is……………Roundtables

we got to give out our own opinions and read what other people think. what’s greater than the freedom of speech when it comes to blogs? nothing!—Redbird Ramblings

The roundtables were particularly popular, with 9 votes going that way.  4 selected our top 7 prospect listing, while 2 people went with the progressive game blog and 1 wrote-in the 4 Cardinals for Dinner project.

13. Most Optimistic Blog
And the winner is…………….CardinalNationGlobe

I really don’t like to toot my own horn but seriously… how long did it take me to write off the Cards season?—CardinalNationGlobe

You won’t find one that hangs in there for the long haul any better.--CardinalsGM

A lot of people agreed with Scott that he’s Mr. Optimism, at least from this last year.  5 votes came his way, compared to 3 for C70 At The Bat.  Getting 1 vote each were CardinalsGM, Mike On The Cards, Rockin’ The Red, Viva El Birdos and one voter who selected us all as optimistic blogs.

14. Funniest Blog
And the winner is…………….Cardinals Diaspora

a little vulgar, a little sarcastic, a little hedonistic. It's a good combination.—la Beisbolista

The Diaspora racked up 6.5 votes, easily outdistancing its quality competition.  3 votes went to BertFlex, 2 to Joe Sports Fan, 2 to Viva El Birdos and a half-vote was awarded to The Rundown.

15. Best Blog Post/Series of the Year
Official Nominees: Beer Vendor (Rockin’ the Red), Biggest Plays of 2008 (Fungoes), Reading the T-Shirts (C70 At The Bat), Scott Rolen vs. Eddie Vedder (The Redbird Blog)
And the winner is……………..Biggest Plays of 2008

Fungoes takes home another award with their series on the at-bats that had the largest swings in WPA during the year.  This winning series received 7 votes.  Others receiving votes were Reading the T-Shirts with 4, Rolen vs. Vedder with 4 and write-in Andrea’s Awesome Rankings with 1.

16. Rookie Blog of the Year
Official Nominees: 4thebirds…., Busch Birds, Pitchers Hit Eighth
And the winner is…………..Pitchers Hit Eighth

I didn’t realize it was a “rookie”, so it will probably only get better!—The Cardinal Virtue

Watch out Cardinal blog readers, this one has the makings of the best.—CardinalsGM

PHE ran away with this one, amassing 13.5 votes.  Even voters who didn’t vote on other blog awards seemed to vote for this one.  4thebirds received 2 votes, Busch Birds 1.5 votes, and la Beisbolista 1 vote.

I appreciate everyone that helped out and made their opinions known.  It seems most fitting to wrap with Chet’s words from his ballot at 4thebirds:

The creativity I see here is why I think the UCB is so interesting to so many people. I like how the numbers bloggers get into the stats, I like how the realistic bloggers paint a true picture, I love the sarcasm that comes out of nowhere, but surprises us with funny posts. It was quite interesting to see how various bloggers dealt with such a frustrating season. If I would give an award, it would be to the UCB for creativity and uniqueness across the board. To me, there is no way a blog should be, except how the author wants it.

Thanks everyone!  Drive home safely and have a happy Thanksgiving!

6 Comments