First off, thanks to everyone that sent in a ballot. Hopefully we'll grow from the 15 this year, but 15 was enough to make me happy, and I also want to compliment everyone on not showing much bias.
We'll start with the managers and move to the rookies tomorrow, since weekends are slow and those are the two less interesting awards all in all. Cy Youngs go up Monday, MVPs on Tuesday.
(And yeah, I know I cheated and put this up about four hours earlier than I said I would.)
The smiling, loose-lipped Guillen edges Cleveland's Eric Wedge for the CC.com 2005 AL Manager of the Year Award, winning by just two points (33-31). Guillen's White Sox went wire-to-wire, finishing with an AL-best 99 wins. They have also reached the World Series for the first time since 1959, looking for the franchise's first championship since 1917.
Guillen received eight first-place votes, and Wedge tallied six. Following Guillen and Wedge in the voting were Oakland's Ken Macha, Mike Scioscia of the Angels, New York's Joe Torre (one-first place vote) and Boston's Terry Francona.
(Full voting results are available under the Read More link.)
Bobby Cox is an all-time great, a surefire Hall of Famer that deserves every bit of praise he gets. The list for managers that have won 14 straight division titles is real short. Even that '94 team, which was six games behind those poor, poor Expos at the time the season ended, was winning 60% of their games. That team would have finished with 95 wins or so, most likely. People have been born and become teenagers since the last time the Braves didn't win the division.
Cox had by far the biggest landslide victory in the voting, getting 13 of 15 first place-votes and one second-place vote. Milwaukee's Ned Yost (one first-place vote) and Houston's Phil Garner tied for second, followed by Tony LaRussa of the Cardinals, Frank Robinson of the Expos, and San Diego's Bruce Bochy (one first-place vote) and Charlie Manuel of the Phillies.
(Full voting results are available under the Read More link.)
AMERICAN LEAGUE MANAGER OF THE YEAR
1 2 3 TOTAL
O. Guillen, CHW 8 3 3 33
E. Wedge, CLE 6 5 3 31
K. Macha, OAK - 4 5 13
M. Scioscia, LAA - 1 4 6
J. Torre, NYY 1 1 - 5
T. Francona, BOS - 1 - 2
NATIONAL LEAGUE MANAGER OF THE YEAR
1 2 3 TOTAL
B. Cox, ATL 13 1 - 41
N. Yost, MIL 1 4 3 14
P. Garner, HOU - 5 4 14
T. LaRussa, STL - 4 3 11
F. Robinson, WAS - 1 2 4
B. Bochy, SDP 1 - - 3
C. Manuel, PHI - - 3 3