2008 NLCS MVP: Houston v. Atlanta
The 2008 Stroh's NLCS MVP Award goes to.....
C ROBERT BRYANT, HOU. Round of Applause!
Robert Bryant is a sure fire Hall of Famer and may even contend with his future colleague, Vincent Carter, as the league's best catcher ever. However, one thing missing from Bryant's resume is a World Series. His only other postseason was the with the 2006 Black Gold when they lost the World Series to Washington DC. At 37 Bryant realizes that this year may be his last real shot and he's playing with a fervor. In the NLCS against Atlanta: Bryant got at least a hit in every single game; hit 11-25, .440 avg, 3 runs, 1 HR, and 7 RBIs; was named Player of the Game in Game 5; got a crucial walk in the bottom of the 11th which allowed his pinch runner to eventually score the game/series winning run in Game 6. In all Bryant was the most consistent and also the most productive Houston player. He helped lead a slight underdog Black Gold team to a pretty convincing NLCS title over the perennial powerhouse Atlanta Confederates. Kick up your feet old man, your playing days aren't over yet but you can still drown those catcher's knees in a bucket of ice cold Stroh's...on the house champ.
2008 ALCS MVP: Washington v. Omaha
The 2008 Stroh's ALCS MVP Award goes to.....
SP PEDRO "LOOSE" MACIAS, WAS. Round of Applause.
No other Admiral was depended on more than Pedro Macias in this series. Sure, the argument could have been made that other offensive players actually contributed more statistically, yet with the series on the line there was only one player who could really be the Admiral saviour, Macias. Macias has always had a great knack for shutting down Omaha, one of the most potent offensive organizations in modern EWB. With the series tied 1-1, Esteban Mendoza called on Macias to pitch a big Game 3 and Macias responded. He was able to go 7.1 IP and only allow 4 hits with 5 K's allowing Washington to squeak by 2-0. Macias was named the Player of the Game as Washington went up 2-1. The Admirals went on to win Game 4 but with a 3-1 series lead, haunting memories of the 2007 Omaha come back came flooding into their psyche's. History seemed to be repeating as Omaha won the next 2 and forced a Game 7. The rematch of the Ballew/Macias showdown in Game 3 was going to happen. Macias was not as focused as Game 3 and perhaps a little fatigued but still made an impressive effort despite the Admiral defense making some poor plays behind him. Macias was able to navigate the Admirals through 5.2 IP and only gave up 2 ER with 5 hits, enough to allow the offense to do the rest. No other SP has been as consistent as Macias in really shutting down Omaha and there's no doubt that without Macias in the rotation, Washington would never had advanced to the World Series. So Pedro, "loosen" up your already "Loose" demeanor and pop open an ice, cold, drinkability Stroh's while you gloat over your hated rival, Omaha.
2008 NLDS MVP: Atlanta v. Pittsburgh
The 2008 Stroh's NLDS MVP Award goes to.....
3B JULIAN SPRINGER, ATL. Round of Applause!
Springer is far from the typical series MVP winner, he posted a 2-27, 0.74 AVG, 2 R, 2 RBI, 1 HR, and 11 K's, so in other words he was terrible. Yet that all went out the window when Springer came to bat in the top of the 9th of Game 7. With the score tied 1-1 and Will Page on 2nd with 1 out, Springer launched a Gary Miller changeup 330 ft. to just barely clear the fence and give Atlanta a 3-1 lead. Atlanta was able to get the last 3 outs and win the emotional, up and down series with Pittsburgh and move on to the NLCS all due to Julian Springer's clutch HR. Although you may be forgotten in the depths of EWB history, you'll always be able to relive this moment at the bottom of a bottle of Stroh's. Bravo Mr. Springer...Bravo.
2008 NLDS MVP: Houston v. Cleveland
The 2008 Stroh's NLDS MVP Award goes to.....
SP CAM "NO NECK" DAVIS, HOU. Round of Applause!
Interestingly enough "No Neck" actually has a long skinny neck, I always imagined a "No Neck" as a squatty, chin to chest guy. In any case, Davis impressed greatly in the series vs. Cleveland in his two starts. Davis was called upon in Game 1 and won the Player of the Game with a masterful performance: 6.2 IP, 5 hits, 6 K's and most importantly the Win as Houston defeated Cleveland 3-0. In the clinching Game 5 Davis went 6.2 IP giving up only 4 hits, 2 R, 1 ER with 3 K's. His end of series totals were 2-0 with a 0.68 ERA in 12.1 IP. Houston also benefited from a couple of good performances by Juan "Bootleg" Beltran, Craig Maynard, and Robert Bryant but nobody put their stamp on the series like Cam Davis did with his 2 stellar starts. Enjoy one of our cold, refreshing long necks, No Neck, you earned it.
2008 ALDS MVP: Washington v. Minneapolis
The 2008 Stroh's ALDS MVP Award goes to.....
CF CORY COTTON, WAS. Round of Applause.
The wild and often reckless Cory Cotton pulled his act together this series versus Minneapolis and produced big time. Cotton ended up putting up the following stat line against the Mutiny: 11-31, .355 avg, 6 R's, 2 HRs, 8 RBIs and 2 Player of the Game Awards. Cotton won the POG in Game 2 despite losing 10-5, but it was his Game 4 performance that really engraved his name on the Stroh's Award. In Game 4 Cotton ended up delivering 4 RBIs and hitting a top of the 13th HR to take a 9-8 lead over Minneapolis, unfortunately the lead didn't hold but it did give Cotton another opportunity to come up big. In the 14th inning with the bases loaded Cotton was able to induce a big walk to bring in the go-ahead run, Cotton won the Game 4 Player of the Game as well. Cotton continued his productiveness through games 5, 6, and 7 leading Washington to the ALCS. Cotton's substance abuse issues are public knowledge (court records, casino surveillance films, etc), so in honor of his dilemmas and wild history we are sending our NEW Stroh's Non Alcoholic Brew...crack open this savory, tasty concoction and fantasize about getting drunk Cory, you earned that much.
2008 ALDS MVP: Omaha v. Philadelphia
The 2008 Stroh's ALdS MVP Award goes to.....
LF JOSEPH "G-FUNK" JOHNSON. Round of Applause.
Johnson had competition for the Award as several Wolverines put up a great series, including veteran Tom Travis. However Johnson not only put up gaudy numbers but also came through in clutch situations and was a model of consistency and dependability. Johnson's 6 game stat line was as follows: 12-30, .400 AVG, 7 runs, 10 RBI, and 1 HR. Johnson was named Player of the Game in Game 2 when he 3-6, 1 R, and 3 RBIs. Omaha scored 7 runs in the last two innings to overcome a 9-3 Philly lead and Johnson was huge in that rally. In the eighth inning with bases loaded Johnson hit a 2 run single and he did it again in the ninth with a bases loaded single to knock in the game winner. Johnson has found a way to come up with big hits when Omaha needs them. Crack open this Ice Cold Stroh's and get funkified tonight, Joseph, you deserve it.