There used to be a time where all the monster offensive numbers were found in the Junior Circuit, while the NL was dogged by the lack of a DH, bigger ballparks and superior pitching. However the tide began to turn when the NL began to catch up to the AL in producing hitter-friendly ballparks and has reached full-tilt this year.

Albert Pujols continues to run roughshod, opening the week hitting a robust .366. And this in a ballpark that once upon the time was considered the worst hitters park in the bigs. Of course that was before Pujols and Mark McGwire turned into their personal version of the Williamsport Little League stadium. Colorado�s Todd Helton remains second at .355, numbers we have gotten used to from the sweet swinger in the rarified air of Denver. Barry Bonds proves that last years batting title is no fluke by hitting .342. In addition, two more hitters (Gary Sheffield and Edgar Renteria) enter the week hitting .330.

But then there is the American League batting race, which right now is holding as much suspense as last weekends secret headline acts at the Harley-Davidson Centennial celebration (Elton John, Kid Rock, Tim McGraw). As of Monday, there were no less than seven active participants within three points of the lead, with Bill Mueller leading the way at .323. Sounds a lot more like 1967 than 2003, I am almost expecting Carl Yastrzemski to enter the fray at any minute. Garrett Anderson, Derek Jeter, and Nomar Garciaparra are one point behind while Magglio Ordonez and the disabled Milton Bradley sit at .321. They are followed by Ichiro Suzuki (.320), Hank Blalock (.318), Manny Ramirez (.317) and Vernon Wells (.314). So we have some established icons, along with emerging stars along with a unheralded third baseman who has come from absolutely nowhere. More amazing is that the Red Sox continue to hit .292 as a team, yet have no one above that .320 threshold. Nomar is probably the best bet in the garage right now, with Ichiro and Anderson the next best possibilities.

But who does that leave for MVP??? Carlos Delgado continues to lead the way in RBI�s with 123. If you�re criteria is raw statistics, then Alex Rodriguez is the best candidate, as a monster August puts him at .305/108/40/101/16 for the year. So much for him being slowed by injury. But Delgado, Arod, and Garrett Anderson will get shunted by too many voters who feel the MVP must come from a playoff team, or at the very least � a contender. Manny Ramirez more or less eliminated himself from contention this past weekend by joining Pedro Martinez with his own surly annual late-season controversy. Among the contenders, there is really no New York Yankee who has distinguished himself this year. Derek Jeter and Bernie Williams have battled injuries, Jason Giambi is in another slump and Alfonso Soriano has been slightly off this time around.

That pares the field down to the following � Nomar Garciaparra, who is the glue who keeps the Red Sox together, along with Chicago�s Frank Thomas and Magglio Ordonez. Seattle�s Bret Boone has cooled as of late but also merits consideration. Of the two White Sox stars, Thomas currently carries momentum along with name recognition. So that in my opinion narrows the MVP race between Nomar and Thomas. Who wins??? Ask me in three weeks, as this comes down to how the Red Sox and White Sox fare down the stretch.

The races for other post-season awards shape up as follows�

AL CY YOUNG � It is still possible for someone to come literally off the scrap heap to win pitching�s most prestigious award - just find a split-fingered pitch. With an 18-6 slate along with a 2.45 ERA, Estaban Loaiza steps to the forefront in this race along with Tim Hudson (14-4/2.40), I give Loaiza a slight edge right now. Roy Halladay is also 18-6, but his credentials take a hit with a 3.58 ERA. Pedro Martinez has a 2.52 ERA, but only 10 wins on the season.

AL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR � This will spark yet another round of �rookies� v. �imports�, but playing in New York along with a projected 100+ RBI should carry Hideki Matsui over the top. Tampa�s Rocco Baldelli and Kansas City�s Angel Berroa are the other candidates, but their stats (not to mention publicity) to not compare to Godzilla.

AL COMEBACK PLAYER OF THE YEAR � Loaiza had ERA�s over five in three of the past four seasons, so he should have that to go along with the possible Cy Young. KC�s Jose Lima will also get consideration, but did not play a full year.

NL MVP � My vote still goes to Albert Pujols, but you can�t argue against Barry Bonds � especially over the past few days.

NL CY YOUNG - Some grouchy writers will not vote for a reliever if they were the last pitchers on Earth. That said, it is impossible to go against someone going 46-46 in save opportunities. In addition, Eric Gagne is 27th in the NL in strikeouts pitching only 69.1 innings. Of the 26 ahead of Gagne in that department, 25 have pitched at least 151 innings. Jason Schmidt (2.21), Kevin Brown (2.26), and Mark Prior (2.37) have great ERA�s, but only 14, 13, and 14 wins respectively. Russ Ortiz figures to be the NL�s only 20-game winner, but has a 3.71 ERA.

NL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR � Mid-season publicity along with an All-Star appearance will carry Dontrelle Willis far in the voting, but has also had a sub-par second-half. If going by stats, Arizona�s Brandon Webb becomes the best choice with a 2.57 ERA along with 152 K�s in 150.2 innings pitched. Scott Podsednik�s (a.k.a �Podzilla�) has also become a major contender in the last month. The fantasy world is learning fast about Podsednik�s prowess in the BA and SB departments, but others are not as aware. If the Brewers win 13 of 15 mostly over other teams dead in the water, does anyone notice???

Even the harshest, long-time critics of Barry Bonds had to applaud his brave performance over the weekend not only dealing with the death of his father, but also overcoming his own emotions and what turned out to be his own health setback. Yes, Barry may not be the warmest person and can be a bit surly on occasion. Many have felt over the years that Bonds is the poster-child of the modern arrogant star athlete. It is interesting that not many mention that Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams were not the easiest people for outsiders to get to know neither.

But I�d like to talk about Bobby Bonds for a minute, which harkens back to a day when the Giants wore hideous orange numbers on their home uniforms and played on an even more hideous looking artificial surface at Candlestick Park. When Bobby�s only wife Pat gave birth to Barry in 1964, Bobby was an 18-year old just starting out in the Giants organization. In those days, being a father at a young age was frowned much more in many circles of American society. So was being a young black man trolling around the various minor leagues down south.

Said by many to be the �next Willie Mays, Bonds first MLB hit was a grand slam in 1968, But Bobby�s greatest legacy to many is holding the single season strikeout record with 189 in 1970 (following 187 the previous year). What is not mentioned is that Bobby also hit .302 in 1970 in one the major�s toughest hitting parks in an era where pitchers dominated much more than today. Bonds also hit 26 home runs that year along with 48 stolen bases. Scary to think what would have happened if Bonds made more contact. What also is not mentioned is that Bonds never struck out more than 148 times in any year after that. What I did remember as a kid was that any time the Giants appeared on Game of the Week (which wasn�t often), the first thing the commentators talked about in the opening was how the opposition had to shut down the dynamic Bobby Bonds.

The elder Bonds other legacy was being traded from the Giants in 1975 and subsequently bouncing around seven teams in as many years. Even though he was a three-time Gold Glove winner with the Giants, he was chided by some for his lack of ability in hitting the cut-off man. �King Kong couldn�t cut off one of Bobby�s throws� one teammate was quoted as saying. There was also criticism about Bonds not running out routine plays, determining that the chances of an error didn�t outweigh the risk of potentially getting hurt running out to first base. Many of the controversies Barry Bonds has dealt with in his career was also faced by his Dad.

In the past year Barry Bonds had to watch his dad as his heart, lungs, and kidneys fail him � while brain cancer and pneumonia also took it�s toll. To see what Barry Bonds has done in the past month with everything swirling around, there is no way anyone can help to appreciate and to applaud the man�s courage.

The second of my month-long series regarding emerging stars centers around Brandon Webb, who as mentioned earlier is quickly becoming the front-runner for NL Rookie of the Year honors. Webb�s success this year can no longer be simply attributed to the opposition simply not being familiar with him. In a recent interview, Webb disclosed that 75-90 percent of his pitches are of the two-seamed split-finger variety. But as has been the case with Estaban Loiaza this season, knowing what�s coming is one thing but doing something about is another. Webb also knows how to spot the corners and also gets the breaking pitches over. This past weekend Webb matched his career high with 11 strikeouts v. the Giants, his third double-figure strikeout game in his last five starts.

Yet more players that disappointed back in April are now making their charge. White Sox third baseman Joe Crede has belted six home runs in an 11-game period and also hit .352 in August along with 18 RBI. Also flashing the potential expected back in Spring Training is Toronto�s Josh Phelps who drove in 12 runs in a 6-game period and has a three-game series waiting with Detroit this coming weekend. Remember that Crede and Phelps are still only 25 and keep their names in mind for next year. Vladimir Guerrero was another early flop this year, but now is as hot as anyone with six home runs and 13 RBI in one recent eight game stretch. And keep in mind the Expos start a six game home stand in Peurto Rico this weekend (weather permitting). Vlad�s numbers may get downright sick.

Any New York Yankee with a pulse must at the very least be considered this week, as they have eight home games � one v. TOR, three v. DET and four v. TB. Yahtzee�s don�t come much bigger than that. Montreal, Arizona, and Seattle will be the only other teams playing the entire week at home, although the Expos first three �home� games will be in San Juan v. the Cubs. Philadelphia, Colorado, Texas, and Anaheim will be the teams on the road. PIT, CIN, PHI, ATL, HOU, MIL, LA, AZ, TOR, MN, CWS, ANH, OAK, and TB will be the teams playing seven times in the week ahead. The list of two-turn starters is not as impressive this week, but will include Mike Mussina, Tim Hudson, Kevin Millwood, Kevin Brown, and Randy Johnson. Unit�s two starts will be at home along with Mussina v. DET and TB.

And now for the remaining scraps for the CDM Free Agent List�