An Award-Winning Day

[Knuckles]

Forty-one years ago today, Roger Maris edged out Mickey Mantle for AL MVP by four votes (202-198). It was Roger's second in a row.

That stood as the closest vote until November 14, 1996, when "second-place" Alex was nipped by three votes by then Texas Ranger Juan Gonzalez. (To my way of thinking, the actual, standout, clear, indispensable-to-his-team's-success, MOST VALUABLE PLAYER by any definition of those three words did not even come in the Top Ten in votes that year. Setup man Mariano Rivera took a decent Yankee team and allowed them to win by shortening games to seven innings.)

Also on this day, Kirk Gibson won the NL MVP in 1988 and Jason Giambi won the AL MVP in 2000.

And this was the day in 2001 when Roger Clemens garnered his sixth Cy Young Award.

Lastly, November 15, 1968, was the first date in the controversial Jim Bouton baseball diary, "Ball Four."

YANKEE BASEBALL!!!