BASEBALL NOTES;AL MVP CONTEST A DOUBLEHEADER

The American League MVP race seems to be down to two horses -- Texas outfielder Josh Hamilton and Detroit first baseman Miguel Cabrera.
While some may suggest Twins catcher and two-time and nfl jersey
reigning winner Joe Mauer deserves consideration, he's having a down year offensively, particularly when compared to last year's monster breakout. And had Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano maintained his first-half performance, he'd be in the picture, too.
But it's probably going to come down to one of the two young sluggers. The Red Sox have had their fill of each player this year, particularly Hamilton.
There's been a push in Texas for the five-tool player to win his first MVP honor, and if there's one club that won't argue, it's the Red Sox. Hamilton absolutely murdered them last weekend in Texas, going 6-for-11 with two homers, six runs and a handful of outstanding catches in center field.
He entered a weekend series at Baltimore batting .356 with 26 homers and 81 RBI, but that might not be what most impressed Red Sox manager Terry Francona.
''He does everything,'' Francona said. ''When you've got a guy with those kinds of tools that's hot and feels good about himself, that's a bad feeling. And then the way he plays the game -- I've never seen a center fielder back up second base on stolen-base attempts as aggressively as him. That's not going to be his legacy. The balls he hits are. But when you see a player that's that good play the game that way, it's impressive. I've seen enough of him.''
Before the Sox-Rangers series finale in 100-degree heat last Sunday, Francona joked that Texas should rest him. Told he was at least being used as the designated hitter and couldn't rob the Red Sox of any hits or homers in center, Francona deadpanned, ''That's not quite good enough.''
Hamilton's chief competition is Cabrera, a player who has actually struggled mightily against the Sox since entering the league in 2003. His lifetime average of .214 against them is his second-lowest against any club, higher than only his .194 mark against the Astros, dating back to his Marlins days.
This year, however, Cabrera is hitting .286 against the Sox with a titanic homer, and has walked five times in 27 plate appearances for a .444 on-base percentage. Cabrera has received lots of love nationally all season.
''You can add me to that list,'' Francona said earlier this month when the Sox faced the Tigers. ''He's an unbelievable hitter. Just an unbelievable hitter. I mean the (homer) he hit (against the Red Sox), I could have picked it up on the way home.
''He plays every day. He's an offensive force. He's the kind of guy who makes you nervous when he feels good about himself. You make a good pitch and he hits a ball up the middle. You make a bad pitch, and he hits it two streets over, so he's one of the best hitters in the game.''
Cabrera has hung on the periphery of the Triple Crown race all season. He has certainly answered any questions that stemmed from last year's unfortunate drinking and domestic altercation allegations that marred Detroit's playoff push and called into question his own professionalism.
And now he's taken his game to another level, carrying .341-31-100 numbers into a weekend series vs. Cleveland.
''The numbers kind of say that,'' Francona said. ''We don't play Detroit that much, because of the quirks of the schedule, but he's one of the elite hitters in the game. There's no doubt about that.''
Whether the MVP ends up with Hamilton or Cabrera remains to be seen, but this much is certain: The Red Sox won't argue with either choice.
Suffering by comparison
Ryan Kalish arrived at Fenway with the requisite Trot Nixon comparisons, thanks to his Dirt Dog style and similar football build.
One area of Kalish's game that was supposedly a bit lacking was his arm, but it has looked strong and accurate thus far in his Red Sox career. Asked about Baseball America rating his arm as merely average, Kalish said he's probably suffered by comparison from playing next to Che-Hsuan Lin in the minors.
''Having him out there downplays everything else you see, he's so spectacular,'' Kalish said. ''Whatever. It's people's judgments. It's OK to be overshadowed by an arm like that. He's so special.''
Lin was named Futures Game MVP in 2008, which is often a harbinger of future big league success, with past winners including Alfonso Soriano, Sean Burroughs, Jose Reyes, Grady Sizemore, Aaron Hill and Billy Butler.
The Taiwanese-born Lin, who turns 22 in September, has always been touted as one of the best defensive outfield prospects in baseball, with fluid strides and that powerful arm that measures a 70 on the scouts' 20-80 scale. He's also an intriguing prospect at the plate, with a good approach, as evidenced by his .385 on-base percentage at Double-A Portland. It's unclear if the 6-footer will ever develop more than line drive power.
Few power brokers
Some in the Red Sox organization have contended that a perceived lack of power in the minor league system is a function of two factors: a) most of the organization's best power prospects are young for their levels; and b) many players don't find the seats until they reach the majors.
Kevin Youkilis is the example most often cited to support the latter. He never hit more than eight homers in the minors, yet has blasted as many as 29 for a season in the majors.
But is he the rule or the exception? An examination of the current Red Sox roster suggests that players who become good big league sluggers hit homers in the minors, too, regardless of their age or level.
Of the nine players on the roster to hit at least 15 homers in a big league season, virtually all of them had big homer years in the minors.
Infielder Bill Hall, whose big league high is 35 homers, blasted 18 between Single and Double A as a 21-year-old in 2001. Catcher Victor Martinez hit 22 homers at age 23 for Double-A Akron in '02. Disabled outfielder Mike Cameron found his power stroke at Double A in 1996 with 28 homers. Mike Lowell combined for 56 homers over his final two seasons in the minors.
Then there are the true outliers. Outfielder J.D. Drew hit 16 homers in just 75 games between Double A and Triple A after signing with the Cardinals in 1998. At age 21, David Ortiz began his debut year at Single A, finished it at Triple A, and along the wau mashed 31 homers. Third baseman Adrian Beltre hit an amazing 26 homers as a 17-year-old debuting in Low and High A in '96. He hit another 26 homers at High A as an 18-year-old a year later.
Even Dustin Pedroia smacked 13 homers between Double A and Triple A as a 21-year-old in '05. And Jason Varitek hit 16 in two-thirds of a season at Triple A in '97.
By that criterion, keep an eye on Double-A first baseman Anthony Rizzo. Rizzo just turned 21 and entered the weekend with 23 homers between High A (five) and Double A (18). He's the best hope for power in a system that has already produced the pleasant surprise known as Kalish this year.
It's getting a bit salty
Getting acquainted to a new pitching staff is never easy, particularly late in the season, but Jarrod Saltalamacchia has some good tutors.
In Martinez, Varitek and Kevin Cash, Saltalamacchia has no shortage of places to turn for advice, and the early returns have been solid. John Lackey authored one of his best starts of the season against the Jays before closer Jonathan Papelbon blew it in Saltalamacchia's starting debut, and Daisuke Matsuzaka followed up three days later by leaving with a 2-0 deficit in the seventh inning of a loss to the Rangers.
''It's been a mixture of everybody,'' Saltalamacchia said before being placed on Steelers jersey
the disabled list with a leg infection last week. ''(Varitek) has been great. Victor's been great and even Cash. Those guys have all caught these guys before, so everyday we all sit down, and if I'm playing that day, we'll go over what they've got and what they like to do. Lately Victor has been catching all these guys, so I've been listening to him. Obviously, Tek, the guy's the best.''
(Non)confessions of a fool
Can we all agree that Roger Clemens is getting exactly what he deserved ever since the moment he first told Congress he had never used steroids or human growth hormone?
Thursday's news that Clemens was indicted for perjury and could face up to 30 years in prison is yet another sad turn in the tale of an athlete so deluded by his own fame, he risked his reputation as a player and person.
A grand jury has found that Clemens obstructed a congressional inquiry during his testimony in 2008. Among the 15 statements in question: that Clemens never used steroids or HGH, despite accusations to the contrary by his former trainer, Brian McNamee, who Clemens unwisely sued for defamation (the case was recently thrown out and McNamee has a countersuit pending).
Clemens now has a lot bigger problems than whether his seven Cy Young Awards and 354 victories will gain him access to the Hall of Fame. And for this, he has no one to blame but himself.
He wasn't even subpoenaed, after all, to appear before Congress in 2008. He did that on his own in an attempt to clear his name. But by following the Barry Bonds course of deny, deny, deny, he basically guaranteed he'll remain a pariah for the rest of his life.
You'd think athletes would have learned by now from the lessons of people like Andy Pettitte, Jason Giambi and Rodney Harrison. We live in a forgiving society. Fess up to whatever you've done, accept the consequences, and move on. If Clemens ever learns that lesson at all, it will still be too late. ...
The Red Sox aren't the only team facing catastrophic injuries this year. The Phillies, jockeying for a playoff spot in the NL East, have been hit just as hard.
They were without All-Star second baseman Chase Utley for nearly two months because of a thumb injury. Infielder Placido Polanco missed almost a month. Outfielder Shane Victorino just finished a two-week stint on the DL, and slugger Ryan Howard hopes to return after a three-week absence tomorrow.
There's more. Shortstop Jimmy Rollins has already had two DL stints. Closer Brad Lidge Vikings jersey
missed time, along with starters Joe Blanton, J.A. Happ (since traded to the Astros) and Jamie Moyer.
That's some of the Phils' best players, but they've managed to rise above it and keep pace with the Braves in the NL East while compiling a record very similar to the Red Sox. The Phillies, of course, have the luxury of not sharing a division with the