Pujols received all 32 first-place votes from members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, joining Stan Musial as the only Cardinals to win the award three times. Pujols led the majors in homers (47), runs (124), slugging percentage (.658) and intentional walks (44), and topped the NL in on-base percentage (.443). He was second in the league in double (46) and third in batting average (.327) and RBIs (135). He was especially dangerous with the bases loaded, going 10 for 17 with five grand slams, three doubles and 35 RBIs.

Florida’s Hanley Ramirez, the NL batting champion, was second with 233 points, followed by Philadelphia’s Ryan Howard (217) and Milwaukee’s Prince Fielder (2030) who tied Howard for the major league lead in RBIs at 141.

Pujols didn’t homer in his final 89 regular and post-season at-bats after Sept. 9, then had surgery October 21 to remove a bone spur from his right elbow. “My elbow was fine," Pujols said. “I don’t put that as an excuse. I was still playing every day out there.” The Cardinals’ first baseman became the fourth player to win the NL MVP three times. Barry Bonds won seven in the 1990s and 2000s. Stan Musial (1940s), Roy Campanella (1950s) and Mike Schmidt (1982) each won three. Five players have won three AL MVPs: Jimmie Foxx, Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle and Alex Rodriguez.

In nine seasons in the major leagues, Pujols has already put himself among the elite slugger in the game. Only Babe Ruth (1.163), Ted Williams (1.115) and Lou Gehrig (1.079) are ahead of Pujols (1.054) on the career on-base-plus-slugging percentage list, which combines a batter’s on-base and slugging percentages.

Pujols, who turned 30 in January, joined Hall of Famer Al Simmons (11) as the only players with 100 or more RBIs in each of their first nine seasons. He also set a big league record for assists by a first baseman with 185. Pujols has 366 career home runs. If he averages 40 a year for the next 10 seasons, he would pass Bonds (762) on the all-time list. “Hopefully, I will be playing 10, 12, 15 more years,” Pujols said, “as long as I can stay healthy and compete.”

“Pujols’s greatest concern is his health,” wrote Ben Shpigel of The New York Times, “particularly a nagging right elbow that required surgery for the second straight off-season. Despite playing with a partly torn ligament since 2003, he has avoided ligament replacement surgery. Albert said he was surprised last month to learn that he only needed the removal of bone chips, not the so-called Tommy John surgery, which would have sidelined him for six to eight months.”

“There’s so many great players out there – Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun, Chase Utley,” Pujols said on a conference call. “When I get to spring training, I don’t think about the M.V.P. I just pray to God and try to stay healthy. I’m sure that every year there’s going to be great competition and it’s going to be a great race.”

Pujols said, “I’m training harder every off-season, and I still have a passion for this game. That’s one thing you need to look at. If I’m 40 and I can compete with those young players, then I’m going to be playing because I love this game.”

Philip Joseph Cavarretta was born on July 19, 1916 in Chicago. While attending Lane Tech High School on the North Side, he was a local sensation he was a local sensation as both a pitcher and hitter. Among his feats at Lane were a no-hitter and 8 one-hitters. He also pitched his American Legion team to a national championship in 1933.

Cavarretta signed a professional contract with the Cubs before finishing high school. In his first professional game with Peoria at age 17 in 1934, he hit for the cycle as a right fielder. That same year he was brought up to the Cubs to replace manager Charlie Grimm at first base. He first appeared in a major league game on September 16, 1934, less than two months after his 18th birthday, pinch-hitting for the Cubs’ shortstop Billy Jurges.

A week later, on September 25, in his first start and his first appearance at the Cubs’ home park, Wrigley Field, Cavarretta hit a home run that supplied the winning margin in the Cubs’ 1-0 win over Cincinnati. In his 1935 rookie season, he batted .275 with 82 runs batted in, as the Cubs won their third pennant in seven years by winning 21 straight games in September. However, the Tigers beat the Cubs 4 games to 2 behind the pitching of Tommy Bridges.

In the 1938 World Series against the New York Yankees, Cavarretta was the starting right fielder for the Cubs, batting third in their lineup. “Looking around at the Yankee Stadium field before the game,” recalled Phil, “I wanted to see this field I’d heard so much about. I looked to right field, my position, and thought, ‘That’s my position,’ and thought, ‘That’s where Babe Ruth played,’ and over at first, ‘That’s Lou Gehrig’s position,’ and behind the plate was Bill Dickey.”

Due to an ear problem, Cavarretta was exempt from war service, and put up his best seasons from 1942 through 1945. His batting average climbed from .270 to .291 to .321. In 1944, he also had a career high 15 triples and his 197 hits tied him for the league lead. Phil had career highs with 106 runs, 35 double and 15 triples and earned his first of four straight All-Star selections (though the Cubs suffered their fifth consecutive losing season).

But in 1945, the team improved by 23 games, edging the defending champion St. Louis Cardinals by three games for the pennant as Cavarretta was named MVP. That season he also had a career-high 97 RBI, leading the NL in on base percentage and finishing third in slugging average. He batted .423 in the World Series against the Tigers, though the Cubs again lost, in seven games.

Cavarretta made the All-Star team again in 1946 and 1947, batting .314 the latter year, as the Cubs again fell back in the standings. Over the next six years, he played a gradually diminishing role with the team. He was named manager in June 1951, succeeding Frankie Frisch, though the team finished in last place. Continuing as manager for two more years, he compiled a record of 169-213.

Cavarretta, who will turn 94 on July 18, is the last surviving player from that 1938 World Series. Tommy Henrich, who also played right field and died recently, was the last surviving Yankee from that Series. Cavarretta lives with his wife of 72 years, Lorayne, in Snellville, Georgia, outside Atlanta. “I was thrilled to be there against the Yankees, but I can’t say I was overawed,” Phil said. “We had a lot of respect for the Yankees, but we were pros, too, and we were league champions. We were confident, but as it turned out, we were overmatched.”

Phil hardly played like someone who was overawed. As Ira Berkow of The New York Times wrote, “He batted .462 in the Series, hitting better than even Joe DiMaggio, who in his third season with the Yankees, batted .267. Cavarretta had 6 hits in 13 at-bats, getting at least one hit in each game, but the Cubs were swept in four games by the Yankees.”

Cavarretta has a vivid memory of Lou Gehrig, according to Berkow. “I saw Gehrig when I was a small boy and he played in Wrigley Field for a high school team in New York against Lane Tech, the high school in Chicago I eventually went to. Lou hit a home run into the right-field bleachers in that game. And in the 1938 World Series, I saw him playing first base against us. It looked like an effort for him to move around the bag, and he had no power swinging the bat. Of course, we had no idea that he was so ill.”

Cavarretta beat out a bunt for a single in the fifth inning of the fourth game. Gehrig, holding him on the bag, spoke to him. “He was kind of on the quiet side,” Phil said, “but he had a straight-on look in his eyes. I’m just a kid, but he says to me: “Phil, I’ve been watching you for three games. I like the way you play. Don’t ever change.”

Phil was then in his third full season with the Cubs. He had come up at the end of 1934, one of the few players to go from high school ball to the major leagues in the same season. He had also played in the 1935 World Series against the Tigers.

In his 22-year major league career, Cavarretta compiled a .293 batting average with 1977 base hits, 95 home runs, and 920 RBIs. Standing 5’11 ½ and weighing 175 pounds, he had a .990 fielding average. Phil later managed in the minor leagues from 1956-58 and again from 1965-72. He became a coach and scout with the Tigers and was a New York Mets organizational hitting instructor.

A native of Birmingham, Alabama, Bragan was born with baseball in his blood. Bobby had been a part of Fort Worth since the late 1940s when he came to town as the player/manager of the Fort Worth Cats. In a career dating back to 1937, Bragan had been a player at both the Major League and Minor League levels, a manager in both the Major and Minor Leagues, a Major League coach, a front office executive with two Major League teams and had served seven years as president of the Texas League. On the major league level, Bragan spent seven seasons as a manager: Pittsburgh (1956-57), Cleveland (1958) and the Milwaukee (1963-65) and Atlanta (1966) Braves. He compiled a record of 443-478.

During his playing days, Bragan was a shortstop and catcher, which included seven seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies and Brooklyn Dodgers of the 1940s. Bragan came up as a shortstop and played for the Phillies from 1940-42. In 1941, he played all 154 games, batting .251 and driving in 69 runs. In 1942, the team was strapped for catching help because of injuries and military call-ups, and Bragan offered to learn the job.

After spending two years in the military as a Second Lieutenant in the Infantry, Bragan returned in time for the 1947 season. Dodger general manager Branch Rickey liked Bobby’s dedication and obtained Bragan in a trade for Tex Kraus. He was a back-up catcher for the Dodgers during the next two seasons. Brooklyn played the New York Yankees that year in the World Series, and Bobby hit a pinch-hit double as the Yankees beat the Dodgers 4 games to 3. During seven seasons in the majors (1940-1948), Bragan compiled a career .251 BA.

Bragan’s teams in the minors were always competitive. He never finished below the .500 mark. He was one of the most unique and colorful managers in professional baseball. As the player-manager of the Fort Worth Cats, the 1948 and ’49 teams won the regular season title in the Texas League. Bragan’s best year with the Cats as a player came in 1949 when he batted .295, along with seven homers and 60 RBI. In 2005, he earned the distinction as the oldest manager of a pro baseball game. At 87, he led his former minor league team, the Fort Worth Cats. During the 1970s and 1980s, Bragan worked as the Texas Rangers’ community director of public relations for the team’s speaker’s bureau. He remained a special assistant to the club for the past 20 years. This week, the Rangers lauded Bragan’s “unmatched legacy.”

In 1992, his autobiography “You Can’t Hit the Ball with the bat on Your Shoulder: The Life and Times of Bobby Bragan” was released. It chronicled many of the highlights of his baseball career. Many long-time baseball observers believe Bragan was in a class by himself. He built a reputation on intelligence and creative approaches to the game.

From 1992 until his death, Bragan served as the CEO/Chairman of the Bobby Bragan Youth Foundation, which provides college scholarships to students from public schools across the Dallas/Fort Worth metorplex. Every year, 8th grade students are offered the opportunity to compete for these $2,500 scholarships, which are redeemed once the recipient has graduated from high school and enrolled in college.

For more information, contact the Bobby Bragan Youth Foundation, Janet Cooper, Executive Director, 3116 W. 6th Street, Suite 200, Fort Worth, TX 76107; Phone: 817-870-2300; E-mail: bbyf@charterinternet.com; on the Net: www.bobbybragan.org.

“Schreiber’s record came against quality opposition, a testimonial to his outstanding coaching,” wrote Lou Pavlovich in Collegiate Baseball, “and the storied discipline of his teams and the exalted position his community bestowed on a coach whose “tough-love” approach to the game.” The La Porte skipper was called by some rivals “Attila the Hun” for his fiery approach to not only baseball, but life in general. Schreiber stressed discipline, and more discipline, on the part of his players.

Schreiber’s 1987 La Porte team was crowned National champions. He was honored as Indiana baseball coach of the year nine times. Schreiber is a member of nine halls of fame, including the American Baseball Coaches Association. He has lectured at baseball clinics throughout the nation.

Schreiber is a strong believer in running disciplined and organized practices. “We insist that skills be done right,” said the legendary coach in the 1999 book, Baseball Play America. “It’s up to the coaches to demand that young kids practice repetitions by drilling them. The young people who are subject to situation baseball and the fundamentals of play are the ones who succeed.”

“We drill EVERY DAY with our infield, just like the pro’s and colleges. We hit fungos by the 100’s every day. We emphasize throwing without any inhibition. Don’t be afraid to make a mistake!”

“Players today do not throw enough,” continued Schreiber, “nor do they throw for distance enough to strengthen their arms. Our kids play ‘long throw’ catch three days a week. We make them play catch and properly. Throw with a purpose, and when catching the ball, have them move into the throw.”

Schreiber recommended in the Baseball Play America textbook the following:

Allow Players to Play Other Sports “Young athletes should be allowed to do so,” said Schreiber. “While we are in an era where players are more specialized, there should be good cooperation between the different sports. Coaches of all sports must be flexible in allowing youth to be multi-sport athletes. They should not insist on year-around participation in their program. There should be room for compromise on the part of coaches of all sports.”

Urge Athletes to Make a Stronger Commitment “Athletes should be more committed to their goals than they currently are,” said Schreiber. During his many years at LaPorte High, he developed a program for young athletes willing to make the commitment. He strongly believes discipline, dedication and a commitment to educational goals can save the youngsters from a decaying life style that is widely accepted today.

How did Schreiber compile such a remarkable coaching record at La Porte? He sums up his success in one word – COMMITMENT. “People should make commitments, but even more important, keep and meet their commitments.” Schreiber says, however, “We don’t get the commitment that we used to get.”

Schreiber believes society has become too permissive, irresponsible, and unaccountable. He explained, “One of the major culprits is the fall of the traditional home and the values that were so evident in two-parent families who were there for their kids.”