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Hawks prep for six-game road 'test'
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DRIVE: Simeon Basketball - Webisode 3
Go behind the scenes with the Simeon basketball team on CSNChicago.com - 12/14
TONY
ANDRACKI
Major League Baseball will continue to look back on the 2012 season, but only for three more days.
The last of the 2012 postseason accolades will be announced this week, ending in the MVP for each league Thursday evening.
Monday, super-rookies Mike Trout and Bryce Harper each took home the Rookie of the Year Award, which came as no surprise.
Tuesday, the Manager of the Year for each league will be announced. Cincinnati's Dusty Baker, Washington's Davey Johnson and San Francisco's Bruce Bochy were named as the finalists.
Baker managed the Cubs from 2003-06, including the infamous NLCS against the Marlins. He led the Reds to the NL Central title this season and went up 2-0 in the NLDS, but dropped the next three at home to Bochy's Giants, who went on to win their second World Series in three seasons.
Johnson, known mostly for his managing days with the Mets in the mid-to-late '80s, took over as the Nationals skipper in 2011 after holding a position in Washington's front office from 2006-11.
All three managers made the postseason, but Bochy won the World Series while both Johnson and Baker saw their teams vanquished in the Division Series in heartbreaking fashion. By that measure alone, Bochy deserves the award.
One manager who is not on the list and probably should be is Mike Matheny of the Cardinals. The former big-league catcher took over for Tony La Russa and filled in admirably for the Hall of Famer. St. Louis had so much turnover from its championship 2011 season, losing legendary pitching coach Dave Duncan and franchise stud Albert Pujols in addition to La Russa, but Matheny led the team to Game 7 of the NLCS before his luck ran out.
Matheny is just getting started in his managing career, however, so he very well could be in this conversation over the next few years. Johnson, meanwhile, has come out and said he is retiring after 2013, so this may be his last shot.
The awards will be announced Tuesday evening.
