THE MAIL

I take issue with Joe Sheehan's belief that Mike Trout should win the American League MVP over Miguel Cabrera. Not only did Cabrera win the Triple Crown, a feat that has only been accomplished 11 times in the last 100 years, but he also proved to be more valuable to his team. Sure, Trout had a great season with the Angels, but the Tigers would not have won the AL Central without Cabrera.

Michael J. Kelly, Northville, Mich.

Most Valuable Argument

I could not agree more with Sheehan (INSIDE MLB). The award is not named MVB, for the most valuable batter. Trout's fielding abilities were made obvious by his miraculous leaping catches this year in centerfield. He undoubtedly deserves to win because of his impact on the Angels in both offense and defense.

Parker Eads, Midlothian, Va.

No Money, Mo Problems

I thought former Panthers owner Stu Siegel presented a well-thought-out and balanced proposal for improved revenue sharing in the NHL (SCORECARD). His is probably the best possible solution to end the current lockout and prevent the loss of the entire season. Still, as long as the owners and the players refuse to acknowledge that the league has too many teams, some of which are in unprofitable markets, future work stoppages will be inevitable and the fans will continue to suffer.

Simon Rosenblum, Toronto

Bird Watching

As a former Orioles season-ticket holder and the father of a college-bound freshman, I want to thank David Simon for expressing the essence of the bond between fathers and their children when it comes to sports and rooting for teams that always seem to be on the losing end (Fear the Bird). Simon showed how the performance of the 2012 O's, with their string of last-minute, miracle wins, crept up on all of us in Baltimore and made us believers once again.

Bob Haag, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

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TRENDING

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BALTIMORE ORIOLES

OCT. 1

DAVEY JOHNSON

OCT. 1

INSIDE MLB: THE CASE FOR AMERICAN LEAGUE MVP

OCT. 1

SPEED WINS

SEPT. 24

FEEDBACK

How long do you think it will take for Terry Francona to have the Indians contending in the AL Central?

Will Garrett: It depends on whether or not Indians owner Larry Dolan will spend the money Francona needs to make it happen. Cleveland won't be able to win anything with the current talent they have on the roster.

Anthony Brown: Francona is one of the best managers in baseball, but I fear there will be no turnaround in Cleveland anytime soon.

Sam Thomas: I don't think he has a shot to make Cleveland any good. He never should have left Boston.

Chad Yoder: Maybe if they could get some righthanded batters on the roster they could contend next year.

David Bowles Edwards: At least four years until they can legitimately contend ... that's if the front office has the patience to stick with him.

Corey Kendall: It won't happen right away, so Indians fans had better be patient. Francona is a laid-back guy, so I think he'll somehow be able to put things in perspective and give this team the right mind-set to compete. They might string together 80 wins next season and then hopefully continue upward from there.

Mick Dutcher: I'm not an Indians fan, but I think this is a brilliant move by Cleveland. Francona is a great manager, and the Red Sox shouldn't have let him go.

Zach Blankenship: It's never going to happen with Francona. The Tigers and the White Sox are going to run that division.

Chris Neale: He'll be there for a few years but on the losing end. He'll get fired before they can ever contend.

Christian Koebel: Only way Francona can turn the Indians around is if he signs Ricky Vaughn and Willie Mays Hayes.

Derek MacLeod: Hey, he did break the 86-year curse in Boston....

Jonathan R. Flowers: He'll be fine as long as he can keep the players away from beer and chicken wings during games.

TWEET OF THE WEEK

LITTLE-KNOWN FACT: THE TIGERS' AL ALBURQUERQUE AND THE BALL HAD BEEN SECRETLY DATING SINCE MAY.

RAY RATTO (@RATTOCSN)

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FOR Oct. 1, 2012

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DAMIAN STROHMEYER (FRANCONA)

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TWITTER.COM (TWEET)

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