Everybody's curious. Who will be Player of the Year? Well, because I care about you all so much and becuase I want to help each and every one of you sleep easier over the next couple of weeks, I, Ben Smith, will try to sort things out for you. Yes, I've been drinking. Yes, I'm tired. Yes, it's 3:30 in the morning. Oh well, here goes nothing...

Nate Tomko:
Pros: The most dominant season of any player in the SBL to date. He finished in the top two in every category. PJ & the Ladies have their first finals birth in franchise history to him. Is there anything more I can say?
Cons: Nobody wants to see him win POTY. It's equivilent to Triple H in the WWE or the Net York Yankees. The people want to see somebody else win. Don't be surprised if Tomko, even with the best season statistically in the history of the league, is overlooked for a second-straight season.

Ben Smith:
Pros: Finshed 3rd in homeruns (27) and 2nd in RBI (121) with a +.500 batting average (while letting his teammates take all the inside shots), and proved to be a solid defender and scrummer. He led his team to a 10-10 finish, something that most people wouldn't expect out of this team if you were looking at it on paper.
Cons: He's missed a couple of weeks, he's had a couple of horrible games (such as the 1-8 outing against Koopa Troopa last Sunday), he's not the defensive stud that Nate Tomko or Jon Biddle is, he's talking about himself in the third person... If he doesn't win POTY, that's probably why.

Shelley Goodpastor:
Pros: A .715 average, 110 RBI (about 95 of those being herself), and probably being the MVP of the league help her cause. Once again, Shelley has shown to be the most feared hitter in the game. And seriously, how would her team score runs without her?
Cons: She doesn't play defense. Although she would have had my vote last year, with the level of competition this year, it's going to be hard to justify Shelley as Player of the Year when she doesn't play on both sides of the ball.

Tery Shernisky:
Pros: One of the SBL's elite players on both sides of the ball. He's broken all records for rookies and had enviable numbers for anyone. He took his initiation into the SBL well, and has shown to be a leader. An 11-9 record for a team which was expected to finish in last shows a lot. Also, dating Katie Kelly doesn't hurt.
Cons: With all that said, he's still a rookie biotch. The last time a rookie was nominated for Player of the Year, he lost on both that vote and the ROTY vote. It's hard to see Mr. Katie Kelly winning POTY this year, but pencil him in as an early favorite for next season.

Jon Biddle:
Pros: Once again led the league in double plays. Finished in a close second to reigning POTY Matt McClelland in the All-Star voting. Not to mention that he's had his offensive season yet. A .493 average with 73 RBI ain't too shabby.
Cons: His offensive numbers just don't add up to those of the other finalists. Until he can either prove himself to be an offensive stud or legally swot shots away, don't expect Biddle to win Player of the Year.