Davidoff: Pujols, Cardinals marriage strong

If you want further proof that the relationship between the Cardinals and Albert Pujols is solid, heading into Pujols’ free agency, look at the nominees for the 2011 Roberto Clemente Award.

The Cardinals’ nominee is Pujols. Again.

There’s an unofficial rule within Major League Baseball - an understanding, if you will - that there are no repeat winners for the Clemente Award, the prestigious honor given annually to a player who best emulates the former Pirates legend regarding play on the field, sportsmanship and community involvement. No player has won it twice in its 40 years of existence.

Yet St. Louis keeps putting up Pujols, even though he already won the award - quite deservedly, let’s make clear - in 2008. It’s a tad odd; by continuing to nominate Pujols, the Cardinals are preventing their other 24 players from being recognized. The Yankees stopped nominating Derek Jeter after he won in 2009, for instance (they submitted CC Sabathia this year), and the Red Sox have David Ortiz as their representative this season after Tim Wakefield prevailed in 2010.

The Cardinals, while acknowledging my question, didn’t offer an explanation for their thinking. Nevertheless, Pujols’ seventh straight nomination obviously reiterates the organization’s acknowledgement that the three-time National League Most Valuable Player is their most important asset.

Does that mean they’ll magically find common ground on a new contract? Of course not. Yet the Cards clearly want Pujols back, and Pujols, as his community involvement shows, is deeply invested in St. Louis. That’s why the safe money calls for the marriage to remain intact into next year and beyond.

The Rebound Rookie

Perhaps you missed it, given that the biggest headlines coming out of Los Angeles have concerned Frank McCourt’s finances. But the Dodgers, after a miserable start to the season, are creeping back toward .500. They took a 74-76 record into Saturday night’s game against Pittsburgh, after hitting a low point of 37-51 on July 6 and still sitting 10 games under .500 (59-69) on Aug. 23.

Credit is due to first-year manager Don Mattingly, who kept the team together during a season that could have turned toward the horrific, given the team members faced questions about such basics as whether their paychecks would clear.

“We’re talking about a guy drafted in the 19th round (in 1979) out of Evansville, Indiana who now has his number in Monument Park at Yankee Stadium,” Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti said. “He wouldn’t have accomplished that without focus and determination. And we’ve seen that here.”

Colletti praised Mattingly for communicating well with the players -Matt Kemp, after struggling greatly last year, is putting up an MVP-caliber season - and for keeping the intensity up despite the early losses. “It’s hard to be able to pull off the second-half turnaround,” Colletti said. The Dodgers, in a season in which their attendance has plummeted, have offered at least some hope to their remaining fans.

Not Caught Speeding

It was odd watching Chien-Ming Wang pitch for Washington against the Mets Tuesday night at Citi Field, throwing sinkers at 90 mph. In 2006, his best season with the Yankees, Wang’s fastball averaged 93.1 mph, according to FanGraphs.com. It’s no wonder that he has struggled since returning from a two-year absence to recover from right shoulder surgery.

“Of course the velocity is a challenge right now,” Wang said through a translator. But I hope the more I get out there, my shoulder gets stronger, and I feel it can come back.”

Said Nationals manager Davey Johnson: “I said I’ve seen enough this year that, with an offseason coming up, if he feels pretty confident his arm’s going to be solid, next year he could step it up a notch.”

The Nationals paid Wang $2 million last year to not pitch for them, and they’re paying him $1 million for less than half a season. The 31-year-old can be a free agent, yet he said, “I hope next year I still can play for (the Nationals).” If Washington truly believes what Johnson said, then a re-up makes sense.