You were very good playing a bitch-heroine, but you shouldn't win an award for playing yourself.

— Jack Warner to Bette Davis regarding her failed bid to win an Oscar for her performance "Of Human Bondage", for which she promptly decked him.

Will wonders ever cease? The writers got both MVP—count 'em, TWO—awards right this year, awarding the NL honor to the NL's best player this year, Albert Pujols (or Albert Pools as Thom Brennaman is wont to call him).

Even with the 19-yard-field-goal that has been giving the award in the NL to Barry Bonds has been this decade, the writers haven't gotten both "right" since 2000 when Jeff Kent and Jason Giambi were awarded the hardware.

The other years in which they got all the MVP awards "right"?

1994—Jeff Bagwell & Frank Thomas
1990—Barry Bonds & Rickey Henderson
1980—Mike Schmidt & George Brett
1978—Dave Parker & Jim Rice
1975—Joe Morgan & Fred Lynn
1957—Hank Aaron & Mickey Mantle
1946—Stan Musial & Ted Williams
1939—Bucky Walters & Joe DiMaggio
1936—Carl Hubbell & Lou Gehrig
1929—Rogers Hornby (only one award)
1923—Babe Ruth (Only one award)

So what do I mean by "right"? I know this won't make everyone happy, but I mean they picked the player who led his league in Win Shares to be the MVP. This year both A-Rod and Albert Pools led their league in Win Shares.

So how well have the writers done over the years? Here is a breakdown by decade:

It could be that Barry Bonds has made this mind-numbingly simple in the 2000s, but the writers have been correct two-thirds of the time, their best decade yet. If I live to be one hundred, maybe they'll have this MVP thing down pat. Now, if they could just get rid of the Lamarr Hoyt, er, Cy Young award.