Baseball Capsules: Albert Pujols wins second straight NL MVP award

NEW YORK — Albert Pujols’ third National League MVP award put him in select company. Only Barry Bonds has more.

"I’m just humbled," Pujols said.

Pujols won unanimously Tuesday, becoming the first player to repeat since Bonds won four in a row from 2001-04. Pujols, who also won in 2005, received all 32 first-place votes and 448 points in balloting announced by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. He became the first unanimous MVP since Bonds in 2002.

A big part of the Cardinals’ success this year was the acquisition of Matt Holliday in July. Holliday, who hit cleanup behind Pujols, helped St. Louis win the NL Central and then became a free agent.

"The whole city of St. Louis wants Matt back and myself, obviously," Pujols said. "He came at the right time, right when we needed it, right when we were struggling a little bit."

While the Cardinals have five division titles and six playoff appearances in nine seasons since Pujols joined the team, they have won the World Series only once, in 2006.

"I always make a joke. I got 10 fingers. I want to get nine more rings," he said. "I want to get as many as Derek Jeter has so far (five). Obviously that’s hard to do."

Pujols does have one individual goal — the Hall of Fame.

"Obviously, there is still a long way to go," he said.

Pujols led the majors in homers (47), runs (124), slugging percentage (.658) and intentional walks (44), and topped the NL in on-base percentage (.443). He was second in the league in doubles (45) and third in batting average (.327) and RBIs (135).

He was especially dangerous with the bases loaded, going 10 for 17 with five grand slams, three doubles and 35 RBIs.

"I think it was the most consistent year," he said. "I was pretty much hot April until almost September."

Florida’s Hanley Ramirez, the NL batting champion, was second with 233 points, followed by Philadelphia’s Ryan Howard (217) and Milwaukee’s Prince Fielder (203), who tied Howard for the big league lead in RBIs at 141.

Pujols didn’t homer in his final 89 regular and postseason at-bats after Sept. 9, then had surgery Oct. 21 to remove a bone spur from his right elbow. He had feared he might need ligament replacement, which probably would have forced him to miss the first half of next season.

"My elbow was fine," Pujols said. "I don’t put that as an excuse. I was still playing every day out there."

Pujols, who turns 30 in January, joined Hall of Famer Al Simmons (11) as the only players with 100 or more RBIs in each of their first nine seasons. Pujols also set a big league record for assists by a first baseman with 185.

Pujols became the fourth player to win the NL MVP three times. Bonds won seven in the 1990s and 2000s. Stan Musial (1940s), Roy Campanella (1950s) and Mike Schmidt (1980s) each won three.

Five players have won three AL MVPs: Jimmie Foxx, Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle and Alex Rodriguez.

In addition to Pujols and Bonds, the only unanimous NL winners were Orlando Cepeda (1967), Schmidt (1980), Jeff Bagwell (1994) and Ken Caminiti (1996). Unanimous AL winners have been Hank Greenberg (1935), Al Rosen (1953), Mantle (1956), Frank Robinson (1966), Denny McLain (1968), Reggie Jackson (1973), Jose Canseco (1988), Frank Thomas (1993) and Ken Griffey Jr. (1997).

St. Louis players have won 17 MVPs, second in the majors behind 20 for the Yankees. Pujols has been voted among the top 10 in nine consecutive years, finishing second in 2002, 2003 and 2006; third in 2004; fourth in 2001; and ninth in 2007.

Pujols receives a $200,000 bonus for winning the award. He is signed for next season at $16 million, and the Cardinals hold a $16 million option for 2011, so the sides might soon turn their attention to a contract extension.

"We don’t want this to drag into the 11th hour, but nothing’s imminent," Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak said in St. Louis. "I don’t think anybody could envision what he’s accomplished, on and off the field."

Joe Mauer of the Minnesota Twins was voted the AL MVP on Monday, receiving 27 of 28 first-place votes.

Mets hire Jauss as bench coach, Hale at third base

NEW YORK — The Mets will have a different look next season — both in the dugout and on the field.

Dave Jauss is the team’s new bench coach and Chip Hale will take over as third base coach on manager Jerry Manuel’s staff. Razor Shines, who coached third base this year, shifts over to first.

New York retained hitting coach Howard Johnson, pitching coach Dan Warthen and bullpen coach Randy Niemann after finishing 70-92 in 2009. Former major league manager Terry Collins was added as the club’s minor league field coordinator.

The Mets also announced Tuesday that they are switching their home pinstriped uniforms to a retro design with a natural color similar to what they wore when they won the 1969 World Series.

Elsewhere

Feds seek rehearing of baseball drug list ruling

SAN FRANCISCO — Solicitor General Elena Kagan asked for an unprecedented reconsideration of an appeals court ruling that government agents illegally seized drug-testing samples and records of baseball players who allegedly tested positive for steroids in 2003.

Kagan and 22 lawyers from the Justice Department and U.S. Attorney’s offices asked the 9th U.S. Court of Appeals to have all 27 of its judges rehear the long-running case that involves the results of 104 players the government says tested positive during baseball’s 2003 survey.

Although the names of the players in dispute are under seal and were to remain confidential, the identities of four have been leaked to the media: Alex Rodriguez, Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz and Sammy Sosa.

The government’s brief, filed Monday, didn’t address the original facts central to the case but rather new rules for computer searches that were contained in August’s decision by Chief Judge Alex Kozinski.

"In some districts, computer searches have ground to a complete halt," the government wrote. "Many United States Attorney’s Offices have been chilled from seeking any new warrants to search computers."

A "limited en banc" panel of 9th Circuit judges voted 9-2 in August that investigators trampled on protections against unreasonable searches when they seized the records and samples of 104 players. Prosecutors initially obtained warrants for only the test results of 10 players as part of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative investigation.

Kozinski’s majority opinion contained a major change in Fourth Amendment law, ruling that federal magistrates should insist the government waive reliance on the "plain view doctrine" in computer evidence searches. That doctrine allows prosecutors who obtained search warrants to use evidence of other crimes they come upon during the original search.

Kozinski also said specialized computer personnel or third parties should segregate evidence taken during computer searches and that evidence not originally targeted cannot be disclosed to government agents. He also said the government must return or destroy any non-targeted evidence that it seized.

The government said the decision conflicted with Supreme Court decisions and federal rules of criminal procedure that go into effect next month. Prosecutors cited an example in the state of Washington.

"Federal agents received information from their counterparts in San Diego that two individuals had filmed themselves raping a 4-year-old girl and traded the images via the Internet," they wrote. "The agents did not obtain a warrant to search the suspects’ computers, however, because of concerns that any evidence discovered about other potential victims could not be disclosed by the filter team. The agents therefore referred the case to state authorities."

In a brief submitted Tuesday, lawyers for the Major League Baseball Players Association said the central finding of the decision should not be reviewed, but they took no opinion on the new rules.

"Those guidelines are unnecessary to the resolution of the issues presented in this case," they wrote.

Since 1980, the 9th Circuit has convened "limited en banc" panels, usually 11 judges, because of its large size and has never had all its judges hear a case.

"The broad issues unnecessarily addressed in the en banc panel’s opinion are of surpassing importance and compel that extraordinary action," the government wrote.

University of Pittsburgh School of Law professor Arthur D. Hellman, an expert on the 9th Circuit, expects the court to rehear the case.

"The fact that the Solicitor General added her name sends a very clear signal that this is a very important case for the United States," Hellman said. "This is a mess that the 9th Circuit should clear up."

Any decision by the 9th Circuit could later be taken for review by the Supreme Court.

The government seized the samples and records from Comprehensive Drug Testing Inc. and Quest Diagnostics Inc. in April 2004. The players’ association went to court, asking that the records and samples be returned and that subpoenas be quashed, and three District Judges ruled for the union.

When the case originally reached the 9th Circuit, a panel voted 2-1 for the government in 2006. The "limited en banc" panel overturned that decision.

"The decision significantly affects the manner in which searches of electronically stored information may be conducted," Chief Magistrate Judge Karen Stromborn of Tacoma, Wash. wrote in an Oct. 1 letter to prosecutors telling them to adhere to the new computer search guidelines.

-- Paul Elias

Little League

Pitch count rules tweaked

SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — Little League Baseball is tweaking its pitch count rules so they are the same in regular season and tournament play.

Little League officials said the changes go into effect starting next season.

Previously, a 12-year-old who threw the maximum 85 pitches in a regular-season game was required to have three days of rest and one game off, or a blanket four days of rest.

Tournament rules, including those for the Little League World Series, had called for a 12-year-old to have two days of rest and one game off before pitching again.

Beginning next season, that pitcher will be required to rest four days, whether during the regular season or tournament play.

Rest requirements vary according to age and pitches thrown.