I imagine winning an award after losing in the playoffs is somewhat bittersweet. Being honored with an award is exciting, sure, but does it take the sting out of seeing the headline "Bronx Bummers" or a derivative thereof on every newspaper and blog (for the record, I don't believe I sunk that low) for a month straight? Just ask A-Rod if last year's MVP title made him forget about the choking criticism or the exceedingly clever "A-Fraud" nicknames that started after the disastrous ALDS; the words "consolation prize" and "this won't even shut you goddamned hecklers up, will it?" (no) probably come to mind.

While awards may not be as thrilling as a sizeable cash bonus and World Series ring, several "Bronx Bummers" have already won accolades for their 2006 (regular season...forget what happened in October) performances, and more are due to be announced in November. Congratulations are in order for:

Mariano Rivera (left, pondering the cruel fate that made him the winner of an arbitrary award sponsored by a shipping conglomerate rather than a World Series): Mo won the DHL Delivery Man of the Year title for the second consecutive year and is on the ballot for This Year in Baseball's Top Closer award. This should come as no surprise to anyone that has ever seen him pitch or even taken a gandar at his stats, which are akin to numbers Jesus would post were he to descend from heaven and become a major league pitcher.

Derek Jeter: He's already won 2 awards - - Jeet beat out David Ortiz, Justin Morneau, Vladimir Guerrero, Travis Hafner and Paul Konerko in the voting for the Hank Aaron award (he is the first Yankee to ever win), and The Sporting News chose him as the best shortstop in the American League. He certainly deserves it: this year he became the fifth player in the past 75 seasons to hit .340 or higher, drive in at least 90 runs and steal 30 or more bases in the same season. He is considered one of the prime candidates for the MVP title (along with Dye, Santana, Morneau and others) and has also been named a finalist for the Hutch Award.

Robinson Cano: Along with Jeter, he was chosen by The Sporting News as the best player at his position in the league. I still smell a batting title in his future.

Chien-Ming Wang (right, and god bless the Yankees organization for forcing rookies to be humiliated. PURE GOLD): The Wangster is on the ballot for the This Year in Baseball's Top Starter award! He had a great year, and while I think Santana is a shoo-in for all pitching-related awards, it makes my heart swell with pride to see our own little Wangster on the ballot for awards in his 2nd MLB season.

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