It began the way most bouts of existential dread do.



A pause to consider the inevitable consequences. A creeping sense of inescapability. And then the fetal position.



Our Bay Area BBWAA chapter chair, Eno Sarris, assigned me a National League Rookie of the Year ballot this season. Unlike the MVP, which involves ranking the top 10 players, or the Cy Young Award, which goes five deep, the rookie ballot is usually a simple assignment: just three names and, in a typical year, a minimum of controversy.



There might be some people still incensed about Marty Cordova-over-Garret Anderson or Chris Sabo-over-Mark Grace (hand raised for the latter), but all in all, this is supposed to be a lightweight exercise.



Pete Alonso was great. Pete Alonso hit 53 home runs for the New York Mets. No rookie in baseball history has ever hit more. Pete Alonso seems like a happy guy who likes to take his shirt off and act like a goofball. He has an affinity for polar bears. He...