  The MLB All-Star Game is still a week away, but most teams reached the halfway point of their seasons over the holiday weekend. With that in mind, here's one fan's opinion of who your award winners would be if the season ended today. Much could change in the second half, but what follows are my choices at this time. For comparison's sake, you can read Peter Gammons' linked column to see what he thinks. AL MVP - Vladimir Guerrero. The fact that the Angels are still right in the tough AL West race with the injuries they have endured (Troy Glaus, Garrett Anderson, Darin Erstad, etc) is a testament to how great Vlad has been. Sure, some other guys like Manny Ramirez and Ivan Rodriguez have put up great numbers, but Manny's not carrying the Red Sox, and Pudge is just lifting the Tigers from the cellar to the status of also-ran. AL Cy Young - Curt Schilling. This is a really close call right now. Kenny Rogers has 12 wins, and Mark Mulder's numbers are almost identical to Schilling's. I'm going with Schilling because he's been at his best in critical situations (like Saturday night's shutdown of the Braves after 4 straight Sox losses).
I wouldn't argue with anyone who chose Mulder though. AL Rookie - Tough call here. Lew Ford has come out of nowhere to put up some great numbers, and Bobby Crosby is improving each month. I'll go with Ford as the top guy for the first half, but I expect Crosby or someone else to make a big push in the second half (pitchers Shingo Takatsu and Daniel Cabrera are two guys to keep an eye on). AL Manager - Some great possibilities here. I'm going with Ozzie Guillen at this point, leading a team with only one All-Star into first place in his first year as a big-league manager.
It's hard not to vote for Lou Piniella though, considering the Devil Rays' turnaround. Other top contenders would be Buck Showalter and Eric Wedge. NL MVP - Scott Rolen. Sure, Barry is still Barry. But Rolen's on pace to drive in 150+ runs, hit .330, and of course continue to play the best 3rd base of anyone in the game. The Cards have other stars too, but Rolen's play is what has carried them to the top of the tough NL Central. NL Cy Young - Jason Schmidt. Several other viable candidates, but Schmidt has simply been the most dominant starter in the NL over the last 2 months. He has carried the Giants as much as one starter can carry a staff (similar to Pedro in his early years with the Red Sox).
The Hall-of-Fame brigade (Clemens, Johnson, Glavine) have been a great story, but if I had to pick one guy in the NL to start an important game for me right now, it would be Schmidt. NL Rookie - Another difficult choice, as no rookie has been amazing. I'm going to go with Aaron Miles of the Rockies, who will likely pop up among the NL top 10 in batting by the end of the week (he's currently just a few plate appearances shy of qualifying).
Again, the 2nd half of the season is where rookies make their marks, so keep an eye on guys like SS Khalil Greene and P Chris Capuano. NL Manager - Tony LaRussa. The Cards weren't supposed to be good enough to compete with Astros and Cubs in the NL Central, but so far they have been the class of that division. Other good jobs worth a mention are Cincinnati's Dave Miley, Felipe Alou in San Francisco, and Bruce Bochy in San Diego. 
