Wang

Chien-Ming Wang won his 19th start of the season last night against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He would have captured that increasingly rare 20 games-won season if Mariano Rivera had not blown a save on August 13th against Baltimore. Ironically, Rivera got the win. Wang ends the season with a 19-7 record.

At 38-13, he has the best record in the Major Leagues in the past two seasons. And at $489,500, he's been invaluable to the Yankees, in a season when the next-best pitching record is Pettitte's 14-9.

ESPN's Cy Young predictor doesn't give Wang much of a chance in winning the award. Even though he came in second in last year's voting, he did not receive one first place vote. (He tied the winner, Johan Santana, with a 19-6 record.)

If race is an issue of concern to you, then it might be worthwhile to consider if that had anything to do with it. Maybe it didn't. Maybe it did, even if on an unconscious level.