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Are they going to re-define the award as going to the third-best pitcher in each league, or is it just for this year?

AL:
Santana
Rivera
Colon

NL:
Clemens
Willis
Carpenter

(Note: Colon is probably rated even higher on my list than he ought to be. You could probably make a case for Rivera ove Santana, but as a Twins fan and Yankee hater I really don't want to hear it.)

ove = over

I guess I should spell-check before posting.

Yes, a case could be made for Willis or Clemens, but to say that there is not just as good a case for Carpenter is ridiculous. Each of the three has points in his favor--and points against--compared to the other two.

Carpenter 21-5, 2.83, 241 IP
Willis 22-10, 2.63, 236 IP
Clemens 13-8, 1.87, 211 IP

The case for Clemens is the weakest, IMO. The only stat where he had a significant edge on the other two is ERA. Wins, losses, innings pitched all work against him. If he had pitched an additional 25-30 innings, to match the other two guys, I bet his ERA would have ballooned.

Willis has a stronger case. While he had the edge on Carp in wins and ERA, that edge was very small--insignificant, really. And he had twice as many losses as Carp.

Overall, when you look at everything altogether, including the indicators of dominance--strikeouts, walks and hits per innings pitched, etc.--Carpenter fares very well and, I think, comes out on top.

The bulk of Carpenter's season was a phenomenal stretch of 16 starts from June 14 through September 8--as dominating a stretch of that length that I have ever seen, and I have been following baseball closely for 45 years. I'm talking Koufax/Gibson/Carlton quality.

Listen to these highlights from today's SL P-D article, Carpenter is Cy high:

Carpenter is the only pitcher in the 86 seasons of the live-ball era to go undefeated over 16 consecutive starts while pitching at least seven innings in each start and never allowing more than three earned runs. . . . Carpenter had 22 consecutive quality starts, the longest streak in the league since Bob Gibson's 22 in 1968. . . . the unmatched run of 16 unbeaten starts, in which Carpenter was 13-0 with a 1.36 ERA. He struck out more batters (115) over those 132 1/3 innings than he allowed to reach base (79 hits, 19 walks).

The ONLY way this Cy race became close was Carp's last four starts, in which he pitched poorly and got shellacked. After his win on Sept. 8, he was 21-4, 2.21, at 220 IP. Then, over his last four starts, covering 21 innings, his ERA skyrocketed .62 points, up to 2.83.

But here's the key point: This was all AFTER the Cards had effectively wrapped up best record in the league and were looking to the postseason. Carp naturally lost some focus, and Tony was letting his starters ease up somewhat to get them fresh for the playoffs. It worked: Carp was 2-0 with a 2.14 in three postseason starts.

Chris Carpenter is a very deserving Cy Young winner, no question about it.

Just as Prince Albert will be a very deserving MVP. :-) BTW, Pujols's competition should be Derrek Lee, not Andruw Jones.