The Envelopes, Please: Sorry Albert, but . . .

The awards--or Albert Belle, meet Susan Lucci.

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER

American League: 1--Juan Gonzalez; 2--Belle; 3--Alex Rodriguez.

Comment: Competition for this award runs deep. Mo Vaughn had an even better year than when he won in ’95. Belle produced another season of stunning statistics but loafed to first too many times and, in an incident this week while bidding for 150 runs batted in, demonstrated what he’s about by publicly showing up Cleveland Indian teammate Kevin Seitzer with gestures toward Seitzer after he failed to score on a Belle hit. The Texas Rangers never would have won for the first time if Gonzalez hadn’t undergone an attitude adjustment, shaking a festering reputation for malingering and producing a 47-homer, 144-RBI season.

National League: 1--Ken Caminiti; 2--Mike Piazza; 3--Chipper Jones.

Comment: It is necessary to view Caminiti over a series of games to appreciate what he does for the San Diego Padres at third base. That is not to depreciate Piazza’s work with a Dodger pitching staff that may be baseball’s best, but Caminiti consistently keeps the Padres in games with his Gold Glove. Given the difficulty in separating Piazza and Caminiti statistically, Caminiti’s defense, the inspiration he has provided playing through a series of injuries and his acknowledged leadership in the clubhouse are tough to overlook.

CY YOUNG

AL: 1--Andy Pettitte; 2--Pat Hentgen; 3--Charles Nagy.

Comment: At 21-8, Pettitte was the New York Yankees’ most consistent starter and stopper. An impressive display of talent and heart by only a second-year player in the Bronx. Hentgen, pitching for the sub-.500 Toronto Blue Jays, bids for 20 today.

NL: 1--John Smoltz; 2--Kevin Brown; 3--Todd Worrell.

Comment: A breakthrough season for Smoltz (24-8), the Atlanta Brave right-hander, although better support by the Florida Marlins might have enabled Brown (17-11) to underscore what his 1.89 earned-run average indicates: He was the league’s dominant pitcher.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

AL: Derek Jeter, Yankees.

NL: Todd Hollandsworth, Dodgers.

COMEBACK PLAYER

AL: Kevin Elster, Rangers.

NL: Eric Davis, Cincinnati Reds.

MANAGER OF THE YEAR

AL: Johnny Oates, Rangers.

NL: Tony La Russa, St. Louis Cardinals.

EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR

AL: George Steinbrenner, Yankees.

NL: Walt Jocketty, Cardinals.

Comment: Yes, Steinbrenner has a general manager, but what does that mean? Bob Watson seems certain to go, as have so many predecessors, because of the recent trade in which he acquired two injured players from the Milwaukee Brewers: Pat Listach and Graeme Lloyd. It was Steinbrenner who had faith in Dwight Gooden and Darryl Strawberry, who paid the price--foolishly and exorbitantly in a couple of cases--to retain or acquire David Cone, Wade Boggs, Tino Martinez, Mariano Duncan, Tim Raines and Kenny Rogers last winter, and who splurged again in July for Cecil Fielder.

Say what you want, but look who’s going to the dance again.

MONEY TALKS

So you can’t buy a title? Check with the NL Central champion Cardinals on their way to the playoffs.

New owners boosted the payroll by more than $10 million to $38 million. A bang for their bucks? Consider the key investments, with 1996 salary:

--Ron Gant, $5 million: Hit 29 homers and drove in 79 runs despite sitting out five weeks because of a hamstring strain.

--Gary Gaetti, $2 million: Drove in 80 runs despite sitting out three weeks because of a broken toe and filled a vacuum at third base.

--Andy Benes, $4.1 million: Won 18 games.

--Todd Stottlemyre, $4.3 million: Won 14 games.

--Dennis Eckersley, $2.3 million: Saved 30 games.

--La Russa, $1.5 million: Won his sixth division title as a manager.

Character? Chemistry?

“This team really didn’t have any,” said Eckersley, citing the turnover. “It was put together painfully. Stitched together. It’s amazing how it could come together in just one year.”

BRAVE DECISIONS

Two major moves for Atlanta entering the playoffs:

--Jeff Blauser’s return to shortstop after sitting out two months because of a broken hand puts Chipper Jones back on third and moves Terry Pendleton to the bench.

--Left-handers Denny Neagle and Steve Avery go to the bullpen for the division series, with Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and Smoltz starting in the best-of-five series, and Neagle returning for the best-of-seven league championship series, if the Braves advance.

Avery, eligible for free agency and coming off a two-month struggle with a pulled rib-cage muscle, might have made his last start for Atlanta and might not even be on the playoff roster despite his 2.88 career earned-run average as one of Atlanta’s best cold-weather pitchers in October. Avery may get a last trial today but acknowledged he was throwing “puff balls” with a weakened arm while hammered by the Marlins on Tuesday.

FLORIDA BOUND

An announcement on Jim Leyland’s hiring as the Marlins’ manager could come in the next few days. Leyland was visibly moved by the three standing ovations he received before, during and after Wednesday’s game, his last in Pittsburgh.

“It’s hard to explain to other managers what I was fortunate to have here,” he said. “Other managers may win more championships, but they will never have what I had here.”

Obviously not enough, however, to endure another rebuilding project and payroll purge. Neagle and Charlie Hayes have already left. Infielders Carlos Garcia and Jeff King might follow. General Manager Cam Bonifay acknowledges that the Pirates won’t be a contender until 2000.

A YEAR THAT WILL LIVE IN INFAMY

With one game to go, this is how bad it was for the Detroit Tigers.

--A club record for losses, breaking the 1952 mark of 104.

--A 6.37 ERA, highest in American League history.

--A major league record for home runs allowed, a record shared by each of the 27 pitchers employed by Detroit this year. All gave up at least one.

--A major league record for strikeouts--by their hitters.

The Tigers also became the first team since 1939 to give up more than 1,000 runs in a season, disrupting baseball’s computer system for a time, because it wasn’t programmed to handle a four-digit total.

Manager Buddy Bell seemed to characterize the year when he brought relief pitcher Richie Lewis into a bases-loaded, no-out jam in August and said:

“There are a whole lot of people out here. See you later. I’m going to go hide.”

NAMES AND NUMBERS

--The Houston Astros blew the NL Central race again in two ways: They went 2-11 against the Cardinals and opened September 4-16, including a nine-game losing streak. “We felt we had the best team in the league,” said Jeff Bagwell. “Anything short of a division championship was going to be a disappointment. This is kind of embarrassing.”

--The San Francisco Giants had a total of 11 players go down for the year with injuries. Asked his most memorable moment, Barry Bonds said: “Opening day. Everyone was still there.”

--The Chicago White Sox might have maintained their midseason challenge of the Indians in the AL Central, but the bullpen ultimately blew 30 of 72 leads through Thursday, and Chicago was 25-32 in games decided by one run.

--As Philadelphia Phillie President Bill Giles weighs the future of Jim Fregosi and Lee Thomas, his feuding manager and general manager, pitcher Curt Schilling said his willingness to extend his contract beyond next year could hinge on whether Fregosi stays, adding:

“A lot of guys around the league have told me they’d love to come here and play for him. They didn’t say they wanted to come to Philadelphia. They didn’t say they wanted to play at the Vet. They said they wanted to play for a specific manager.”

--Donovan Osborne (13-9) gashed a thumb reaching for a champagne bottle as the Cardinals celebrated their division clinching and was scratched as the starter in today’s regular-season finale. Osborne is expected to start Game 3 of the division playoff, however, as he was originally scheduled.

--The Angels clearly missed Tony Phillips’ catalytic influence as leadoff hitter and clubhouse leader, but a factor in his departure was management’s feeling that his emotional style often went too far. Phillips has had a major impact on the White Sox’s success this year, but club officials are echoing the Angel concerns: Phillips’ intensity gets out of hand. If not retained, and he is not expected to be, Phillips has been hinting at retirement.

--His Baltimore Orioles defeated the Boston Red Sox, 6-2, Wednesday and Manager Davey Johnson called it the biggest win of the year, sustaining the Orioles’ wild-card lead and momentum. Rick Krivda, who pitched six solid innings as the emergency starter, was an unlikely hero. It was his first win since June 6 and the first by any Oriole starter other than Mike Mussina, David Wells, Scott Erickson and Rocky Coppinger since May 26. In addition, Krivda started September in the minors and isn’t even on the Orioles’ playoff roster.

--Ivan Rodriguez, the acclaimed Texas catcher, had 635 at-bats through Thursday, breaking Johnny Bench’s 1974 major league record for a catcher of 621. A telling toll? Rodriguez had hit in the .320 area for most of the year but had fallen to .300 with one game to go.

--The Chicago Cubs could be devastated if Brian McRae leaves as a free agent and Mark Grace and Jaime Navarro fail to exercise 1997 options and join him, but all are expected back.

--The Blue Jays didn’t particularly scare anyone this year, but they have been hit by pitches 81 times, a major league record.

--Quote of the year: “Tomorrow isn’t promised to any of us.”--Kirby Puckett.