Who are the top candidates for the Ben McDonald Award? One of the most prestigious awards in sports -- an award whose very name is synonymous with excellence -- is awarded annually to the Diamond Mind Baseball League's top pitcher. This year, the field is wide open, with at least 10 candidates worthy of attention. This week, we asked a panel of baseball experts to look at Kris Benson, Kevin Brown, Pedro Martinez, Mike Mussina and Mariano Rivera. Next week's candidates are Osvaldo Fernandez, Randy Johnson, Ray King, Greg Maddux and Kazuhiro Sasaki. Remember, the actual winner will be determined by a vote of the league's owners and will be announced after the World Series.

Kris Benson, Brooklyn Bean Counters
People might think I'm biased, but I really do feel that I'm the best candidate for the Ben McDonald Award. Here's why.

Last year, my first in the DMBL, I went 8-15 with a 4.99 ERA and a pretty disappointing 100:75 strikeout-to-walk ratio. A lot of pretty smart people had me pegged as a Rookie of the Year candidate last year and maybe that messed with my head, I don't know.

This year, I feel like I really turned things around. I had a few modest goals I set for myself in spring training -- I wanted to pitch 200 innings and get to a .500 record. Well, I did that and more! I ranked 7th in ERA (3.84), tied for 5th in wins (16) and 6th in quality start percentage (.581), plus I turned my K-to-walk ratio around to nearly 2-to-1. Booya! I was also pretty stoked about my .727 winning percentage -- not only was it for a team that finished six games under .500, but it also was for the league's second-worst offense. Don't take it personally, guys, but we sucked!

I went 10-3 in the second half, including winning five of my last six starts on the season -- with a 4-1 win over Randy Johnson on Saturday to keep our playoff hopes alive another day. With the huge strides I made this season, I'm really looking forward to next year!

The Purple Two-Headed Monster on Sesame Street
Aww-dah-bah daw! Doo-dah bee-dah! (Translation: "Arkansas's double-barreled aces, Kevin Brown and Pedro Martinez, shared the Ben McDonald Award in 1999. This year, the dynamic duo could do it again.")

Left says: Paydro! Paaaay-dro? Paydro! ("Martinez dominates the leaderboard: 2.59 ERA (1st), 293 strikeouts (2nd), 2 shutouts (tied for 2nd), 222.1 IP (5th), 7 complete games (tied for 3rd). He lead the league in lowest opponents' batting average (.192), on-base percentage (.235) and slugging percentage (.361) and in quality start percentage (.733). There's only one knock against Pedro this year, but it's a big one: He went 14-10, a .583 winning percentage for a team that went 85-77, despite his teammates scoring 5.2 runs per game in his starts.")

Right says: Brown! Brown! ("Brown supplied the wins-end of the equation, finishing tied for 3rd in wins (17) and 6th in winning percentage (.708). He also was among the leaders with a 3.93 ERA (10th), 234 strikeouts (3rd), 11.8 runners per 9 (4th), 3 shutouts (tied for 1st), 236 IP (2nd) and 7 complete games (tied for 3rd).")

Bah-la dah-bah bee-dah bah-dah! ("Together, the two went 31-17 (.646) with a 3.28 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 527 Ks in 458.3 IP. No other team fields such a monstrous one-two punch and that's why, once again, Arkansas will go far in the playoffs.")

Craig Cox, staff writer, The Appalachian (Boone, N.C.)
How does the league's third-worst offense get into the playoffs? On the strength of the league's fourth-best pitching staff, of course! Carolina's Mike Mussina provided veteran leadership for a largely unproven staff made up of freshmen and sophomores.

Mussina has been one of the most solid starters in DMBL history, piling up 220 innings and 30 starts for the six straight seasons. In August, he recorded his 100th career win in style with a 10-0 blanking of the Crusaders. His career winning percentage of .564 (101-78) is even more impressive considering he's pitched the last five years for the Mudcats, 383-427 since being founded in 1997.

As usual, Mussina (16-9, 4.11 ERA) didn't dominate in any one area, but he was all over the leader board: 16 wins (tied for fifth), 175 strikeouts (7th), 225.2 innings (third), 11.7 runners per 9 (tied for third) and a .545 quality start percentage (tied for 8th).

In 1996, Mussina went 18-6 with a 4.22 ERA, and the award went to Greg Maddux (23-7, 2.70). In 1998, he went 18-10 with a 3.75 ERA, and the award went to Maddux (26-4, 2.49). This year, Maddux's numbers (17-11, 3.65) aren't overwhelming, but neither are Mussina's. His best chance for an award might be the World Series MVP: If the Mudcats are going to win it all this year, they'll need the Moose to step up big in the playoffs.

Ken Daley, Dallas Morning News staff writer
No reliever has ever won the McDonald Award. Is it The Curse of Dennis Eckersley? Vancouver's closer went 15-4 with 10 saves, a 1.13 ERA, 0.77 WHIP and 120 Ks in 128 IP -- and finished third in the balloting to Arkansas's McDonald (17-8, 2.69) and Newark's Dennis Martinez (17-6, 2.84). In fact, no reliever has ever won the award, despite some impressive performances over the years.

Mariano Rivera had one of the best seasons in league history. His 1.82 ERA was the lowest of any pitcher this year, and the lowest by a reliever with 30 or more saves in three years. He lead the league in saves (38) and relief points (79) -- both marks are the second-highest single-season totals in league history, behind only Billy Wagner's 41 saves, 86 points in 2000. Rivera also was first in games finished (66) and second in save percentage (.905).

Critics may point out Rivera wasn't overpowering (1.32 WHIP, 58 K in 84 IP) compared to the closers of yesteryear, and though he only allowed 15 of 52 inherited runners to score, his .288 percentage doesn't even rank in the top 10 in that category. And finally, perhaps the most damning fact of all: Wagner, Eckersley, John Wetteland and Trevor Hoffman didn't win the award in previous seasons, despite even more impressive numbers. But in a season where no starter stands head and shoulders above the crowd, maybe this is the year the closer's curse is finally closed out.