News column: Cabrera, Verlander have awards-worthy seasons, but need help in the standings

For my Detroit News column today, I noted that Justin Verlander and Miguel Cabrera both have a chance at postseason honors. Verlander could repeat as the AL Cy Young Award winner. Cabrera -- who many consider the best batter in the game -- could finally be rewarded with an MVP season.

But two problems stand between the Tigers and the hardware. The first: Other teams have some worthy players, too. Neither the Cy Young nor the MVP races are open-and-shut cases. People can make good arguments for other players on other teams. (Voters, for their part, vary from year to year and do not have a single consistent philosophy on what makes an MVP.)

The second: Whether or not it should be this way -- and it probably shouldn't -- playing for a team that makes the postseason seems to earn a player "bonus points" with the voters. Right now, the Tigers are on the outside looking in. That could be enough to sink the two stars' chances.

So go check out the column and see what you think!