And now, a dose of tradition to follow a day of debate. Brewers left fielder Ryan Braun -- a prolific hitter from a contending team -- is the National League's Most Valuable Player.

Braun outpolled the Dodgers' Matt Kemp to become Milwaukee's first league MVP since Hall of Famer Robin Yount won for the second time in 1989, when the Brewers were still an American League franchise. Braun was nervously waiting on the balcony of his Malibu, Calif., home with his home phone in one hand and his cell in the other, when the happy call finally came Tuesday from the Baseball Writers' Association of America.

"It sounds cliché to say that I'm living the dream, but this really is a dream," Braun said. "This is beyond my wildest dreams, to be in this position at this point in my career. I'm proud."