Darrell Moody: Trout, Harper were the easy picks

One of the most no-brainer awards were the rookies of the year in the American League and National League.

Mike Trout of the Angels and Bryce Harper of the Nationals were hands down easy picks. How anybody didn't vote for both of them as their first choice is beyond me. There shouldn't have been a second or third place. I'm not going to anoint either of them Hall of Famers, but they certainly are off to a good start.

Trout was in the race for AL MVP as well, but I think it was a smart choice to give it to Detroit's Miguel Cabrera, who became the first Triple Crown since Yaz won it while playing for the Red Sox.

Trout had a great year and showed awesome power and speed, but to lead in homers, RBIs and average like Cabrera did is simply amazing. Many power guys don't hit for a high average usually, making Cabrera's feat all the better.

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I attended last weekend's state soccer event in Henderson, and all I can say is what a mess.

Heritage Park was a horrible site. It's a huge park complex with little or no seating, no scoreboards, no power so you could announce goals and lineups. It's perfect for a day of AYSO soccer, but not high school.

Fans were allowed to sit inside the fenced area, and to me that's a recipe for disaster. At one point, the center official had to chastise the Green Valley students who were crowding the sidelines during the Gator' game against Carson.

I know why it was done. The NIAA, or Vegas people running the show down there, wanted everything to be at the same site to make it easier for them. Taking the easy way out has become the thing to do.

All the games were played at 4 and 6 p.m., so you had four fields going at once. Balls often went into adjoining fields, another dangerous situation.

Are you trying to tell me this is the best southern Nevada can do? Well if that's the case move soccer permanently to the North. Play at Carson, Damonte, and Manogue. At least you are playing in a stadium where the fans aren't 10 feet from the sidelines.

And is there a reason why the games were only at 4 and 6? It was a bad day weather-wise on Friday, but why not stagger the times throughout the day. The out-of-town parents were already there, so that wouldn't be a big deal.

Heck often times softball and baseball is played in the middle of the day when state is down in Vegas. C'mon people, let's make some better decisions.

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The all-league soccer teams came out earlier this week, and I could only scratch my head in amazement.

I thought the Carson boys got jobbed royally despite the fact it finished second in the Sierra League under first-year head coach Mehdi Samii.

Michael Samii did make first team, but how did he go from Defensive Player of the Year to just first team. Carson allowed only one goal a game, and he was a key reason for that.

What about Zach Smith? I'm no soccer expert, but Smith had a sensational season and should have been a first teamer. Ditto for Cruz Kerver, who is very underrated.

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The Carson City Pop Warner is competing in the cheerleading regionals in Santa Clara over Thanksgiving weekend.

If the team does well in Santa Clara, it would move on to the national finals which means fundraising in a hurry. If there are any individuals or companies wishing to donate in the event the team qualifies, please call Sheryl Tingle at 220-6650.