But you have to figure that it’s not just a lack of respect for pitchers that Peavy’s not the toast of the league. If a Boston Red Sox or New York Yankee had won the pitching triple crown, ESPN would be pronouncing it the coolest thing since the underside of the pillow, and Chris Berman would be making whooping sounds while playing highlight tapes of Jake “Pet” Peavys strikeouts. It’s that East Coast thing at work again; Peavy not only pitches in the small media market of San Diego, which is overshadowed by all things Hollywood, he also plies his trade on the wrong coast.

But the wrong coast for publicity is the right one for pitching excellence in the Senior Circuit. Every winner for the past nine seasons has come from the far side of the Mississippi, with Tom Glavine of Atlanta in 1998 the last easterner to win.

Since then, it’s been four years of Randy Johnson for Arizona, then Eric Gagne for the Dodgers, Roger Clemens for the Astros, Chris Carpenter for the Cardinals and last year’s winner, Brandon Webb for the D-Backs.

So we should be used to the Cy Young winner coming from the far side of the Mississippi. And we should also be used to talking about Peavy as one of the top young talents in the game.  He has been in the big leagues since 2002, when he went 6-7 as a 21-year-old who came up in midseason. Two years later, he was 15-6 and the following year was 13-7. He wasn’t the best pitcher in the league, but he has been one of the best talents. And this year, his knowledge caught up with his talent.

Slide show   Week in Sports Pictures A new kind of cheesehead, thrills and agony at the Olympics, and more more photos

At 26 and in his fifth full season, he has finally mastered his craft. He still has to shine in the postseason — in two postseason starts, one in 2005 and one in 2006, he has lasted just more than nine innings and has a 12.10 ERA — to be a true ace, but he has learned a lot about pitching since then. When he made those starts, he was still a prospect. Now, with the Cy Young at hand, he doesn’t have to listen to talk about promise anymore.

And when the East Coast writers come to town, he may not even have to wear a name tag.

MORE FROM BASEBALL

Baseball Section Front

Can Rays, D-Backs weather the hurt? Angels beat Rays to regain best record in AL   Royals place Maier on DL with fractures in face ESPN signs digital rights deal with baseball Umpires, MLB sign agreement on replay Famous plays that could have used replay MLB Rumors: Crawford back to Rays in 2008? Latest baseball videos Rotoworld: Latest player news, rumors, stats, more Send in a question for the baseball expert   Baseball Section Front   Add Baseball headlines to your news reader: