Of all the golden rules in baseball, this is one of the oldest: Never evaluate a player in March or in September, when the talent pool is watered down during spring training and roster expansion respectively. Just the same, there is no more important month during the baseball season.

And so beginning tomorrow, Sept. 1, only four weeks remain in the 2008 regular season. Along with the pennant, the competition for the Most Valuable Player Award in each league will be decided this month. And regardless of whom they are competing against, many players will be put in pressure situations during which they are asked to produce.