In Which I Gripe About The All-Star Game

The All-Star Game (held, of course, at Yankee Stadium) is nearly here, and today, the rosters were announced. Allow me to complain about some of these players having made the team, and about some players having not made it.

The starters get voted in by the fans, so I can't blame the coaching staffs for any dumb starting players. The fans did make the right call in terms of the following players: Joe Mauer, Alex Rodriguez, Josh Hamilton, Kevin Youkilis, Manny Ramirez, Lance Berkman, Chipper Jones, Hanley Ramirez, Alfonso Soriano, Chase Utley, and of course, Ryan Braun. And, it goes without saying, the Captain.

Other legit batters added to the team were: Adrian Gonzalez, Albert Pujols, Aramis Ramirez, Dan Uggla, Matt Holliday, Ryan Ludwick, Brian McCann (should be starting), Russell Martin, Miguel Tejada, Christian Guzman, Nate McLouth, Grady Sizemore (should be starting), Michael Young, Joe Crede, Carlos Guillen, Ian Kinsler (should be starting), Carlos Quentin, J.D. Drew, Justin Morneau, and Milton Bradley.

However, the fans royally screwed up a few starting slots, including the Japanese outfielders Ichiro Suzuki and Kosuke Fukudome. Kosuke has been good, but not all-star worthy, and Ichiro's steals look great, but he should not be starting on this team. Ichiro should be on the team, to be sure, but not starting. Grady Sizemore should be starting in his place-- he could finish 40-40 this season. Meanwhile, Fuckyoudome's teammate Geovanny Soto also belongs on the team, but the fans voted him in when he should be backing up Brain McCann. David Ortiz may be very popular, but he started off the year terribly, had a great month, and then got hurt. Don't fans pay attention to baseball? Speaking of Red Sox players voted in, how did Dustin Pedroia get more votes than Ian Kinsler?

Even more puzzling is how certain players were added by the coaching staff. You'd think these guys would know baseball, right? Well then explain why Dioner Navarro is on the all star team. His batting average looks nice, but he's got no power, and his hot streak has faded. It's not like the Rays don't have a slew of other all star candidates to put on the team. (Speaking of the Rays, doesn't it seem odd that the best team in baseball has only two all stars?) And how is Jason Varitek on this team? He's batting a paltry .219 with an OPS under 7; he's got only seven homers and 27 RBI to compliment those stats. This is an all star? Do I hear Terry Francona favoring his players? The NL is much more understandable in terms of its reserves, with Ryan Ludwick getting the nod for his unsustainable first half, Nate McLouth gets his recognition, and the rest of the team is made up of really good players. Guzman may be the only surprise, but he has played well, and who else would you put on from the Nationals? The case could definitely be made for Jon Rauch, but that's no knock on Guzman.

(Notice, by the way, who is missing: one Jo-ver Rey-ted. Just desserts, I say. In a year when lesser-knowns have stepped up (such as Ludwick and McLouth), the immature one has been left off the roster. Part of why I like the Guzman selection is that Reyes is not on the team. Smiles all around.)


In terms of pitching, both teams look fairly sensible. The NL was forced to take Brian Wilson because there's conceivably no one else on the Giants, but maybe they should've taken Aaron Rowand instead. The real shocker of the staffs is George Sherrill of Baltimore. How the hell is this guy on the team? He's really not any good, and if you're desperate for an Oriole, how about Nick Markakis?

Markakis is one of a few shocking snubs, including David Wright, Jason Giambi, Jermaine Dye, and Pat Burrell. Those four players-- and Rowand-- are eligible to earn the final spot on their respective teams, but that means not all of them can make it. (Markakis, however, remains off the team, while teammate Brian Roberts is an option for the final spot.) Also able to be voted in is Jose Guillen, one of the league leaders in RBI, but who has slowed down recently. I think a bubble-vote is a good representative of where he stands. Evan Longoria will probably earn the last spot on the AL roster, though, because he's quite popular. In the NL, the other options are Carlos Lee and Corey Hart, both of whom are deserving. No qualms there.

Somehow, C.C. Sabathia was left off the roster. I know he started off slowly, but he's really turned it around and has been spectacular. Mike Mussina has been surprisingly great as well, and deserves to be on the team. Both pitchers are better than George Sherrill, as is James Shields of the first-place Rays. But where is John Danks? His ERA is under three, and he strikes out his fair share of batters. In the NL, Tim Hudson has been really good, although it is difficult to push out any of the currently rostered pitchers. Ditto for Johan Santana, who, predictably, is pitching well (but not "Johan") in the first half, and is sure to be unhittable in the second.

Feel free to add your own complaints and snubs in the comments section below this blog post. *points downward*