Fall Classic, Midsummer Classic, Spring Classic, Opening Day Classic, Free Agent Classic, New Player Classic...okay, maybe only the first two are real, but should the Major League Baseball All-Star Game be considered a Classic?
It does happen in the middle of the summer, so the "Midsummer" part is not a misnomer, at least, but fans do not really pay attention to the game anymore. Nor do the players, as a matter of fact. They are only there as an obligation as the faces of Major League Baseball, and when you are Manny Ramirez, that is up in the air too.
Can something be called a Classic when Major League Baseball has to make an exhibition game meaningful by putting home-field advantage in the World Series on the line to get fans to be interested in the game? The players could care less either, as they are joking around on the field and apparently are not that interested in winning at all.
The biggest issue with the All-Star Game, year in and year out, is the matter of who made the team and who got snubbed. And as usual, this year is no exception.
The fans got the starting lineup in the American League mostly right, as each of them lead or are near the top batting average-wise at their positions. Ivan Rodriguez and Jorge Posada are virtually tied in home runs and RBIs, but Posada is hitting forty points better than Rodriguez, so that is one qualm I have with the fans' decision. But hats off to them for choosing someone from the Midwest rather than another Yankee.
Most of the pitching staff for the AL deserve their invitations also, except for Gil Meche, who is below .500 and has a middling ERA. Mark Teahen and David DeJesus, with their decent output and making bigger contributions day in and day out for the Royals, would have been better choices for the Royals' representation, and Mark Buehrle, who has put together a nice year for a struggling White Sox team would have been a better selection than Bobby Jenks, who is also below .500 and also has a middling ERA. Add Jeremy Bonderman to fill the last pitcher's spot, since having three closers is enough for an all-star team.
Of course, if DeJesus or Teahen were added, that would mean one person from the bench would have to be taken off. Grady Sizemore is batting about ten points better than DeJesus and Teahen, and has considerably more home runs and stolen bases than either of them, but somebody has to take a hit because Meche should not be on the team at all. And Victor Martinez represents the Indians contingent quite adequately.
Usually, relievers who are not closers should not be on the team, because their stats could be easily duplicated and surpassed by starters and closers, who also are more important to teams in the grand scheme of things. Hideki Okajima with his stunning ERA and the number of homers he has given up barely makes the team because of the fan vote, and rightly so, just beating Jeremy Bonderman and others less deserving. Okajima has been dominant this year, but as a setup man, Jim Leyland made the right decision to let the fans vote if he should make it or not.
The National League team is an entirely different story. There are too many Mets in the starting lineup, especially at the expense of those putting up better numbers this year. Miguel Cabrera is beating David Wright in many of the main hitting statistics, and is contributing more to the Florida Marlins than Wright is to the Mets. Bonds, Griffey, and Beltran, while having decent seasons, are not the best in the NL, and Griffey should not have received the most votes out of anybody, especially since he's not having a sensational year. Matt Holliday, with his league-leading batting average, Carlos Lee, and Eric Byrnes or Aaron Rowand would have been better choices, as their averages are higher and other stats are about the same as the starting three.
The pitching staff also requires a look. Brian Fuentes, with his 4+ ERA should not even be considered, especially if Colorado already has a representative with Holliday. While his bad outings all came after the announcement of the rosters, he didn't have all-star caliber stats before anyway. Understandably, Tony La Russa was looking for a lefty to play with the matchups just like he always does, but on a roster full of starters and closers who routinely pitch to left-handed hitters, adding southpaws just to be lefty specialists is not as necessary as it is during the real season. Everybody else looks decent, although no names pop out as sensational short of Jake Peavy and Brad Penny. Jason Isringhausen has been hurt by the lack of save chances from the struggling Cardinals, but considering his remarkable turnaround from last year, only blowing two saves, and with the Cardinals still winning those games that he blew, would be a suitable replacement for Fuentes. Or, with four relievers already on the roster besides Fuentes, Chris Young should not have been subjected to the fan vote. At least Fuentes is injured and has been replaced by Brandon Webb, though he is having a good, not great, year.
The bench for the NL seems okay, especially since those who were named are better at their respective positions or teams this year than those who weren't, no matter how unsensational their stats are. Eric Byrnes is a worthy candidate, maybe even over Alfonso Soriano, but the difference is just details. Edgar Renteria would have been a better candidate for backup shortstop than J. J. Hardy, with superior stats and a bigger name, but Hardy was the players's choice, and the players know more than we do, so it's hard to question their decision.
Chris Young, again, should have been named in the first place, with a 2.00 ERA and a good won-loss record. Jason Isringhausen would have been a good candidate to take his place. Also, Carlos Zambrano, no matter how many wins he has and how big of a name he carries, should not have been considered, especially with his mediocre start and an ERA still above 4.00. But that doesn't matter, as he apparently finished last in voting anyway.
Once again, the American League seems to have the stronger team, both in stats accumulated this season so far, in name, and in quality. The American League should have no trouble continuing their ten game unbeaten streak, even with LaRussa's penchance for exploiting every matchup he can.
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