Archive for All Star Game
Remind me again why this game counts?
Posted by: | CommentsA select list of catchers who are having a better season than All Star Catcher Jason Varitek™, based on VORP:
A.J. Pierzynski
Kelly Shoppach
Jorge Posada
Chad Moeller
Victor Martinez
Toby Hall
Mike Redmond
Mike DiFelice
Sal Fasano
Ramon Hernandez
Kevin Cash
Chris Stewart
A list of catchers who more plate appearances who are having worse seasons than All Star Catcher Jason Varitek™:
Jose Molina
Kenji Johjima
I understand that the players want to honor those they respect with a spot on the All Star team. I understand that the players may despise A.J. Pierzynski. But frankly, it’s embarrassing to baseball when they promote a mid-season exhibition game under the slogan “this time it counts” while allowing the players to vote a catcher who is hitting .218/.300/.358 over 273 plate appearances and who has nabbed just under 18 percent of would-be base stealers this season on to the All Star team. It shouldn’t count.
Open thread on something entirely different coming later.
All-Star Teams announced
Posted by: | CommentsThe fan votes are in and the reserves have been picked. Derek Jeter and A-Rod won the popularity contest and will start the game at short and third. A-Rod was the leading vote getter for the second straight year. Ian Kinsler Dustin Pedroia will start at second. Our campaign was futile.
The selection show is on TBS right now. I’ll update this post once the pitchers & reserves are announced.
Update (2:35): The NL pitchers & reserves have been announced. Johan Santana didn’t make the team, but Ryan Dempster did. Hah. Looks like Billy Wagner is the only Met headed to the Midsummer Classic. I can’t wait to see Timmy Lincecum take the mound in the Boogie Down, but how in the world does Carlos Marmol not make the team? Look at those numbers. I believe the term is “sick.” PeteAbe has the full rosters for ya.
Update (2:50): The AL pitchers & reserves have been announced. Mariano Rivera made it, now lets see if Francona has the guts to start him. Jason Varitek inexplicably made the team; his OPS+ is 73. One time great Yankee prospect Dioner Navarro made the team, I’m super happy for him. That’s it, no Johnny Damon or Mike Mussina.
Update (2:55): The Final Vote players were announced, so you can vote Jason Giambi into the game.
Vote Ian for ASG
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Ian Kinsler last night was a one-man wrecking crew at the top of the Rangers’ lineup. He went two for three with two walks, stole three bases and scored the game-winning run in the top of the 9th. For his efforts, Yankee fans and the YES Network awarded him with the Chevy Player of the Game. Let’s see if we can do better.
On the season, Kinsler is having quite a year in his third year with the Rangers. He’s hitting .324/.380/.536 with 187 total bases, 13 HR, 50 RBI and 23 stolen bases. He’s been caught on the base paths just once. By any stretch, those numbers make him the obvious choice for the All Star Game.
Except that he plays in Texas, and really, who follows the Rangers? Instead, this guy with his .303/.348/.439 line is leading in the latest AL balloting results. While honestly Dustin Pedroia isn’t a bad choice for second base, he’s not the best choice, and he’s not the guy Yankee fans want to see manning second base during the All Star Game in the Bronx in two weeks.
So with just 14 hours left in the voting, let’s see what we can do. Let’s get Pedroia out, and Kinsler in. In the grand style of Chicago politics, everyone is allowed to vote up to 25 times (per e-mail address) on MLB.com. If, optimistically, just half of the visitors to RAB voted for Ian Kinsler 25 times today, we could send nearly 100,000 votes his way. Stranger things have happened.
Head on over to the MLB.com All Star Ballot, and vote Kinsler. Otherwise, don’t complain when widdle Dusty is starting at second base in two weeks.
The Village People and the Y.M.C.A. live at the All Star Game
Posted by: | CommentsLove it (somehow) or hate it (as most people do), the Yankee Stadium grounds crew rendition of the Y.M.C.A. has stuck around long past its expiration date. While we’ve advocated leaving this tired routine at the old stadium next year, the Yanks have other plans. According to an industry insider, the Y.M.C.A. will get the grand treatment at the All Star Game this year. The Village People, originators of this torturous song, will be performing the song live alongside the grounds crew during the All Star Game this year. I have no words.
Final All Star balloting update
Posted by: | CommentsMaury Brown takes a look at the final All Star balloting update prior to the official announcement of the big game’s rosters. While Joe Mauer is maintaining a lead over Jason Varitek, Ian Kinsler has still not yet caught up with the undeserving Dustin Pedroia. Bobby Abreu and Johnny Damon remain on the outside looking in while Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez are on pace to be the only two Yankee starters at the Mid-Summer Classic.
Hunting for the Statues on Parade
Posted by: | CommentsUpdating a previous item, Major League Baseball has released a map with the locations of all the baseball-themed Statues of Liberty currently dotting the city. The map is available here as a PDF. Happy hunting.
Open Thread: Joba the All Star
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When the All Stars take the field at Yankee Stadium three weeks from tomorrow night, we’ll be able to count more than a few Yankees among them. Deservedly or not, Derek Jeter finds himself the top AL vote-getter; A-Rod has a lock on his position; David Ortiz’s injury should push Hideki Matsui into the lineup.
While a few Yankees — Johnny Damon and Jason Giambi come to mind — are so far getting the shaft on the popular vote front, those two should find themselves selected by the players and coaches. Meanwhile, the Yanks will see some All Star representation on the mound as well. I can’t say enough about Mariano Rivera’s incredible season. His numbers are just off the charts this year, and Mo deserves what will be the ninth All Star game appearance of his career. I believe Mike Mussina, 10-5 with a 3.93 ERA, will find himself aboard the All Star squad as well.
There’s one more Yankee pitcher who could get All Star consideration too. A loyal reader Nick tipped me off to this idea: Joba Chamberlain, All Star. Joba right now suffers because he doesn’t have the wins; his lone victory came in relief. But it’s hard to argue with his numbers otherwise.
As a reliever, he threw 23.2 innings to the tune of a 2.28 ERA. He struck out 30 while walking 11 and opponents hit .190/.284/.274 off Joba the reliever. As a starter, he’s thrown 18.1 innings while making his transition, and his ERA stands at 2.45. He’s struck out 19, and while the 12 walks are too many, opponents are batting just .239/.354/.328 off Joba the starter. Not too shabby, eh?
So here’s my question for us to debate while the Yankees enjoy their off day tonight: It’s hard to believe that there are too many hurlers in the AL who would be better choices than Joba considering the nature of the game, and it’s pretty easy to argue that he deserves to make it on his merits. The only knock — and it’s a weak one — is his win total, but if he has a few more stellar starts as he has the last few weeks, the case for Joba becomes even more compelling. So if you were in charge of the All Star Game, would pick Joba Chamberlain as one of your pitchers?
Imagine if Jeter were having a good season
Posted by: | CommentsDerek Jeter is the American League’s leading All Star vote-getter right now. In the latest voting results, Jeter’s tally comes in at 1,988,251 votes, a few thousand more than David Ortiz. Imagine how Jeter would be doing if he weren’t hitting .279/.336/.379 with 9 double plays.
In other All Star news, Joe Mauer has rightfully moved past Jason Varitek, and Ian Kinsler now finds himself just 160,000 votes behind Dustin Pedroia. I really think Yankee fans should stop voting for Robinson Cano and start supporting Kinsler. It’s the only way to unseat Pedroia. Youkilis leads at first with Giambi in third, 600,000 votes behind.
MLB’s All Star Statues debuting today
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Back in 2000, as part of a charity auction, cows decorated by people from all over adorned the streets of New York as part of the Cow Parade. This year, with the All Star Game in town, MLB is releasing its own version of the cow parade: baseball-themed replicas of the Statue of Liberty.
Throughout the city starting today, observant New Yorkers can find 42 different Statues celebrating the 30 teams, the Brooklyn Dodgers and various other New York City baseball related designs.
I like this idea. While it’s clearly a bit gimmicky, it’s a nice way of honoring the city while marketing baseball, and if it’s one thing we’ve learned over the last few years, it’s that baseball needs to find a few feel-good marketing campaigns to run. Much like they did with the cows, fans will hunt down these statues for photo ops, and the casual person happening upon one of these statues will stop and notice it.
Per the press release, find the statues here, among other places:
| STATUE | LOCATION | |
| All-Star Game | MLB, 245 Park Avenue | |
| American League | Statue of Liberty | |
| National League | Ellis Island | |
| Brooklyn Dodgers | Topps, One Whitehall Street | |
| New York Giants | Toys “R” Us, Times Square,1514 Broadway | |
| New York Mets | Penn Station, 2 Penn Plaza | |
| Yankee Stadium tribute | Yankee Stadium | |
| Atlanta Braves | World Financial Center Plaza | |
| Boston Red Sox | Sports Museum of America, 26 Broadway | |
| Chicago Cubs | 20 Broad Street, near N.Y. Stock Exchange | |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 888 7th Avenue, near Carnegie Hall | |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 1290 Ave. of the Americas, near Radio City | |
| Tampa Bay Rays | Champs, 5 Times Square | |
Of course, you can also buy replicas online as well. The one commemorating the last season in Yankee Stadium is pretty neat.
How to vote for the All Star team
Posted by: | CommentsPersonally, I can’t stand the idea that the All Star Game counts for something. The game itself is nothing more than a glorified exhibition contest designed to showcase some of the best talent around while celebrating the game. The voting is nothing more than a popularity contest.
So every year, when the voting comes around, it’s a bit laughable when the true All Stars aren’t the ones getting the vote. What makes this year’s voting more ironic — at least from the Yankee/Red Sox perspective — is that the fans of the Red Sox, the AL’s front-runners right now, are voting for their own players when it would behoove their chances for that home field advantage in the World Series to vote for the Yankees (and a few non-Yankees). I wonder if Boston fans can handle that cognitive dissonance.
Let’s take a look at the most recent voting results, starting with the first basemen.
