This is a longer version of the blog before about the All-Star game. (I may repeat some things but its been like 3 days. so i think you'll get over it)
10 thoughts and/or problems with the all-star game.
1. The way that they incorporate fans in the vote makes it so that tons of Yankees and Red Sox players are in and some deserving players are not. Players on teams like the White Sox, Royals, Mariners, Orioles. Just because their team may not be the most popular or the best team, doesn't mean that they are bad players. So many people are fans of the Yankees or the Red Sox that all the players from those teams always get voted in. If we have the fans vote, which I like because I can vote then the all-star game shouldn't have such big implications as home field advantage in the World Series. They should do the World Series like all other sports and have the best team getting the home field advantage. The all-star game will still be important and publicized, but the fans won't be voting blindly to have home field advantage.
2. I love the idea of the final vote. Sometimes there is a player that maybe was voted for a lot that deserved to get in, but they didn't. So, you give the fans another chance to get them in. Now in the American League there is always a yankee and a Red Sox player, but the other players have just as much of a chance. I think that even if you do take the fan vote away that they should keep the final vote in for fans. That way they don't feel completely left out in the all-star game.
3. Joe Girardi is kind of getting some crap from people for picking A-rod as his one pick over Kevin Youkalis. But, what do you think would have happened to Girardi if he had picked a Red Sox player over A-rod? Plus, A-rod had a good second half, and other than winning a championship there wasn't much reward to that. This is his reward for having a great post-season for the first time in his career. I think that Joe Girardi understood that and that is why he picked him. He probably also picked him because he didn't want to be mobbed by fans in New York.
4. Stephen Strasburg does NOT belong in this years all star game. I think that maybe next year if he plays well enough to get in he will deserve to get in. This year he just doesn't deserve to be in after only pitching six games. If he had started at the beginning of the year and kept the same pace, I think he would have been in the game, but he is new. He has only pitched SIX TIMES. Ubaldo Jimenez has more than twice as many wins as Strasburg has just starts. The point that some people try to make is that people will watch if Strasburg plays. People are going to watch anyway! They want to see the best players in the league whether or not Strasburg is there makes no difference. Yes, he is an amazing pitcher and probably exciting to watch. But, so is Jimenez. Just because Strasburg had tons of hype around him just suddenly makes him more exciting and a better pitcher. I admit that he has lived up to the hype, but that doesn't mean that he is better than Jimenez. So final answer he does not belong in the all-star game. this year. Next year is a different story.
5. Joey Votto. Yes, he is good. Yes, he got snubbed. That doesn't mean that everybody should freak out. At least he is on the final vote ballet. There is a guy that I can name that didn't make it to the all-star game and he isn't even on the final vote ballet. That is Alex Rios (more about him later). So everyone that freaked out when he didn't make it, just relax. He got so many final votes that he made it anyway. I personally did not vote for him. Not because I don't think that he is a great player. I didn't vote for him, because I picked someone who I thought deserved it.
6. This may not have that much to do with the all-star game, but the guy I'm talking about is in it. Miguel Cabrera. Yes, he is leading the AL in all three triple crown categories, but there is a reason that nobody has won the triple crown since 1967. (Jake Peavy won the pitching triple crown in 2007). Right now he is one of the best hitters, but it is hard to keep up that pace the whole year. If Albert Pujols one of the greatest hitters in this era couldn't do it, then I don't think that Miguel Cabrera will do it. He will probably get some kind of award, but I don't think that the triple crown is going to happen. If it does well then I'm an idiot, but we already knew that anyway.
7. Pauliewood. By now you cannot vote the final vote anymore, but I want to thank anyway that read my previous blog or saw my tweets and voted for Konerko. It means a lot to me. He is my favorite player and I really wanted him to get in. He deserved to get in. He carries the team and led them through a time when they were 10 games back to now they are only half a game back. Paulie is my favorite player of all-time maybe. I have a signed helmet, a bobble head, signed picture, a picture of his grand slam in the 2005 world series and a Jersey of his. Him getting into this all-star game would be just amazing to see that the white sox fans can really push their guy in if they have to. go paulie! and go white sox!!
8. The National League seems to have less controversy than the American League. They don't really have that many teams that are the "popular teams" that get all the votes and then people who's guys don't get the vote are upset. This year, though the whole Votto situation seems to be a little troubling for a usually calm National League all-star team.
9. Alex Rios snubbed! This was the biggest snub I have seen with the all-star game. Not only was he not on the original team, even though he deserved it, he also was not put on the final vote ballet. Instead, Matt Thornton, and Paul Konerko both either are on the team or have their chance. Alex Rios has been the best hitter on our team almost the whole year. He is probably going to win the comeback player of the year award. Yet, he didn't get a chance to play in the all-star game like he should have a chance. It makes me even more mad because he is on the White Sox. That would be like if I were a reds fan and Joey Votto didn't even get on the final vote ballet. It seems just ridiculous.
10. I don't really know what to say. I didn't really plan out each point. I just kind of aimed for 10 and made it, so ya. But I guess all that needs to be said now is that I'm going to watch the game, even though Stephen Strasburg isn't pitching. Number 10 is full of nothing. Yet, couldn't end on 9 because that is such a weird number with no significance. Ten is always a normal benchmark number. So, now I'm rambling just to make number 10 look like I'm talking about something important. By now you are probably bored because this is long. So you don't care anyway. So WATCH THE GAME!!
No comments:
Post a Comment