2012 MLB Thread

[Meacon Keaton]

I didn't realize people cared that much about the All-Star game.

[naiwf]

I didn't realize people cared that much about the All-Star game.

It's not so much about the game. It just seems silly that the worst team in the bigs has two representatives and that Giants fans were clearly trying to make a mockery of what an All Star starter should be. If it were up to them, Lincecum would be the starter.

[Guest mr. potato head]

But you're acting like there is such a thing as "what an All-Star starter should be". For as far back as I can remember, performance has taken a backseat to popularity.

[9 to 5]

We had the same argument last year and will have it again next year I am sure. It isn't always the best performing players who get picked, it's the ones who the fans want to see the most, therefore being a mix of those playing well and the big names.

[naiwf]

But you're acting like there is such a thing as "what an All-Star starter should be". For as far back as I can remember, performance has taken a backseat to popularity.

Would the average baseball fan know Brandon Belt or Brandon Crawford if they walked down the street in full uniform? They nearly ended up as the starters because of San Fran's ridiculous push to get all of their guys to start. It's not like they have Albert Pujols name value, and their stats aren't even close to being worthy of having someone like Votto sit. It's not simply a popularity contest when unheard of players are almost starting an All Star game.

EDIT: AdamRubinESPN Giants fans were "spirited" in voting. Belt finished 2nd in fan voting at 1B, Crawford 2nd at SS, Sanchez 4th at 2B, Pagan 5th in OF.

Also, Wright had a 450K lead with TWO DAYS LEFT to vote, and Sandoval beat him by 1.6 MILLION votes.

That's lame.

Edited July 2, 2012 by naiwf

[Guest mr. potato head]

But you're acting like there is such a thing as "what an All-Star starter should be". For as far back as I can remember, performance has taken a backseat to popularity.

Would the average baseball fan know Brandon Belt or Brandon Crawford if they walked down the street in full uniform? They nearly ended up as the starters because of San Fran's ridiculous push to get all of their guys to start. It's not like they have Albert Pujols name value, and their stats aren't even close to being worthy of having someone like Votto sit. It's not simply a popularity contest when unheard of players are almost starting an All Star game.

What about Don Hoak, Roy McMillan or Ed Bailey?

[Panni]

Apparently the Phillies have put Cole Hamels on the trading block, as a Yankee fan I'm hoping they make a good push for him. He would be a phenomenal #2 in the rotation for years to come.

[Meacon Keaton]

He would be. Not sure we have the right mix of six to eight prospects they're apparently after.

Though Ruban Amaro was on ESPN Philadelphia station today saying they're trying to keep him here. I imagine that's so someone doesn't put a hit out on him though.

[naiwf]

What about Don Hoak, Roy McMillan or Ed Bailey?

That game took place 55 years ago. Try to at least bring up something relevant. There's no way that anyone could push through 2 MILLION+ votes for a player in 2 days back then.

EDIT: Even better the Reds fans did exactly what I'm talking about as being stupid, two guys were replaced in the lineup and the commish didn't allow fans to vote again for another 13 years. History should repeat itself here.

Cincinnati Reds voting controversy

When fan voting to determine the game's starters was completed, seven Cincinnati Reds players (Ed Bailey, Johnny Temple, Roy McMillan, Don Hoak, Frank Robinson, Gus Bell and Wally Post) had been elected to start in the All-Star Game. The only non-Red elected to start for the National League was St. Louis Cardinal first baseman Stan Musial. While the Reds were known to be a great offensive team with many outstanding position players, most baseball observers agreed that they did not deserve seven starters in the All-Star Game. An investigation showed that over half of the ballots cast came from Cincinnati. The Cincinnati Enquirer had printed up pre-marked ballots and distributed them with the Sunday newspaper to make it easy for Reds fans to vote often. There were even stories of bars in Cincinnati not serving alcohol to customers until they filled out a ballot.

Commissioner Ford Frick decided to appoint Willie Mays of the New York Giants and Hank Aaron of the Milwaukee Braves to substitute for Reds players Gus Bell and Wally Post. In addition, Frick decided to strip the fans of their voting rights. Managers, players, and coaches picked the entire team until 1970, when the vote again returned to the fans.

Edited July 3, 2012 by naiwf

[Guest mr. potato head]

Yes, my point was that you're acting like this is some great injustice interfering on the once-sacrosanct All-Star Game when in reality the ASG has never been sacrosanct.

[gunnar hendershow]

My only problem is that the game counts towards something. Home field in baseball isn't as important as it is in other sports, but some teams (Boston being a prime example) benefit from having home field because of the unique contours of their ballpark and how their lineup is built to exploit this uniqueness.

I really don't care about who starts, they play a few innings and don't usually have a pivotal role in the game. The internet has taken a lot of the fun out of the voting process though. One of my favorite childhood memories was getting the ASG ballot while sitting with my family at Camden Yards, and then asking who this guy or that guy was and how good of a player they were. After that ritual was done I would just vote for nearly all Orioles, Pudge, Big Hurt, and Griffey usually were the non-O's I voted for. So now on the internet anyone can do what I used to do at the stadium and I think that takes a lot of the fun out of voting, turning it much more into a work assignment or something. The whole popularity contest doesn't bother me as that's how I always treated voting for the American League. It's a game played solely for fun, though Selig has recently tried to take the fun out of it.

[Lint]

I'm pretty sure there are websites and apps you can use now that'll vote for certain players the max 25 times per day automatically for you

[gunnar hendershow]

And of course it would be Silicon Valley's team's fanbase that manages to be the first to really utilize it.

[Guest mr. potato head]

My only problem is that the game counts towards something. Home field in baseball isn't as important as it is in other sports, but some teams (Boston being a prime example) benefit from having home field because of the unique contours of their ballpark and how their lineup is built to exploit this uniqueness.

I really don't care about who starts, they play a few innings and don't usually have a pivotal role in the game. The internet has taken a lot of the fun out of the voting process though. One of my favorite childhood memories was getting the ASG ballot while sitting with my family at Camden Yards, and then asking who this guy or that guy was and how good of a player they were. After that ritual was done I would just vote for nearly all Orioles, Pudge, Big Hurt, and Griffey usually were the non-O's I voted for. So now on the internet anyone can do what I used to do at the stadium and I think that takes a lot of the fun out of voting, turning it much more into a work assignment or something. The whole popularity contest doesn't bother me as that's how I always treated voting for the American League. It's a game played solely for fun, though Selig has recently tried to take the fun out of it.

I notice this method would have had you voting for Mike Bordick

[Meacon Keaton]

And Chris Hoiles!

[Meacon Keaton]

Oh, you said you voted for Pudge. Then Leo Gomez.

[gunnar hendershow]

Oh, you said you voted for Pudge. Then Leo Gomez.

I remember writing him in one year! I had to ask my dad for the proper spelling.

And if I recall I didn't vote for Bordick except the one year he actually made the All-Star team. The couple years before that I think A-Rod was getting my votes, can't recall for sure. But yeah, there were years Jeffrey Hammonds, Leo Gomez, B.J. Surhoff, Brady Anderson, and Harold Baines got All-Star votes from me. To be fair I also was casting ballots for Roberto Alomar, Cal Ripken, and Rafael Palmeiro at this time through the same blind voting method.

Also, White Sox destroyed Texas 19-2 tonight. Sometimes the law of averages has to catch you, tonight that happened to Texas. Chris Sale, no surprise, shut down the Rangers bats. It's a shame he'll be shut down before season's end. Or if they're still in contention will they rethink that?

[The Buscher]

Cliff Lee is probably going to finally get his first win of the season today. Naturally, it had to be against the Mets.

Chris Young's pitched well overall, but he gets absolutely tattooed the 3rd time through the order.

[Toe]

Carlos Lee to Miami. Should add a little more pop to their lineup.

[gunnar hendershow]

Chipper Jones will be an All-Star without the final vote, I'm glad he deservedly makes the team in his final year in the league but I don't get the point of the final vote ballot if it's basically a "next 5" list since after injuries and pull-outs they should make the team anyway.

Also, David Ortiz hit his 400th HR today and got an ovation from the Oakland crowd. Granted it was probably a lot of Boston fans there since they travel well, still cool to see a road player get an ovation for a career milestone. Not every player is afforded that opportunity.