1. Those Who Were Hosed, and Those Who Should Be Rewarded
Outrageous. Scandalous. Freaking criminal!
All of those descriptions were hurled in recent weeks, and that was just at poor Omar Infante.
As for the rest of the All-Star voting, while Kansas City fans voted early, often and, God bless 'em, with their Royal blue hearts, you've gotta admit, it mostly went fairly well. Today's fans, armed with far more information than I ever dreamed of as a young fan in the 1970s in Michigan listening to Ernie Harwell and gazing out in wonder at the Great Lakes (usually Erie), are smarter than ever.
Yes, there are a couple of egregious omissions in the starting lineups. Just like always. And yes, baseball needs to tweak the system. Just like always.
So let's do the omissions first. Will the following players please phone the front office so we can award you with a box of Big League Chew and give you your rightful place in the starting lineup of next Tuesday's All-Star Game:
Jason Kipnis, Indians: No offense, American League starting second baseman Jose Altuve; we're big fans. Bigger fans of you than of Omar Infante (whoops, sorry Omar, didn't mean to pile on). But there is absolutely zero debate that Kipnis should be starting. He leads all major league second basemen with a .340 batting average and .416 on-base percentage, and he ranks second to the Twins' Brian Dozier with a .503 slugging percentage.
Jose Bautista, Blue Jays: How in the world can a guy with 57 RBI and the man who ranks third among all AL right fielders with a .904 OPS sit idly by while Kansas City's Alex Gordon starts? Gordon is a terrific defender and worthy All-Star rep, without question. It's not like we're talking Omar Infante here (darn, did it again, sorry Big O). But Joey Bats belongs on the field when the game starts.
J.D. Martinez, Tigers: See "Bats, Joey." Only Albert Pujols' 25 homers outpace Martinez's 24 in the AL, and the Tigers right fielder ranks second in the league with 176 total bases. The top guy? Toronto's Josh Donaldson (181). You were thinking Omar Infante (D'oh! Shut my mouth!).
Prince Fielder, Rangers: OK, hard to argue with the fan vote that had Detroit's Miguel Cabrera in the starting lineup. But as AL manager Ned Yost scans the horizon for a replacement now that Detroit's big Tiger is out six weeks with a calf strain, Fielder comes immediately to mind to replace him. Sure, Yost's choice to replace Cabrera—Pujols—is back to his St. Louis ways, having slammed 25 homers, but Fielder has him in OPS (.943-.894), on-base percentage (.413-.337) and batting average (.347-.265).
Notice, now, the difference in reviewing the fan voting: Those voting in the NL got it far more right than the AL. Good job, NL denizens! Only two complaints:
Brandon Crawford, Giants: Small quibble, to be sure. St. Louis' Jhonny Peralta is having a terrific summer. But toss in Crawford's defense, and he's my pick. The best overall shortstop in the NL resides in San Francisco, right, Omar Infante (hey, just trying to be inclusive!)?
Joc Pederson, Dodgers: Clearly, they've shown us they sure know how to vote in the Show Me State of Missouri. Four Royals starting in Cincinnati and two Cardinals. Promise, I'm a fan of St. Louis (Chuck Berry, The Hill Italian District, the Arch, are you kidding me?)...but I do think there are better choices than the two Cardinals who are starting.
With Matt Holliday's quad problem, Pederson, the hot rookie from Los Angeles, should be installed into the starting lineup. This kid has been sensational, both at the plate and with the glove in center field.
So that's it. Not too many gripes. And if you think I'm leaving somebody out, you have a point. I'd love to see Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado in the lineup, and he probably deserves it. But Todd Frazier is having such a great year offensively and the game is in Cincinnati, so, why not him?
Which brings me straight to my second All-Star point...
2. The All-Star Game Needs Tweaking—Again
The problem is, baseball can't decide once and for all what it wants this game to be.
Is it a hugely meaningful game? Absolutely, because World Series home-field advantage is attached.
Is it a midsummer carnival? Yes, because the best players still don't play as long as they should, and if you're going to pull them out of the game early and bring them straight to the television cameras to be interviewed, then you're totally going against the grain of trying to make it meaningful.
Do the players treat it with the gravity with which something attached to the World Series deserves? No way.
Remember Justin Verlander getting hammered in the first inning in Kansas City a few years ago, then brushing it off upon exiting the game by saying that his entire goal was simply to light up the radar gun because fans wanted to see how hard he could throw? It helped cost the Tigers home-field advantage in the 2012 World Series.
Remember Adam Wainwright last year in Minnesota admitting he grooved a pitch to Derek Jeter so the Yankees captain could have a triumphant moment in his final All-Star Game?
Remember how eight Royals were in position to start a couple of weeks ago, including Omar Infante (doggone, there we go again!)?
What, exactly, is this game supposed to be?
I love the All-Star Game. I've watched it my entire life. Which is why, as I sat there in Miller Park in 2002 and watched the game sink to its lowest ebb, the humiliating tie, I was completely on board with then-Commissioner Bud Selig attaching home-field advantage in the World Series.
There is no reason the game should sink to the level of a Little League game in today's overly politically correct world, where everybody gets orange slices, popsicles and a trophy just for participating ("Congratulations, Tommy, you win the award for being Most On Time! Congratulations, Johnny, this trophy is for you because you never once showed up to the field with your jersey on backward!").
I get it that the schedule is a huge grind and players don't want to make the effort to appear at the All-Star Game and then sit and watch nine innings from the dugout. But sometimes that's the way things go. And you know what solves that problem? Same thing that solves every problem: Money. Increase the All-Star bonuses and take back control of the game.
In a perfect world, the fans will continue to vote (they should get something for continually shelling out for tickets, jerseys and authentic team insignia grill covers), the managers and players will continue to have a say, the managers and baseball officials will pick the starting lineups from a pool of players voted on by fans and the players then would get on board with the World Series home-field thing.
This is easily the best All-Star Game of any of the major professional sports leagues. But it's more difficult keeping it that way than it should be.
3. The Yankees No-Stars
One of the most telling statistics surrounding this year's All-Star Game: No Yankees were voted into the starting lineup.
How unusual is that?
Well, it hasn't happened since 1999, and it is only the second time since 1992.
As Billy Witz points out in this New York Times piece, Derek Jeter got boxed out in the '99 game in Fenway Park when a late voting rush propelled hometown hero Nomar Garciaparra into the starting lineup.
Now, even in a season in which he collected his 3,000th hit, Alex Rodriguez didn't get strong backing. Mark Teixeira and Brett Gardner are having good seasons. Yawn.
Is it that Yankees fans just don't find this team likable?
In a conversation with Joe Girardi last week, the Yankees manager said he thinks it's more the fact that some of the current players—guys like Brian McCann and even Teixeira—just haven't been Yankees for a long period of time
But this is Teixeira's seventh season in New York. Gardner has been a Yankee since 2008.
The baseball world no longer revolves around the Yankees, at least not right now.
4. Detroit Shakedown
Chasing that elusive World Series title under owner Mike Ilitch, the Tigers' chances of catching Kansas City in the AL Central took a huge hit with Miguel Cabrera's calf strain.
He is out for six weeks, and if that sounds odd, know this: Before now, Cabrera has never spent a day on the disabled list. Not in 13 years and 1,896 games.
This is a guy who powered through a torn groin in 2013 and played on a stress fracture in his right foot last year. The foot injury was such that when he finally allowed doctors to fix it after the season, according to Bleacher Report sources, they could not believe he had been playing on it.
That tells you two things:
How tough Miggy is.
And how, at 32, time might be beginning to work against him.
5. Rabbits, Hats and the Cubs
Out-of-the-box manager Joe Maddon hired a magician last week to take some minds off the Cubs' five-game losing streak. Yes, the same manager who brought penguins and boa constrictors into the Tampa Bay clubhouse when he managed the Rays.
So why didn't the skipper go all "beast mode" for the Cubs?
"It's hard to grab a zoo animal on the road," Maddon told reporters. "It's much easier to acquire a magician on the road than a 20-foot python. I've always felt that way."
Of course.
6. Managing in a Modern (Oakland) World
Strong words from A's outfielder Josh Reddick last week in expressing his frustration at being benched against left-handers at times this season. But if he intends to keep manager Bob Melvin on his side, maybe he shouldn't throw the skipper under the bus driven by general manager Billy Beane.
Speaking with broadcaster Ray Fosse on Oakland's pregame radio show on 95.7 The Game last week, Reddick said he has no idea why he sometimes doesn't play against lefties (hint: Perhaps it is his current slash line against lefties, which is .159/.227/.232?).
"It doesn't come from anywhere in this clubhouse," Reddick told Fosse. "Everybody knows what situations our general manager puts up there....
"I know Bob's in there fighting for me. The other day I was supposed to play against [Colorado's Jorge] De La Rosa, and Bob texts me at around 1:30 and told me he had been 'trumped,' was the word he used. I understood right away. I know it's not Bob. He's fighting for me to be in there every night. It still frustrates me beyond belief when I don't play."
Melvin said the situation didn't quite play out that way. Instead, he said, he changed his mind after telling Reddick he would start against De La Rosa, opting for Sam Fuld instead.
"Sometimes I get ahead of myself because I want our guys always to know ahead of time so they can prepare," Melvin told Joe Stiglich of CSNBayArea.com. "And I got ahead of myself on that one and I backtracked and I told him you're not playing now. And maybe to an extent he thought I was so-called 'trumped.'"
Reddick explained himself a day later, trying to unring the Melvin-tapped bell.
Meanwhile, former Oakland managers Dick Williams and Billy Martin just rolled over in their eternal resting places when they learned that managers now communicate with players via text.
7. Weekly Power Rankings
1. Josh Donaldson: Blue Jays third baseman sets All-Star Game record with 14,090,188 votes. @BringerOfRain20 should change his Twitter handle to @BringerOfVotes20.
2. Supreme Court: It's been a busy few weeks. Now if the justices have any guts, they'll take on Pete Rose vs. Baseball.
3. Mike Scioscia: Blocks general managers equally as well as he blocked the plate as a Dodgers catcher.
4. Home Run Derby: Bryce Harper declines to participate, Giancarlo Stanton is injured...thank goodness World Series home-field advantage isn't attached to this thing.
8. What's So Funny About Peace, Love and Understanding with A-Rod?
So Alex Rodriguez and the Yankees came to an amicable agreement in which a total of $3.5 million in charitable contributions will be made by the Yanks in lieu of paying A-Rod the milestone homer bonuses in his contract.
According to a joint announcement by the Yankees and the Players Association, $1 million is being split among the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, the Boys & Girls Club of Tampa and Pitch In For Baseball, and $2.5 million is going to the MLB Urban Youth Foundation.
What a great idea! In fact, hmmm, I do believe I suggested a resolution like this back in April. Check it out.
9. Final Word on July 4
Move over Joey Chestnut (actually, he did).
Here comes Brewers bullpen catcher Marcus Hanel, who ate 23 cheesesteaks last week in Philadelphia, setting a new Citizens Bank Park record for a three-game series.
Congratulations, Marcus. Let us know where to send the Tums.
(Full disclosure: I once ate 16 bratwurst during a four-game Twins-Brewers series in old Milwaukee County Stadium. And they were delicious.)
9a. Rock 'n' Roll Lyric of the Week
In one of the craziest things I've ever seen, this happened in my hometown of Monroe, Michigan, last week. So, of course, I texted my pal, old high school classmate, co-host of the Only In Monroe show and, oh yeah, Miss America 1988 and told her, geez, you guys will let anybody on that show, huh?
"I'm a man, I'ma make a new plan
"Time for me to just stand up, and travel new land
"Time for me to just take matters into my own hands
"Once I'm over these track man I'ma never look back
"And I'm gone, I know right where I'm going
"Sorry momma I'm grown, I must travel alone
"Ain't gon' follow the footsteps, I'm making my own
"Only way that I know how to escape from this 8 Mile Road.
— Eminem, 8 Mile
Scott Miller covers Major League Baseball as a national columnist for Bleacher Report. Follow Scott on Twitter and talk baseball.
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