"And despite a down year that has him batting .260 with two homers, and currently
nursing a calf strain in the Minor Leagues, Jeter is an All-Star Game starter
for the sixth straight year. By the time this year's version rolls around, he
should be healthy enough to play, and he could do so as the 28th member of the
3,000-hit club."
He should probably step down and let a player that actually has had a good year start the game. How does a .260 average and 2 homers and half the first half justify starting the All-Star Game?
Because fan's are stupid.
I like the voting system as it is, it keep fans interested and engaged throughout the process but I think situations like this that happen every year in every sport take away from the acheivement of making the All-Star team in the first place. Yao Ming getting a billion votes in the NBA just because he's Chinese and his entire country votes for him. Or Ichiro having all of Japan vote online. Flaws in the system when players get hurt. Pujols almost won a starting spot until the last week of voting! He's been hurt for a month and has been having a tough year. So why are people voting for them?
Because people are stupid.
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I don't like the system as it is.
ReplyDeleteI don't think fans should determine the starting lineup.
Take their input, if you must. But only as advisory, or as here are the top vote getters, now manager do what you want.
At least the manager gets to name the pitchers.
I'm not convinced that this really does much for the level of interest in baseball.
Second change I would make; don't print the ballots until June 15 and set a minimum number of games played to get on the ballot.
The third change; allow the manager an extra spot to honor a player like Jeter who shouldn't be voted in but because of his career the manager can give a spot to a fan favorite player.
Definately agree the voting starts way too early. June 1st maybe would be fair. I do think the voting system for the fans gets them involved. More people voted this year than any year since 1994 and Jose Bautista got more votes this year than any single player since Griffey years ago. So people are online and taking the time to vote, you always have to remember the power of the teenager. They don't have jobs and if I was 15 and had a phone with internet I would have voted every day when I was a kid. Instead I was laying out newspaper box scores and mailing in my roster changes on my Sporting News Fantasy Team. Which I did horrible in. Every year.
ReplyDeleteYou do have to leave something up to the fans I just wish it was less a popularity contest and more of a acheivement. Especially when many of these players have clauses in their contracts that provided $50,000 bonus's or more just for making the team. Then even more if they win All-Star Game MVP. So obviously Jeter isn't going to step down and maybe I wouldn't in his place either.
Noah makes a great point, if not a totally fair one, that as a fan of baseball he'd rather go to the All-Star game and see Arod, Jeter, and the "Greats" playing and starting than someone that maybe is doing great this year and will fall off the map next year into oblivion. So, yes, I'm excited to see Jeter play, assuming he does. But I'm far more excited to see Jose Reyes play, if he even does. 15 triples in the first half? Seriously??
Side note, the triple is the most exciting play in baseball. It's right up there with robbing a homerun, the half court buzzer beater, the double toe drag into the corner of the endzone and the shorthanded goal.
Rickey Henderson is playing in the "Old Timers" softball game Sunday night after the Futures Game. I'm there.
On a side note...why aren't pitchers voted for as well. Why does Bruce Bochy get to pick Matt Cain who is 7-4 with a 3.02? Coaches choosing doesn't make sense to me. Why don't fans vote for them as well?
ReplyDeleteTommy Hanson (ATL): 10-4, 2.52 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 103 K/34 BB, .192 opp. average, .586 opp. OPS
ReplyDeleteAll-Star Lincecum: 6-7, 3.14 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 126 K/41 BB, .229 opp. average, .639 opp. OPS
Great comparison. Hanson definately getting a bit screwed there. Lincecum, minus his win-loss record which is not refective of his season, is still having a great season. Just not as good as Hanson's.
ReplyDeleteI don't think overall that fans are intelligent enough to pick pitchers. Especially relief pitchers. They would be even more bias and pick people that were good a couple years ago and go simply off name recognition not stats. Which is pretty much what happens with position players already and what the coaches do with the pitchers now. Soo...yeah...why not?! :)
That comparison is great Nate! Kennedy possibly should be there instead of Cain: 8-3 3.38ERA (Cain lost the other day- 7-5 3.22ERA now.) Almost identical innings, 122 to 120 and K's are 103 to 101 (Kennedy listed 1st). And the Giants are the world champs while the Dbacks won 69 games last year and Kennedy went from, what a #3 or #4 starter to ace...
ReplyDeleteI agree that a manager should choose pitchers. All pitchers.
I also think moving the beginning of the ballots to June would make it more true to what's happening in the actual season.
Maybe do a 50/50 split vote between fans AND Players???
Also, worst idea ever: have captains for HR Derby pick the teams...Ricky "can 'o corn" weeks???? give me a break Prince. Ever heard of Justin Upton? Only averages the longest HR in the league, AND it is at home!!
Imagine Upton picked Kelly Johnson over Prince Fielder??? hah!!
Sidenote: to give credit to Weeks, he did somehow hit 29 HR's last year. But Upton is much better of a pick. AND Upton is a better pick than Matt "10 HR's" Holliday.
HR Derby should be 100% fan picked. Period. That's all fans want anyway. bombs. I want to see Upton hit the big screen and put a couple in the TGIFridays restaurant, not watch Weeks slide some into the bullpen.