Proposed All-Star Game Starters

by ohtobe21likehuston on Jun 1, 2006 11:36 AM PDT

SI has published their version of proposed starters for this year's All-Star game and it continues to baffle me as to the blatant disregard of players who deserve to make the ballot.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/john_donovan/05/31/al.allstars/index.html

We have all become accustomed to the A's getting no love mainly because of the illegitimacy of "voting" players into the game based on population alone. The game should be tweaked to have a more honest approach to how players are selected. As a fan, I continually vote, and vote, and vote for A's players, while simultaneuosly realizing that none of my votes really matter.

The omission that has really upset me this year is Chavy. They have FIVE... YES FIVE players ahead of him and this guy has won FIVE... YES FIVE consecutive gold glove awards and, undoubtedly, is the "cream of the crop" when it comes to 3rd baseman. I'm almost to the point that I don't even feel like wasting my time on voting anymore because population or big markets will always stump whatever feet will all put forward.

On a positive note, they mentioned Nick Swisher as a STARTER this year. Yessuh Nick Swishah!!! I was extremely excited and surprised to read that particular information and then I realized that offense is the trump card for nearly every player they mentioned. At least we have one guy is garnering national attention these days and it appears Swish may bring a little focus back to Oakland soon.

Keep doing what you're doing, Swish!

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Comments

We should use the Electoral College

California sports should at least benefit from that thing...

Putting the "fun" in "perfunctory"

by Poppy on Jun 1, 2006 11:41 AM PDT reply actions

Does Chavy really have an argument

to be higher than any of the guys listed? it's based on now and based on offense..not based on past defense, you know that.

Bring back Hammer.

by OaktownPower on Jun 1, 2006 11:53 AM PDT reply actions

Joe Crede and Hank Blalock?

I don't think Brad's going to be able to sex the Ranger's lineup to death. -- Jennifer

by Sharon on Jun 1, 2006 12:02 PM PDT up reply actions

Yes.

Chavez has an argument: He is fourth amoung AL 3B in OPS, 7th in BA, 5th in RBI, 3rd in HR. He doesn't play in a hitter's park like Crede, Blalock, or Lowell. He is a five-time gold glove winner.

I certainly don't think Chavez deserves to be the starter, but he's got to be mentioned, even if only in passing.

I disagree wholeheartedly that the ASG should be based on "now" and "offense." It has always had components of hot start and career value, which is why A-Rod should play even if he's batting .200 in July. And many of the most memorable All-Star moments are defensive plays, and it's part of why Torii Hunter and Ichiro Suzuki make the squad.

Can intangibles exist? Only the ones you can touch.

by salb918 on Jun 1, 2006 12:10 PM PDT up reply actions

Working in Chavvy's favor ...

is the fact that none of the four guys he's in contention with for 1-2 backup spots (A-Rod is a given) would be their team's top representative.

Devo's newest project And his blog

by devo on Jun 1, 2006 1:05 PM PDT up reply actions

50/50

There should at least be equal weight between off/def instead of only worrying about the game being an offensive explosion. That way it might not end in a tie EVER again.

"If you're surprised by getting the job done, that means you didn't expect it out of yourself." -Huston Street

by ohtobe21likehuston on Jun 1, 2006 12:11 PM PDT up reply actions

Nonsense

There are always guys who make the team based on reputation, regardless of how well they're hitting in the current season. In fact that's a lot more common than players making the team based on a hot start.

As for defense counting, Omar Vizquel made three all-star teams, and Ozzie Smith made fifteen, and that must have been based on defense (and name) because neither was ever better than adequate with the bat.

Finally, as Sharon points out, even based on "offense" and "now" Chavez is significantly ahead of both Crede and Blalock this year (and was last year as well).

Ooh Ahh, Sabres on the warpath

by andeux on Jun 1, 2006 12:18 PM PDT up reply actions

I think that Chavez

Will make the team this year though... Unless Guillen takes Crede over him in a complete homer move - Chavez will/should be the second third baseman on the team...

by SD Erik on Jun 1, 2006 12:39 PM PDT reply actions

Ahem...

let me introduce you to Mr. Ozzie "Homer" Guillen.

We're talking about the guy who claims that Crede deserves the Gold Glove over Chavez. I'm not necessarily knocking Crede's D', simply pointing out that, yes, Guillen would rather easily choose his own guy over ours.

by DMOAS on Jun 1, 2006 7:34 PM PDT up reply actions

That joker from SI

wrote: "And for all the talk of his lack of range, he's way good enough for a glorified interleague exhibition." When describing Derek Jeter - Well Mr. I think that Chavez is "way good enough" to crack your top three in between Glaus and Blalock - for his range and defensive prowess are "way good enough" to make up for the slight edge the two may have in offensive numbers...

by SD Erik on Jun 1, 2006 12:45 PM PDT reply actions

A's who absolutely should make it.

Nick Swisher
Barry Zito

That's about it.

"The first night, we were right there," Bradley said. "All we needed was a couple of touchdowns, and we would have had them."

by jeepers on Jun 1, 2006 12:51 PM PDT reply actions

All-Star voting is BS ...

And we thought the way we run regular elections was shoddy ...

Derek Jeter is currently the leading vote getter, with 537,218 votes. Sounds impressive, right? That's a lot of votes, isn't it?.

Well, actually, no, it's not really.

Wait, half a million votes - more than any other American League player isn't a lot of votes?

Well, sure, in an absolute sense, half a million of most things is a large amount, but in a relative sense, no, it's pretty small.

You're kidding me, right?

Nope, not at all. Do you know how many total votes have been cast?

No, I guess you wouldn't since MLB doesn't publicize that. I don't either (which is kind of a given, since I constitute both actors in this conversation). But what I do know is that the top 15 AL outfielders combine to boast 3.8 million votes and that only includes about 1/2 of the vote getters with Kevin Mench coming in 15th with 131,779. There's probably at least another million and a half votes sitting below that cut-off. But we'll just estimate that 5 million total votes have been cast.

That's a lot of votes.

Yes it is, do you know what percentage of those voters voted for Jeter?

Umm ... hold on a sec, let me get my calculator ... ... ... 11%!!!

Yes, that's correct, 11% of voters think Derek Jeter should start the All-Star game, not much of a mandate, is it?

What's a mandate?

Devo's newest project And his blog

by devo on Jun 1, 2006 1:02 PM PDT reply actions

err ...

and that only includes about 1/2 of the vote getters
that should actually read 1/3 ...

Devo's newest project And his blog

by devo on Jun 1, 2006 1:03 PM PDT up reply actions

If every voter gets

to vote for 3 outfielders, wouldn't ~5 MM outfield votes mean 1.6 MM votes were cast, giving Jeter something like a third of the total SS votes?

Can intangibles exist? Only the ones you can touch.

by salb918 on Jun 1, 2006 1:04 PM PDT up reply actions

Crap ...

you're right ...

Devo's newest project And his blog

by devo on Jun 1, 2006 1:06 PM PDT up reply actions

Keep my politics out of this.

Can intangibles exist? Only the ones you can touch.

by salb918 on Jun 1, 2006 1:10 PM PDT up reply actions

Home Field Advantage

Would be awesome if the A's made the World Series, and rec'd home field advantage via players from the Red Sox / Yankees / White Sox.

Boy would that be SWEET.

COME ON, OAKLAND, COME ON! June 19th - June 21st, 2006 ** Oakland Athletics @ Colorado Rockies **

by Colorado Fan on Jun 1, 2006 3:17 PM PDT reply actions

It would help the A's players chances...

if the team could do a little better in the months PRECEDING the vote that would help get players elected to the team.

by IM4Oakgal on Jun 1, 2006 4:00 PM PDT reply actions

Wow that sentence went way wrong.

I meant if the team played better as a whole... people might think we had good players. and then vote for them for the allstar team.

by IM4Oakgal on Jun 1, 2006 4:02 PM PDT up reply actions

Votes

It all comes down to the votes and neither Swisher or Chavez will get them. Oakland isn't that big of a town and does not have that many fans across the nation, and the Yankess have 3 million people in New York alone that will vote A-rod and Sheffield? in. Then the rest of the 8 billion people who are yankee fans across the universe.

"Baseball is 90% mental -- the other half is physical." Yogi Berra

by smartkidfromcarmel on Jun 1, 2006 10:14 PM PDT reply actions

um...Oakland is centrally located

in the Bay Area and draws fans from around the Bay Area and even beyond. The Bay Area is one of the largest metropolitan areas in the U.S. There's no reason why A's fans living outside the city limits of Oakland can't vote for their team's best players.

by OaklandSi on Jun 2, 2006 10:28 AM PDT up reply actions

Yea

But the A's are still dwarved to the Giants, and Oakland/SF is not one of the largest population areas either. San Fran does not have over a million people and neither does Oakland, Oakland does not even have half a million people.

"Baseball is 90% mental -- the other half is physical." Yogi Berra

by smartkidfromcarmel on Jun 6, 2006 9:08 PM PDT up reply actions