What I mind is the game itself, and pretty much everything about it. From the means by which players are selected to the conundrum of how to make the game meaningful and competitive, the entire spectacle is an absolute farce. Rather than detail why I feel this way, I'll provide a Cliffs notes version and direct you to last year's All-Star scathing:
- By being given the privilege to vote for the starters, fans turn the game into a popularity contest, electing players who have no business being in the game (see Yadier Molina)
- The "Last Man In" vote is a shameless ploy to get even more fan voting, and turns players into spineless politicians - campaigning to be selected (see Nick Swisher) and to get the monetary bonus that comes with it
I'm here to offer my 2010 All-Star team. There are 35 players from each league (22 batters, 13 pitchers), and each team is represented. I've selected the players most deserving at each position, taking into account where their team is in the standings when needed. The players are listed by position in order of their performance (the first player listed being most deserving to start).
National League
C - Miguel Olivo, Colorado; Brian McCann, Atlanta.
1B - Joey Votto, Cincinnati; Albert Pujols, Saint Louis; Adrian Gonzalez, San Diego; Ryan Howard, Philadelphia.
2B - Martin Prado, Atlanta; Brandon Phillips, Cincinnati.
3B - David Wright, New York; Scott Rolen, Cincinnati; Ryan Zimmerman, Washington.
SS - Hanley Ramirez, Florida; Troy Tulowitzki, Colorado.
OF - Andre Ethier, Los Angeles; Ryan Braun, Milwaukee; Carlos Gonzalez, Colorado; Angel Pagan, New York; Corey Hart, Milwaukee; Marlon Byrd, Chicago; Matt Holliday, Saint Louis;
Andrew McCutcheon, Pittsburgh; Chris Young, Arizona.
SP - Ubaldo Jimenez, Colorado; Adam Wainwright, Saint Louis; Josh Johnson, Florida; Roy Halladay, Philadelphia; Tim Hudson, Atlanta; Mike Pelfry, New York; Chris Carpenter, Saint Louis; Mat Latos, San Diego.
RP - Heath Bell, San Diego; Brian Wilson, San Francisco; Billy Wagner, Atlanta; Jonathan Broxton, Los Angeles; Matt Lindstrom, Houston.
American League
C - Joe Mauer, Minnesota; Victor Martinez, Boston.
1B - Miguel Cabrera, Detroit; Justin Morneau, Minnesota; Paul Konerko, Chicago.
2B - Robinson Cano, New York; Dustin Pedroia, Boston.
3B - Adrian Beltre, Boston; Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay; Alex Rodriguez, New York.
SS - Derek Jeter, New York; Elvis Andrus, Texas.
OF - Josh Hamilton, Texas; Vernon Wells, Toronto; Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle; Carl Crawford, Tampa Bay; Alex Rios, Chicago; Torii Hunter, Anaheim; Brennan Boesch, Detroit; Shin-Soo Choo, Cleveland; Nick Markakis, Baltimore.
DH - Vladimir Guerrero, Texas.
SP - David Price, Tampa Bay; Jon Lester, Boston; Clay Buccholz, Boston; Andy Pettitte, New York; Cliff Lee, Seattle/Texas; C.C. Sabathia, New York; Jered Weaver, Anaheim; Trevor Cahill, Oakland.
RP - Jose Valverde, Detroit; Joakim Soria, Kansas City; Mariano Rivera, New York; Rafael Soriano, Tampa Bay; Andrew Bailey, Oakland.
So there you have it, the worthy 2010 MLB All-Stars. The only teams who didn't have a truly deserving All-Star were Arizona and Houston, whilst Baltimore, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh barely had a respectable selection.
With this team, years from now Chase Utley won't have an undeserved All-Star selection to be praised for. As good as he is, he should not be an All-Star. If popularity determines the all-stars, don't tell me it should be a meaningful game (listen up, Selig). Boasting about how many All-Star selections a player has should not be an accolade bestowed upon him.
I'm not going to watch the game, because it pains me to see how it's been mismanaged and driven into the abysmal state it's in (and partly because I don't have television).
