And another thing...

In what is becoming a rite of summer, my mind drifts to the All-Star Game and what a mess fan balloting creates with the skewed popularity contest consuming the league for a week or so as the voting window closes.

I'm hesitant to pin it all on being a baseball snob who feels those fans who don't spend inordinate amounts of time feeding a blog don't deserve a vote, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little worried about the impact of fans stuffing the hometown ballot box. On the other hand, I was once a little guy, furiously punching out circles of all the players on the Cubs - even Shawon Dunston - when we'd head to games in the pre-Internet era.

Know what the difference was? Those games didn't matter.

Now with the home field advantage hanging in the balance, the games count and it's a different story. While it's not the end of the world to lose the All-Star Game, especially with the recent World Series drubbings that aren't seeing seven games, it does have an impact it didn't have in the past and it's unfair to shoehorn the fan balloting into this new setup.

How does MLB go about fixing this? Let's take a look at the short list of problems (aside from the obvious of making the All-Star Games exhibition games again).

* Fans pick the starting lineups without picking the best lineups. Favorite players aren't necessarily the best players and no thought is put into picking the best starting nine within the constraints of a team sport. This is strange and counterintuitive.

* How do you solve the DL problem? In a National League ballpark, David Ortiz and his power hitting brothers are listed as first basemen to get them onto the ballots. The effectively cuts the talent pool for the AL when playing in an NL city.

* Every team needs a representative. This isn't summer camp. Everyone doesn't deserve to play. No, I don't care how many All-Star jerseys are sold to fans of all teams. Plus, if you don't have a player who can make the team on his own, chances are no one from that town is watching the game anyways.

* The best players are not always available. Injuries or the fear of injuries always plays a role. Players who need the days to rest should be allowed to take them in lieu of the dog and pony show.

* The whine of fans that the team's manager is out to get their players. Say Terry Francona leaves Mariano Rivera in a little too long. Is he trying to secure home field for the AL, or trying to cook the Yankees closer to keep him benched a day or two? There's no good answer here.

* If teams are really out to win, why are players used in an arbitrary manner? Starting pitchers asked to enter for an inning in the fourth and exit by the fifth. Part of the reason starters can't be used as cogs in the bullpen as conditioning - both mentally and physically - to plan for the long haul. Again, this is not summer cap - let your pitcher work a full game. Let the other starters practice their Oscar speeches about how it's an honor to be nominated.

So, are there any solutions? For some aspects, yes, but in the big picture, MLB needs to decide what is more important to the game - a competitive game with a real bearing on the season, or a showcase of the league's talent and an opportunity to sell crappy mechandise.

Here's my bare bones proposal:

* Fans pick their favorite nine players using the current voting system. You then have a record of the fans' favorite players for that season and they can go out and be presented with a plaque or gilded piece of baseball equipment. There's the gold glove, silver slugger, why not a bronze hat?

* Once those nine are picked, it's up to the manager to either sit or start from that list. In theory, fans could vote in three right fielders - currently they vote solely for "outfielder" on the ballot - which obviously doesn't equate to the best team on the field.

* Not every team needs to be represented.

* Pick two possible starters a few days early to allow their home clubs to adjust their rotations accordingly. This allows to Cubs to figure out how to best use Carlos Zambrano and the Diamondbacks to do the same for Dan Haren in case they are "the guy" for the game. The other starters can certainly ride the pine, but it keeps one game from depleting the league's pitching staffs. This also allows teams to load up on relievers for the late innings.

* Always use the DH. No one will complain if the NL's pitchers don't get at-bats. It makes the games more entertaining and we don't need to hear about how the NL manager is a great strategy guy for three or more innings.

* Finally, add at least one more off day for the players after the game to allow the stars to unwind, head home for a day, rest after the circus of the game. With the World Series now dipping into early November, it's not going to kill anyone to wait another day or two before diving into the second half of the season.

(Image from: NewsImg.bbc.co.uk)

It's not like they're the Steel Curtain

There's an old story about the Pittsburgh Steelers of the 1970s that says in their heyday there were so many players on the defensive team on the Pro Bowl roster that they began calling their own plays on the field and confusing the handful of guys from the other teams.

It was just easier - and probably made for a better story - to call out the plays from the Pittsburgh playbook and let the non-Steelers fend for themselves instead of trying to play off of the same shortened page in the Pro Bowl.

I'm seeing elements of this as the All-Star balloting comes to a close shortly and players from the teams with huge fanbases are in the top three of each position, regardless of ability or this season's performance.

Primarily, I'm looking at the Cubs and how many are primed for a trip to New York. This shouldn't surprise me much anymore, because aside from being shocked that my e-mail client's spam filters let a message through imploring me that, "Kosuke needs your help!" without immediately dumping it to protect me from Japanese pornography, the rest of the experience is a carbon copy of what is becoming a yearly rant.

When the ESPN broadcast ran the graphic with current vote leaders on Sunday night, it was a little disappointing to see the screen awash in Cubbie blue, Red Sox red and the pinstripes of the Yankees.

Not that players who are having great seasons shouldn't be included, but once again, it seems that muscle memory and fan amnesia are helping to steer the ship.

In the National League, the Cubs are churning out votes with three players scheduled to start - Geovany Soto, Alfonso Soriano and Fukudome - if the voting ended today. This is despite Soriano's injuries which have kept him out of the Cubs lineup for long stretches this season.

Mark DeRosa and Aramis Ramirez are second in the voting, despite DeRosa not having a set position on the team, while Derek Lee and Ryan Theriot are in third place in their races.

For those scoring at home, every position has a Cubs player in the top three vote-getters. They're a good team through the first half of the season - last weekend at The Cell not withstanding - but they're not that good.

The American League is even worse. With the exception of Joe Mauer who just overtook Jason Varitek in the race to backstop the AL All-Stars, every leading vote-getter is a member of the Yankees or Red Sox (in most cases the top two are the New York/Boston connection).

Want proof that fans are voting a straight ticket for their team? There's no way that over 600,000 people truly believe Julio Lugo is the best shortstop in the AL.

The biggest oversight to fix is the omission of Carlos Quentin, who isn't among the top 15 in AL outfielders - despite the inclusion of Johnny Damon, Coco Crisp and Bobby Abreu - even though he's been the sparkplug for the White Sox in the first half.

While it's generally accepted that the whole exercise is just a way to make the fans feel involved and is nothing more than a popularity contest, it was nice to see Josh Hamilton make the cut after his hot start. Still, I think MLB could streamline the whole process by assigning votes like the government does in assigning members of the House of Representatives.

Teams with the largest fan bases as determined by merchandise sales and home attendance would receive the most votes for their players, while teams with small pockets of fans would receive the least.

Just think of all the time and energy we'd save not counting votes that would give us identical results.

(Image from: MLB.com)

The Twins sure like it when you eat

Aside from the usual late-June spamming from teams to vote early and often for the local All-Stars, the e-mails I receive from MLB are usually of the "Buy this!" variety. Already this week, I've gotten word from two teams that it's time to gear up for the All-Star Game and I can click one simple link to start dropping cash on dated jerseys that my favorite players will wear once at most.

Awesome.

The Twins have bucked that trend by not only urging me to vote for Joe Mauer in his heroic fight against Varitek and Posada, but by sending three food-related e-mails in a little over a week.

In their defense, two were for their all-you-can-eat section, but that's still a lot of invitations to come and power through a few pounds of nachos and a half dozen hot dogs.

It's important to note that, "Beer will NOT be included in the 'All You Can Eat' package but will be sold next to the All You Can Eat concession stand along with ice cream and candy."

Still, at five bucks a pop for a hot dog, you start making money in the middle of your seventh dog. That's a total steal of you come dressed in some sort of pants with an elastic waistband. Additionally, the games offered are against good teams - Tigers, White Sox and A's - I totally would have scheduled these during games against the Royals and other assorted bottom feeders.

For the serious bargain hunter, the other e-mail should raise some eyebrows - $30 for a skybox with one small catch. No peanuts, no Cracker Jacks.

I guess it comes down to how you feel about bumping a child with food allergies from a spot for your shot at sitting in a skybox.

Regardless of the moral implications involved with implying a serious allergy for better seats, tonight is the evening where both worlds collide and you can either opt for a peanut-free evening or jump on board the glutton train headed for Severe Heartburn Junction with a stop in Roll Down the Windows On the Car Ride Home Gulch.

If you ask me, the team is just getting the jump on clearing out their warehouses before the new ballpark opens and the team switches concessions vendors. Really, how else do you offload a few hundred gallons of bright green relish without drawing the suspicions of the EPA?

(Image from: Flickr User anglerove)

A true subway series

In addition to the regional rivalries gearing up again this weekend - including Cubs/Sox on the heels of a sweep at Wrigley last weekend - New York will see a relative rarity today between the Mets and Yankees.

After playing the afternoon game at Yankee Stadium, the teams will head to Shea for the nightcap.

This marks the third time in Major League history that the teams will do this, providing a scheduling quirk for fans of both teams to enjoy. Aside from Chicago and the Bay Area, this is a tough schedule to swing in a single day.

If nothing else, this serves as the warning prior to tomorrow morning's SportsCenter - those tired of New York coverage on the national baseball beat might want to sleep in Saturday.

Proof Wisconsin is a fooball state

I wanted to pass along the rough transcripts that a friend of mine sent me after his trip to Miller Park last week. I wish I could say I was surprised, but it seems like he had much the same experience that I used to have at Twins games as a carousel of fans sat behind me and asked increasingly bizarre questions.

It's worth noting that the guy who sent this was born and raised in Wisconsin, so if the Sconnie accents got on his nerves, it had to be pretty bad. He's also the one who took delight in the Prince Fielder/vegetarian mini-scandal where he pointed out that Wisconsin was one of the few states where a professional athlete would be criticized for losing weight and eating healthy.

From the semi-retarded people sitting behind me last night at the Brewers vs. Toronto (who also spoke in great Wisconsin accents)

Girl 1 - "What place are the Brewers in?"
Guy 1 - "Third I think..."
Girl 1 - "What place are the Blue Jays in?
Guy 1 - "Third I think."
Girl 1 - "Oohhhhh, so this is a really important game, eh"?
Guy 1 - "Yeah"

Also, Guy 1 or 2 (hard to distinguish) couldn't stop talking about how awesome and tough Jason Kendall is - and how much he loves him - who is currently batting .259, with 1 whole HR and 22 RBIs. Lighting it up.

And again Guy 1 or 2 talking about how great Scott Rolen is (well - I guess if you think Jason Kendall is good, I could see that). Obviously he was good - this year, not so much.

With 2 outs in the eighth inning and a man on 1st and third:

Guy 1 - "I wonder if they're going to manufacture a run here" - i.e., put on the suicide squeeze like they did earlier in the game. I'm sure I don't have to point out to you the problem with that. Also, they were winning.

Retarded girl one astounded that a guy got to third from first on a hit and run:

"Oh, he was already halfway to second when he hit the ball?"

And I can't stress the accents enough. I also had to listen to a whole conversation between them and the beer man about their kids and shit, who they apparently knew - and also was semi-retarded - sounded like something straight out of Fargo.

Jesus. Christ .... I just can't do justice in an email to the general stupidity - and listening to it all in the worst Milwaukee accent you can imagine.

In situations like these, it's best to not try to find any meaning in what is going on around you. It's like sitting next to the person who can't keep track of the action on the field and ends up roaring his approval when his team strikes out only to be forced to sit down sheepishly.

I love when that happens.

(Image taken for Siberian Baseball)

Sox fans jump ship

A quick link from Daniel Rubin of the Philadelphia Inquirer who is politely asking to defect from Red Sox Nation, especially in light of the recent championship won by the Celtics.

I feel your pain, Mr. Rubin.

I remember being on the train in 2005 and seeing more Red Sox hats than White Sox hats on the Red line headed to The Cell and wondering if Chicago had that many transplants from Boston or if the natural parallels between the Northsiders and the Red Sox fans was too great of a temptation for those starved for success after nearly 100 years without a championship of their own.

I wonder retroactively if those fans also traded Red for White in their Sox loyalties that fall, especially after Chicago steamrolled the punchless Boston team in the playoffs that year.

Still, even without an increasingly loud and obnoxious fan base, it's difficult to not start pulling for the local team when you're a stranger in town. With two years in Minneapolis and season tickets for the Twins in 2006 and 2007, it was hard to not get wrapped up in the team you see most often, even with a full dance card of rooting interests.

When you're looking to talk baseball with your boss, it's much easier to start following the team that you hear about on the radio, see almost exclusively in the papers and have instant access to on local television. If you're even remotely interested in baseball, it's nice to be able to talk about the ups and downs of the season, even if it's not about your favorite team.

So, I don't blame anyone looking for a new team to call their own, especially when your home ballpark starts shutting you out by way of overpriced seats and sold outs games filled to capacity with fans from out of town who will show up, regardless of how poorly the team is doing - looking at you, Wrigley fans.

And as for Mr. Rubin, enjoy your newfound family in Philly. Try to keep the hooliganism to a minimum.

(Image from: MassholeProShop.com)

Just let him in, already

The Sun-Times has picked up the scent of another story about how this might be the year for former Cubs third baseman, Ron Santo, to enter the Hall of Fame.

Wait, were you aware that Santo wasn't in the Hall yet? No, OK, well he's not and he's more than willing to shoehorn that into all sorts of situations. I'll be honest, I rarely have the stomach opportunity to catch WGN radio broadcasts because I rarely drive these days and if I'm going to catch a game now, it'll be on TV or in person. Still, when I do, it's the Santo factor that sours the experience for me.

I know he's a loveable, heart on his sleeve kind of guy and I still don't care. Save your defense of Santo in the comments section - I'm a disciple of Vin Scully and his style of calling a game where you're unaware of the score based on his game calls.

What Hawk Harrelson is to the White Sox, Santo is to the Northsiders - a polarizing figure who is generally seen as a liability by the other team's fans and is mocked when the two groups meet.

Now thanks to Joe Morgan - this just keeps getting better - it appears that Santo might have an easier road to get to the Hall when the veterans meet to vote. The ballots will be collected in a two part process now, with the top 10 vote-getters making it to the lightning round to compete for the final spots.

Personally, I have nothing against the guy and agree his numbers should have put him in the Hall years ago - I'm just tired of hearing about it, especially from Santo himself. It comes off as whining whenever I hear him speak about it and just want a decision one way or another. It seems that letting him in is the easiest way to bring some sort of resolution to the situation.

In addition to throwing down the double jinx - thanks, Ron - Santo would be more than happy to celebrate entrance to the hall but would trade it for a championship:

'This year, win the World Series and I get in the Hall of Fame -- what is there left? It would be wonderful,'' he said. ''I'm just afraid to feel like this is the year because I'd be too disappointed if it isn't. But if we win the World Series, I can overcome that.''

I'd be tempted to trade a championship to never have to hear another fan defend Santo's stats, veiled (and not so veiled) references made by former players speaking to the great injustice of Santo's exclusion and the endless speculation when the Hall prepares to announce its new inductees.

For that kind of peace, I could be talked into not only forfeiting a championship, but for handing it personally to a Yankee of your choice.

(Image from: FireRonSanto.com)

Too little, too late?

First, the bad news.

For a team that was active in the offseason and appeared to be stacked heading into the middle of a less than impressive crowd in the American League Central, the Detroit Tigers have underperformed by anyone's standards.

Injuries to members of the bullpen (Joel Zumaya and Fernando Rodney), rotation (Dontrelle Willis, Jeremy Bonderman) and lineup (Gary Sheffield at the top of that list) haven't helped matters as the Tigers have been subjected to "What's wrong with Detroit?" pieces in newspapers and every three episodes of Baseball Tonight.

Now, the good news.

Despite a less than impressive start, the Tigers are only six games behind the front-running White Sox (Chicago is second only to Arizona for fewest wins among division leaders with 38).

Detroit is currently on a six-game winning streak and is closing the gap as one of two teams with a winning record in the division.

The best news? Zumaya and Rodney should be back this week and Sheffield thinks he's very close to heading back to the big club. Detroit can come back - simpler if the White Sox continue to streak and fade - by playing consistently as they have of late.

Whether or not those bullpen arms come back in playing shape to help remains to be seen, but it certainly can't be any worse than some of the stopgap solutions Detroit was forced to employ. Sorry, Twins and Indians fans... Get ready to drop a spot.

(Update - 11:30 p.m. - Rodney just served up a three-run homer while trying to protect a one-run lead in San Francisco on what appeared to be a changeup that he hung to the first batter he's seen since returning to the majors. The second batter he's faced tagged him for a double. Welcome back to the bigs, Fernando.)

(Image from: MLB.com)