Stache remains unsupported

In the one part of the All-Star voting process that I wholeheartedly endorse, MLB has released the final additions to the two teams.

It's Evan Longoria from the Rays and Corey Hart of the Brewers.

I think this worked out well - I honestly thought David Wright would get the big New York push into the final slot - and think it's pretty interesting that you have representatives from two of the scariest teams heading into the second half of the season.

With the CC Sabathia addition in Milwaukee and the continued success of the Rays, Hart and Longoria are good selections, if for no other reason than the fact that it gives a good jumping off point for second-half storylines.

But first, MLB wants everyone to know that this was a record year for voting. I'm sure that makes things easier for the players that lost to know that they got their asses kicked in record-setting fashion.

Longoria drew a record nine million votes to win a close American League race over outfielder Jermaine Dye, who could have become the third White Sox player in four years to win the Final Vote. Yankees first baseman Jason Giambi, despite a high-profile "Support the 'Stache" campaign, finished third, followed by Baltimore second baseman Brian Roberts and Kansas City outfielder Jose Guillen -- all of whom finished with impressive vote totals.

Hart, with eight million votes, joined fellow Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun and pitcher Ben Sheets on the National League roster, and the way he was supported throughout the process was similar to the way fans pushed Braun from seemingly nowhere into the No. 1 outfield spot. Finishing a close second to Hart was Mets third baseman David Wright, an All-Star the past two years. They were followed by outfielders Pat Burrell of the Phillies, Aaron Rowand of the Giants and Carlos Lee of the Astros.

Let's be honest, folks - Jose Guillen didn't stand a snowball's chance of making it, did he?

(Image from: ESPN.com)

Cubs to make up 22% of All-Star Team

The All-Star rosters and final ballot nominees have been announced and to no one's surprise, the teams are pretty stacked with the three teams that draw the most attention from Major League Baseball and the Four-Letter Network.

In an indication of the talent levels in the National League, the Cubs will send seven representatives to New York, including Kerry Wood and Ryan Dempster. Starting for the team are Alfonso Soriano, Kosuke Fukudome and Geovany Soto.

Soto will be the first rookie to start the All-Star game, with Rusell Martin and Brian McCann backing him up. The seven players selected marks a club record, according to Major League Baseball.

The Cubs ran away from the rest of the NL with their seven players - no other team registered more than two.

Now the race begins for the final roster spot, with voting open though Thursday evening.

According to the MLB.com release:

AL nominees are outfielder Jermaine Dye of the White Sox, first baseman Jason Giambi of the Yankees, outfielder Jose Guillen of the Royals, Longoria of the Rays and second baseman Brian Roberts of the Orioles.

NL nominees are outfielder Pat Burrell of the Phillies, outfielder Corey Hart of the Brewers, outfielder Carlos Lee of the Astros, outfielder Aaron Rowand of the Giants and third baseman David Wright of the Mets.

In an interesting bit of behind the scenes information, the league's site has broken down how the reserves got their ticket to Yankee Stadium punched:

(American League) The players selected these reserves: Bradley, catcher Varitek and outfielder Drew, first baseman Justin Morneau of the Twins, second baseman Ian Kinsler and shortstop Michael Young of the Rangers, third baseman Joe Crede and outfielder Carlos Quentin of the White Sox and outfielder Grady Sizemore of the Indians.

(Red Sox manager Terry) Francona added infielder Carlos Guillen of the Tigers, catcher Dioner Navarro of the Rays and pitchers George Sherrill of the Orioles, Justin Duchscherer of the A's, Joe Nathan of the Twins and Joakim Soria of the Royals.

The AL pitching staff is as follows: Duchscherer is joined by fellow starters Roy Halladay of the Blue Jays, Cliff Lee of the Indians, Scott Kazmir of the Rays, and Joe Saunders and Ervin Santana of the Angels. Sherrill, Soria and Nathan are joined by fellow relievers Rivera, Papelbon and Frankie Rodriguez of the Angels.

...

(National League) The players elected these reserves: catcher Russell Martin of the Dodgers, first baseman Adrian Gonzalez of the Padres, second baseman Dan Uggla of the Marlins, third baseman Aramis Ramirez, shortstop Miguel Tejada of the Astros, and outfielders Holliday, Nate McLouth of the Pirates and Ryan Ludwick of the Cardinals.

(Rockies manager Clint) Hurdle selected shortstop Cristian Guzman of the Nationals, catcher Brian McCann of the Braves, first baseman Albert Pujols of the Cardinals, plus pitchers Zambrano, Dan Haren of the D-backs and Billy Wagner of the Mets.

The NL pitching staff is as follows: Zambrano and Haren are joined by fellow starters Dempster, Brandon Webb of the D-backs, Edinson Volquez of the Reds, Tim Lincecum of the Giants and Ben Sheets of the Brewers. Wagner is joined by Wood, relievers Brad Lidge of the Phillies and Brian Wilson of the Giants.

The players made all the other pitching selections.

That kind of surprises me that Dempster and Wood were player selections. Their numbers are there - and obviously Wood's performance yesterday came after the polls were closed - but I think this speaks a little more to the talent levels in the NL than to the juggernaut that is the 2008 Chicago Cubs.

God, that's a lot sadder now that I see it written down in front of me.

(Image taken for Siberian Baseball)

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)

I was tired of Chris Berman before this even began - 2007's Home Run Derby

I tune in a few moments late to tonight's Home Run Derby to be greeted by what looks to be a montage. Not a problem.

Counting Crows is playing, which is fine, but it's Accidentally in Love from at least one Shrek ago. I channel my inner Simmons and immediately critique the choice made by the Worldwide Leader and question if they have even heard music that was released this year.

Then I see it's actually Counting Crows and they're playing live.

Needless to say, I'm still a little confused. Yes, I know Counting Crows is a Bay Area band. Still confused.

I hesitate to call this a "live blog" of the event because it's nowhere near live and there's a solid chance I won't keep typing to the end.

Other random thoughts from the First Round of the derby:

* Chris Berman announces the players, including Albert "Winnie the" Pujols. It could be worse, but I'd still be pretty pissed if I were Pujols. They should be pulling Berman out of the ground like a railroad spike.

* Prince Fielder gets a jump to make it to the infield on time. Not surprisingly, Berman is still yammering on by the time the big guy makes it in.

* Nice suit, Dusty. You're making a strong case to manage again with solid decisions like that.

* Justin Morneau hits the first home run of the day and finds Waldo. What a talented man.

* Matt Holliday is ripping balls out of the park, nearly hitting the Coke bottle in left center. Then, he sends two screaming liners. I see these kids in the outfield and wonder what sort of waiver is in play to put them in harm's way like that.

* Peter Gammons gets his Barbara Walters on and meets with Barry Bonds, where we learn that he is no longer able to hit home runs, think of anyone but his teammates and never thinks about the home record... right.

Also, everyone in San Francisco sees Barry in the gym. I bet he's got a membership at the Y. That has to be why he's loved at home and no where else.

To be honest, the whole thing seemed really, really weird. Like when a Hollywood star gets out of rehab weird.

* And who is Bonds followed by? Alex Rodriguez. Outstanding.

Would it be that hard for them to interview ballplayers people actually like? I know Rodriguez won the popular vote, but do we need to see him struggle through this?

I have to ask myself every few weeks if I'd be able to cheer for A-Rod if he would end up with Sweet Lou and the Cubs. I'm not saying never, but I might take down the mirrors in the house for a few months after I'd made my peace with that.

* Are the guys waiting to hit really sitting in armchairs? Yet another reason I'd love to be a talented ballplayer. My seats at the ballgame twist up my innards into balloon animals by the sixth inning. It's either that or spend the whole game staring into left center.

Stupid Metrodome.

* David Ortiz and Vlad Guerrero and the bat in a case thing? Genius. It's like a live TV version of Major League 2. I'm just waiting for that goofy seal to lead him out for the next round with a hood over his head.

Playoff Round

* Ron Gardenheire is out to pitch to Morneau in the tiebreaker round. My dad happens to call and check in during this and we're both betting Gardy has been practicing for weeks to get prepared for this.

* Also, Morneau almost clips a kid in the outfield. See? I told you so.

Round Two

* Alex Rios' name is being searched frantically by thousands of lazy fantasy baseball owners. Yes, he's taken. Probably weeks ago by a guy with no social life. We'll call this the "Ryan Howard Effect."

*Kevin Mitchell looks like Ving Rhames these days. That, or the ESPN crew in confused. Also, haven't heard from Kenny Mayne in a while. Can we check on him? Can the Scuba-cam search the bottom of the Bay if the need arises?

* Berman actually drops a funny gold ball / Charlie Finley reference. Blind squirrel, meet nut. Smart money says Leather's been sitting on that one since breakfast.

* Erin Andrews is all smiles and sunshine when the cameras are on. There should be a drinking game where you slam a beer when you see her sulking around in the background on the quick cuts they're doing. She looks like someone whose car was egged -mildly pissed off and just looking for someone to take it out on - when she's not in front of a red light.

* The inside scoop you get from the Baseball Tonight guys? Vlad hits the ball hard.

Thanks, fellas. Top-notch analysis.

* The Dominican Entourage is out tonight - they went pretty nuts when Vlad finished up in Round One. Dominican Turtle is wearing his show-quality airbrushed shirt for the event - I think he might be some sort of barber... but not Manny's barber. I have no idea where these guys came from, but they should be allowed to sit in any dugout in the league at any time they'd like.

* I'm not really trying to rip off the Sports Guy here, I think it's just a function of trying to keep up in real time. And the part where my dad called in? That was weird. He calls once every two weeks, it just happened that he had a question for me tonight and was checking on The Girl's flight home tonight... damn, I sorta did it again.

If this keeps up, I'm adding a first paragraph here about how it's a Simmons parody and I'll pretend that was my plan all along.

* If Leather name drops another Bay Area landmark, I'm getting a plane ticket, waiting outside the ballpark tomorrow night and socking him in the nose. I just paid my credit card bill - I can totally make that a reality. Then, I will fly back, back, back to Minneapolis in time for work Wednesday.

(It's worth noting that Bugs & Cranks beat me to this punchline hours ago.

* They're having live mic issues between segments today - I'm hoping for an f-bomb from Dusty Baker. Or for Joe Morgan to say something dumber than is usually allowed when he's on-air.

*Kenny Mayne is out of the kayak and into the crowd, where he belongs. Why not put Morgan in the kayak for a bit where he can't bother anyone?

Money well spent by ESPN on that gimmick. How many homeless people could they have fed with the cash they sunk into that little circus? 50? 75?

* Leather and Dusty - which sounds like a set of old cowboys from a bad western - agree with Morgan when questioning the safety of the kids out shagging flies. Dusty says his son wanted to be out there, but Dad put an end to that.

Where was that type of parental instinct a few years ago, Dusty?

Final Round

* Rios steps up to Shipping Up to Boston, which is Jonathon Papelbon's music at Fenway. That's a head-scratcher. It's pissing me off that they're switching music in the ballpark faster than a 17-year-old with an itchy trigger finger on their iPod.

Pick something and stick with it. I'd take just leaving the Jock Jams CD in the player at this point.

* The highlight from Vlad's easily predictable win in the finals has to be out number five where Leather is calling the hit and Morgan is repeatedly saying, "He missed it." They sound like an old married couple that hates each other.

Leather: It's up, it's back...
Morgan: He missed it.
Leather: Still going...
Morgan: He missed it.
Leather: Back, back, back...
Morgan: He missed it.
Leather: Oh, not far enough.
Morgan: He missed it... (Under his breath, while thinking, "You dumb prick...")

If I could get a loop of that to play every time I fired up my laptop, I totally would.

(Images from: kennettnet.co.uk / videodetective.com / goodiesfirst.typepad.com)