Tuesday, July 14
8:00PM
AL @ NL
Busch Stadium, St. Louis

AL Starting Position Players
C Joe Mauer Twins
1B Mark Teixeira Yankees
2B Dustin Pedroia Red Sox
3B Evan Longoria Rays
SS Derek Jeter Yankees
OF Jason Bay Red Sox
OF Ichiro Suzuki Mariners
OF Josh Hamilton Rangers

AL Pitchers
RHP Andrew Bailey Oakland
RHP Josh Beckett Boston
LHP Mark Buehrle Chicago
RHP Zack Greinke Kansas City
LHP Brian Fuentes LA Angels
RHP Roy Halladay Toronto
RHP Felix Hernandez Seattle
RHP Edwin Jackson Detroit
RHP Joe Nathan Minnesota
RHP Jonathan Papelbon Boston
RHP Mariano Rivera NY Yankees
RHP Justin Verlander Detroit
RHP Tim Wakefield Boston

AL Reserves
C Victor Martinez Cleveland
1B Justin Morneau Minnesota
1B Kevin Youkilis Boston
2B Aaron Hill Toronto
SS Jason Bartlett Tampa Bay
3B Michael Young Texas
OF Carl Crawford Tampa Bay
OF Curtis Granderson Detroit
OF Torii Hunter LA Angels
OF Adam Jones Baltimore
OF/IF Ben Zobrist Tampa Bay

NL Starting Position Player
C Yadier Molina Cardinals
1B Albert Pujols Cardinals
2B Chase Utley Phillies
3B David Wright Mets
SS Hanley Ramirez Marlins
OF Ryan Braun Brewers
OF Raul Ibanez Phillies
OF Carlos Beltran Mets

NL Pitchers
RHP Heath Bell San Diego
RHP Chad Billingsley LA Dodgers
RHP Jonathan Broxton LA Dodgers
RHP Matt Cain San Francisco
RHP Francisco Cordero Cincinnati
RHP Ryan Franklin St. Louis
RHP Dan Haren Arizona
RHP Josh Johnson Florida
LHP Ted Lilly Chicago
RHP Tim Lincecum San Francisco
RHP Jason Marquis Colorado
RHP Francisco Rodriguez NY Mets
LHP Johan Santana NY Mets

NL Reserves
C Brian McCann Atlanta
1B Prince Fielder Milwaukee
1B Adrian Gonzalez San Diego
1B Ryan Howard Philadelphia
2B Orlando Hudson LA Dodgers
2B Freddy Sanchez Pittsburgh
SS Miguel Tejada Houston
3B Ryan Zimmerman Washington
OF Brad Hawpe Colorado
OF Hunter Pence Houston
OF Justin Upton Arizona

7/6/2009 2:04:07 AM

thanks for making my last like 20 minutes pointless

[Edited on July 6, 2009 at 2:18 AM. Reason : mine came with commentary, and final man voting. i win.]

7/6/2009 2:11:05 AM

The commentary will come once the final vote is done with and the starting pitchers and batting orders are announced.

[Edited on July 6, 2009 at 4:42 AM. Reason : -]

7/6/2009 4:40:49 AM

wow, only 4 LHP total

7/6/2009 9:03:01 AM

only 16 guys from the AL east, not that bad.

[Edited on July 6, 2009 at 9:17 AM. Reason : 1]

7/6/2009 9:16:29 AM

No A-rod, No Manny???

2 of the greatest hitters of our era dont make the all star game

7/6/2009 10:11:29 AM

^ it helps to actually play games to make the all-star game...

7/6/2009 12:32:08 PM

What I am trying to say is that the MLB All-Star game is crap just plain crap.

This is the only all-star game where they have had to put something at stake because nobody was watching. A-rod and Manny would peak everyones interest if they were batting cleanup for their respective leagues. They sell!! They are polarizing!! They are who I want to see if I am watching a baseball all-star game

I cant wait for the 8th inning when the AL is down by a run, and stepping to the plate with 2 outs and the bases juiced is BEN ZOBRIST trying to connect against HEATH BELL!! man what excitement

why does baseball need all these reserves???
why does a player from every team have to have an all star?? There are teams who havent had a REAL all star in 15 years!!!

7/6/2009 3:37:57 PM

I would love to see A-Rod and his .225 BA come up in a CLUTCH situation, yessir!

7/6/2009 3:42:13 PM

^ yeah for sure...see him fail again in a clutch situation.........priceless

7/6/2009 3:46:51 PM

there has never been anything CLUTCH about a mlb all star game

7/6/2009 3:50:00 PM

Quote :

"This is the only all-star game where they have had to put something at stake because nobody was watching. A-rod and Manny would peak everyones interest if they were batting cleanup for their respective leagues."

if manny would lay off the PEDs he would be an all-star, and a-rod admitting to it hasn't helped him out very much, along with playing like ass this year

7/6/2009 3:56:46 PM

I would argue that the majority of people voting like ItsNme is the exact reason why the All Star is complete BS at times.

Listen, I'm a Rangers fan and I know everyone on this board loves Hamilton. I also know everyone wants to see him in the Derby again this year, so he is a bit of an exception to the argument, but the point remains the same: What do his numbers look like this year? Are they good enough to make him an all star? The reason he's in it this year is because everyone like ItsNme remembers what he did last year, and probably has no clue that he has been injured almost the whole year and didn't do much when he wasn't.

I can go back for the last 10 years and I'll bet I find at least 1 example of something stupid like this every year...THAT is why the all star game is bogus

7/6/2009 4:06:49 PM

Quote :

"it helps to actually play games to make the all-star game..."

Tell that to Beltran

7/6/2009 4:52:00 PM

Manny has played in 30 games this year, A-Rod has played in 51.

We're roughly 85 games into the year.

Neither of them deserve to make it this season.

At least when Ichiro and Mauer came off injury, they played well. And at least Hamilton got voted in despite only playing 35 games because of the fact that he TOOK OVER the All Star festivities last season. I think A-Rod and Manny not being in there is the fans way of saying that there are more deserving guys this season, and I'm glad.

7/6/2009 4:56:11 PM

Beltran has played 62, and was very good when he was playing. I don't think he should be going, but he makes more sense than A-Rod or Manny. He won't be playing anyways, and somebody who deserves to be there like Hawpe, Upton, or Kemp will take his place. (I know Kemp is on the final ballot, but they do get to call up whoever they want when starters go down right?)

7/6/2009 7:25:15 PM

Beltran deserved to be voted in IMO. He put up his #'s being the ONLY consistent threat in a terrible lineup for well over a month. I can see the Upton argument but Beltran pretty much single handedly kept his team in it by himself as evidenced by how shitty they've been since he went down.

I'm glad he was voted in because Soriano (fucking drunk ass Cubs fans need to be nixed from AS voting) has been putrid and Justin Upton deserves to start. If Sori finished 3rd, Upton would have been screwed out of starting...

7/6/2009 7:38:18 PM

don't forget those dumb drunk brewers fans who got mike cameron into 6th and rickie weeks in 3rd, and the phillies fans who have rollins in 2nd.

if you play for the phils, brewers, or cubs no matter what you have a decent shot.

[Edited on July 6, 2009 at 7:54 PM. Reason : 6]

7/6/2009 7:53:45 PM

^^,^^^

Of course he deserves to be there, what I meant by that is a good player does what he can with the time he has. Beltran >>>> A-rod

7/6/2009 10:17:39 PM

Pedroia doesn't even belong in the game much less starting.

Hamilton, Manny, ARod do not belong either.

[Edited on July 6, 2009 at 10:59 PM. Reason : I can't make much beef with the NL starters]

7/6/2009 10:59:10 PM

jermaine dye should be in over zobrist or granderson

[Edited on July 6, 2009 at 11:06 PM. Reason : jones too, but he is only in b/c baltimore stinks]

7/6/2009 11:05:37 PM

we get it. you like the white sox.

7/6/2009 11:20:10 PM

zobrist made is because of his versatility

7/7/2009 12:08:01 AM

...that and the fact that he's been doing pretty fucking awesome as of late.

[Edited on July 7, 2009 at 12:13 AM. Reason : and I'm sure my 23902394023490 votes didn't hurt. hahahaha]

7/7/2009 12:12:13 AM

Vote Kung Fu Panda. He deserves it.

.332 avg, 13 HR, 48 RBI and a .958 OPS.

[Edited on July 7, 2009 at 12:19 AM. Reason : if the Mets fall out I'm pulling for SF all the way this year]

7/7/2009 12:18:45 AM

LOL @ Charlie Manual taking Ryan Howard when he already has 3 1Bs on his roster.

7/7/2009 8:42:21 AM

Quote :

"And at least Hamilton got voted in despite only playing 35 games because of the fact that he TOOK OVER the All Star festivities last season."

Wow, so let's just vote him in the All-Star game for life?

Hamilton, with his .761 OPS, isn't even having a decent season let alone an all-star season. At least Bonds/Ramirez/A-Rod were good when they didn't "deserve it".

7/7/2009 10:14:29 AM

1 game definitely = life, I just looked it up.

7/7/2009 10:24:26 AM

being selected as an all-star is a big deal and a lot of players have bonuses tied to an appearance, but yeah, fuck just putting him into the ASG game this year as a "thank you" (?!?) to hamilton's performance last year... let's put his ass in the HOF!

oh wait baseball writers aren't as stupid as fans

[Edited on July 7, 2009 at 10:28 AM. Reason : .]

7/7/2009 10:26:54 AM

somebody is pretty pissed off that they don't have a starter from their team...

"hamilton won the fans support last year, and since the all star game is for the fans..."

OH REALLY? LETS PUT HIM IN THE HOF!!1111!11!!!! LET ME DRAW ASININE CONCLUSIONS FROM YOUR COMMENT EXPLAINING THE DIFFERENCE IN HAMILTON AND MANNY AND A-ROD!!1111


[Edited on July 7, 2009 at 11:13 AM. Reason : bitter white sox fan]

7/7/2009 11:09:26 AM

it's pretty retarded to say hamilton deserves to be in this year's all-star game despite his extremely shitty, injury-plagued season so far simply because he had a good home run derby last year and reamins a "feel good story" to people like you.

Quote :

"These are minor slights compared to the whopper of them all. There’s only one word to describe the selection of Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton: pathetic. A joke. Easily the worst pick in this field. Maybe one of the worst choices in the history of the voting. The dude is injured. He’s played in only 35 games. And when Hamilton has played, he’s batted .240 with a .290 onbase percentage. But Hamilton put on that memorable show at last year’s Home Run Derby, and I guess he’s still riding that exhibition to unwarranted recognition. Not his fault, though. The voters were lazy on this one."

Quote :

"Josh Hamilton, OF, Texas Rangers: This admission is absolutely absurd. Hamilton had a heroic year in 2008, coming back from drug addictions to have an MVP-type season, hitting .304 with 32 homers, 130 RBI, a .371 OBP, and .901 OPS. Did he have a fantastic year? Yes. But has he repeated it? No. In 35 games thus far, he is hitting .240, has six homers, 24 RBI, and has battled injuries all year long. Not only is he in the All Star Game, he's penciled in as the starting center fielder, above players like Adam Jones, Curtis Granderson, and Ben Zobrist, who have all had fantastic years, infinitely better than Hamilton's 2009 season. The All Star Game is clearly a popularity contest. But it's getting to the point where great years are getting ignored. Heck, just ask Nick Markakis, Adam Lind, Jacoby Ellsbury, Shin Soo Choo, Miguel Cabrera, Brandon Inge, Juan Rivera, Russell Branyan, or Ian Kinsler. Baseball fans need to start voting correctly."

Quote :

"If Hamilton was on a similar pace as he was last year, but had missed the same amount of time, perhaps an argument could be made for his inclusion. However, his .240/.290/.456 line in 125 AB equates to an OPS+ of 92, or slightly better than Brendan Harris has done I get why fans voted for him, he's fun to watch, he plays the game hard, and he does have great talent, but all those things can be said of Jose Reyes, who's stats are better, and who (rightly) will be watching the festivities from elsewhere. Hamilton is a classy guy and there's a lot of ways to say "Thanks, but no thanks" to the fans without seeming like an ingrate; he should choose one of them. Being an All-Star is a great honor, one Hamilton will doubtless receive again. However, for this season, he should allow one of the many deserving snubs like Adam Lind or Shin Soo-Choo to get the chance to take the stage they have rightly earned."

[Edited on July 7, 2009 at 11:49 AM. Reason : .]

7/7/2009 11:31:50 AM

Quote :

"I get why fans voted for him, he's fun to watch, he plays the game hard, and he does have great talent, but all those things can be said of Jose Reyes, who's stats are better, and who (rightly) will be watching the festivities from elsewhere."

Hahahaha.

Different League.

Slightly different position.



Who the fuck cares? Are we supposed to cry for guys who didn't get their $50,000 bonus? Write your congressman, maybe even OBAMA!

7/7/2009 12:05:59 PM

I, the fuck, care since I don't have a mancrush on Josh Hamilton and think there are a ton of better qualified OFs in the AL who should be at least on the team (and a bunch others who should be starting in Hamilton's place). Hamilton had a great year last year and I was excited, too. But Jermai--I mean, it's just not fair, man..

[Edited on July 7, 2009 at 12:15 PM. Reason : .]

7/7/2009 12:12:25 PM

Sounds like you're one of the few that actually care about the All Star game. I loved it as a kid, but it's gone the way of the NFL and NBA... it's a joke. It used to be paper ballots with chads and you could only submit them at the ballpark, etc. I love baseball but just don't really care for the AS game and care less that Hamilton will start for 2 innings.

7/7/2009 12:36:24 PM

1. I voted probably 10 times for the all star ballot, and never once voted for Hamilton
2. I'm simply explaining why people voted for him. He didn't have a big steroid cloud around him like A-Rod and Manny. Like it or not, all star games and surrounding events are for the FANS. FANS get to vote for the starters, which is why you often have starting lineups made up of mostly Yankees and Red Sox, for better or worse.

But for whatever reason, you seem to be the only one with a big problem with Hamilton being voted a starter by the FANS.

Quote :

"it's pretty retarded to say hamilton deserves to be in this year's all-star game"

who has ever said that?

7/7/2009 12:38:10 PM

I, too, care about the All-Star game when my team is a possible contender for the World Series (good thing I don't have to worry about that this year!).

7/7/2009 12:42:21 PM

FANS by and whole are dumb... just look how many Yankees and Red Sox always get picked to start. (Also: Fukudome). By letting the the FANS vote the starters for the AS game Bud Selig has appealed to the lowest common denominator of baseball followers: FANS who vote by blind team allegiance and not by player achievement. I think we all know how many idiotic Yankees/Cubs/Red Sox FANS there are.

But yes, TT, that Hamilton won by a completely legal popular contest (your "FAN" voting) doesn't mean it was the right choice. To me.

Quote :

"who has ever said that?"

Quote :

"Except here's the thing: he does deserve it. He deserves it because the fans say he does. They're the boss, and sometimes it feels like too many lose track of that."

http://royalsblog.kansascity.com/?q=node/382 is essentially the same argument you're making.



But this time it counts.


[Edited on July 7, 2009 at 12:46 PM. Reason : .]

7/7/2009 12:42:54 PM

like I said, I didn't vote for Hamilton

still don't know why you seem to be SO INFURIATED that he is starting

who gives a fuck

if anything, the fans should be able to vote for whoever they want, BUD SELIG is the dumb one for making the game matter. Although in the 9th inning in crunch time, the starting OFs have been benched for a number of innings anyway, so who cares who starts

7/7/2009 12:44:00 PM

when it's ratings vs. purity, i think it's pretty obvious which one will win out

7/7/2009 12:46:18 PM

there's no way the first two innings could influence how the game might end up because they get benched in the third? really?

7/7/2009 12:47:05 PM

i dunno, why dont you read some more from your kansas city royals blogger since you equate my opinion with his

7/7/2009 12:47:35 PM

at least he's getting paid to post stupid shit

7/7/2009 12:48:02 PM

at least you're getting extremely pissed off at stupid shit, whereas nobody else on TWW cares enough to get mad

7/7/2009 12:48:27 PM

To be fair, I think we're all getting paid to post stupid shit right now... it's a good gig.

[Edited on July 7, 2009 at 12:49 PM. Reason : twista, can you back to arguing with chance... you were more entertaining then.]

7/7/2009 12:48:52 PM

Quote :

"can you back to arguing"

7/7/2009 12:49:43 PM

Oops. I left out a word. I'm so embarrassed.

7/7/2009 12:58:31 PM

Quote :

"FANS by and whole are dumb... just look how many Yankees and Red Sox always get picked to start. (Also: Fukudome)."

Amen.

And if I could have voted Bobby Jenks in, I certainly would have.

7/7/2009 12:58:35 PM

Pedroia's sweet 95 OPS+ certainly deserved a spot. I think all below league average big market players deserve to be All Stars.

[Edited on July 7, 2009 at 1:01 PM. Reason : x]

7/7/2009 1:00:18 PM

$1.00 worth of two minute reading and a 50 cent post right here boys!

7/7/2009 1:00:41 PM

Nomar was an All-Star yesterday. Just look at how many times ESPN sucked him off.

7/7/2009 1:05:04 PM