MLB All Star Game 2009 Thread

[WJMorris3]

i really hope you're joking about ibañez. hitting .312 with an OPS of 1.027, 22 HRs, 29 RBIs.

He's a gimp, and he's played in enough All-Star Games already. Why not start Brad Hawpe instead? You cannot tell me that Hawpe does not deserve to start this All-Star Game.

Charlie should be ashamed of himself for being a homer - the Phillies are not even five games over .500, they do not deserve three All-Stars.

[JayJaxon]

I'm really not surprised by any of the picks. I don't like some of them, but I'm not surprised.

[gingerbreadmann]

Ugh! What are Utley and Ibanez doing on the NL All-Star team? Besides the fact that the idiot fans elected a gimp in the outfield, there are more deserving second basemen this year.

Like Brandon Phillips.

If Joey Votto wouldn't have missed a month the Reds would have a legitimate chance at four all stars this year, but since Cincinnati isn't a big enough market, it won't happen.

Are you :censored:ing serious about Phillips being better than Utley this year? Come on dude, how do you possibly back that up? It's not even close. Freddy Sanchez is doing better than Phillips, and he still isn't in the same universe as Utley. (Who isn't in the same universe as Pujols, but that's beside the point)

Here's how I would pick them:

NL:

C: McCann (Molina 2nd)

1B: Pujols

2B: Utley

SS: Hanley

3B: Zimmerman (Wright 3rd behind Sandoval but very close behind)

RF: J-Upts

CF: Kemp (Beltran 2nd)

LF: Braun (Ibanez an extremely close 2nd)

If I just chose the top 3 outfielders it would still be Upton, Kemp, and Braun, but Ibanez and Beltran would be 4th and 5th; either way, they are still completely reasonable picks.

AL:

C: Mauer

1B: Youkilis

2B: Zobrist (I don't know where to put him; Hill would be 2nd here)

SS: Bartlett

3B: Longoria

RF: Ichiro (Zobrist would be ahead, but I will leave him at 2B)

CF: Hunter

LF: Crawford

NL: 4 right on, 4 additional reasonable picks

AL: 3 right on, 0 additional reasonable picks

My rankings are arbitrary but I think we can all agree that at least the AL is pretty :censored:ed up. Especially Josh Hamilton. Seriously?

[raysox]

Well, I am going to buy this without hesitation.

I love that there's 4(possibly 5) Rays that made it, they are deserving.

I don't think that people who get hurt, and don't have the numbers should make it. Josh Hamilton is an example, he's been hurt, and doesn't have the stats that you'd say he should be on it. Youkilis is another, he was hurt, but he gets voted in, when Carlos Pena has the most home runs in the AL. You could say I'm biased, but that's how I feel. Rough on Kinsler, he just got a rough draw with the talent at second base.

Kind of surprised Justin Upton made it too.

[floydnimrod]

Ugh! What are Utley and Ibanez doing on the NL All-Star team? Besides the fact that the idiot fans elected a gimp in the outfield, there are more deserving second basemen this year.

Like Brandon Phillips.

If Joey Votto wouldn't have missed a month the Reds would have a legitimate chance at four all stars this year, but since Cincinnati isn't a big enough market, it won't happen.

Are you :censored:ing serious about Phillips being better than Utley this year? Come on dude, how do you possibly back that up? It's not even close. Freddy Sanchez is doing better than Phillips, and he still isn't in the same universe as Utley. (Who isn't in the same universe as Pujols, but that's beside the point)

I was just bringing up other second baseman who should have been in consideration.

And I agree, why is Josh Hamilton even being considered for the All Star Game?

[TBGKon]

Check out the BP caps....look pretty sweet to me.

[Jigga]

Ugh! What are Utley and Ibanez doing on the NL All-Star team? Besides the fact that the idiot fans elected a gimp in the outfield, there are more deserving second basemen this year.

Like Brandon Phillips.

If Joey Votto wouldn't have missed a month the Reds would have a legitimate chance at four all stars this year, but since Cincinnati isn't a big enough market, it won't happen.

Are you :censored:ing serious about Phillips being better than Utley this year? Come on dude, how do you possibly back that up? It's not even close. Freddy Sanchez is doing better than Phillips, and he still isn't in the same universe as Utley. (Who isn't in the same universe as Pujols, but that's beside the point)

I was just bringing up other second baseman who should have been in consideration.

And I agree, why is Josh Hamilton even being considered for the All Star Game?

Fans have the right to choose...'nuff said.

[gingerbreadmann]

I love that there's 4(possibly 5) Rays that made it, they are deserving.

I don't think that people who get hurt, and don't have the numbers should make it. Josh Hamilton is an example, he's been hurt, and doesn't have the stats that you'd say he should be on it. Youkilis is another, he was hurt, but he gets voted in, when Carlos Pena has the most home runs in the AL. You could say I'm biased, but that's how I feel. Rough on Kinsler, he just got a rough draw with the talent at second base.

Kind of surprised Justin Upton made it too.

Hold on a sec, there. First off, I don't think being injured should individually mean anything. If it makes them miss enough time, then maybe because they missed enough time they don't have enough to justify it. But if they can make up for that lost time in some fantastic way, then why be penalized? You're not doubting Mauer's credentials, are you? He just became eligible for the batting title a few days ago!

For Pena vs. Youkilis?

Youk: .306/.429/.579/1.007 in 235 AB

Pena: .233/.365/.540/.905 in 287 AB

Youkilis' numbers are exceptional across the board, while Pena's are poor, mediocre, and above average respectively but for a first baseman, especially pedestrian. Even with the 23 homers, his slugging percentage is far less than Youkilis'. And even with the two or so weeks missed by Youkilis, he only has 19 fewer total bases, 8 fewer RBI, and 9 fewer runs. Plus, Pena's strikeout numbers are otherworldly. So yes, Youkilis is not at the level of Pena in terms of some counting numbers, but he has more than made up for that disadvantage and did not miss nearly enough time to have his qualifications be considered insufficient. (And frankly, had he missed more time and had these same numbers, it would have been more impressive) Pointing to a HR lead and ignoring the glaring weakness in everything else, and saying that some missed time cancels out the accomplishments of the better player is ridiculous. And yes, I know you're biased. Me too. But here, Youkilis is truly the right choice and I could say the same for Russell Branyan, Mark Teixeira, Victor Martinez, Miguel Cabrera, or Justin Morneau in relation to Pena. He just doesn't stack up.

P.S. The other four Rays should be starting.

Ugh! What are Utley and Ibanez doing on the NL All-Star team? Besides the fact that the idiot fans elected a gimp in the outfield, there are more deserving second basemen this year.

Like Brandon Phillips.

If Joey Votto wouldn't have missed a month the Reds would have a legitimate chance at four all stars this year, but since Cincinnati isn't a big enough market, it won't happen.

Are you :censored:ing serious about Phillips being better than Utley this year? Come on dude, how do you possibly back that up? It's not even close. Freddy Sanchez is doing better than Phillips, and he still isn't in the same universe as Utley. (Who isn't in the same universe as Pujols, but that's beside the point)

I was just bringing up other second baseman who should have been in consideration.

And I agree, why is Josh Hamilton even being considered for the All Star Game?

That's fair, I just don't think he can be considered for the starting spot ahead of Utley. He is definitely in the consideration for backup. But Pittsburgh is an awful team in a small market, and Sanchez made it, so I don't think that's why he missed it. I think there were just too many first basemen.

[Gary]

Kind of surprised Justin Upton made it too.

Why are you surprised? He's been the best offensive hitter for a bad Diamondbacks team this year, he's hitting .300 baseball right now and having an outstanding year. If it weren't for players like Upton, Reynolds and Haren, the Diamondbacks would be witout a doubt the worst team in baseball.

[Shumway]

i really hope you're joking about ibañez. hitting .312 with an OPS of 1.027, 22 HRs, 29 RBIs.

He's a gimp, and he's played in enough All-Star Games already. Why not start Brad Hawpe instead? You cannot tell me that Hawpe does not deserve to start this All-Star Game.

Charlie should be ashamed of himself for being a homer - the Phillies are not even five games over .500, they do not deserve three All-Stars.

Isn't this Ibanez's FIRST all-star selection?

[WJMorris3]

i really hope you're joking about ibañez. hitting .312 with an OPS of 1.027, 22 HRs, 29 RBIs.

He's a gimp, and he's played in enough All-Star Games already. Why not start Brad Hawpe instead? You cannot tell me that Hawpe does not deserve to start this All-Star Game.

Charlie should be ashamed of himself for being a homer - the Phillies are not even five games over .500, they do not deserve three All-Stars.

Isn't this Ibanez's FIRST all-star selection?

First start, not first selection.

[BigEd76]

Vote for Shane

[Joshawaggie]

Justin Morneau will not be defending his HR Derby title. He is gonna take the time to rest. Hamilton will not participate either.

[TFoA]

That's the biggest problem with the game right now. It's been made important, but is still set up like an exhibition. When they made the game "count" they should have taken away the fan vote and the rule that there must be one representative from each team. Also the managers should stop trying to get everyone into the game. It just makes a mess and luck determines the outcome more so than skill.

And there is my opinion on the MLB All-Star Game in a nutshell. It was much better when it was strictly an exhibition and didn't count for anything. Why don't they just do what basketball & hockey does which is give HFA in the championship to the team with the better overall record? They should do that instead of letting a freak occurrence in one All-Star Game turn into this. (Also, I hate that there are players who get in on name/team recognition only. Josh Hamilton? Last year with the Red Sox? Wow.)

So yeah, someone put this idea out there and I loved it: If the game's gonna count, then let managers pick who they want, as long as they do the responsible thing and pick the best players so far and not try to be a hero and say "Hey, the 9 guys I go to the park with every day could SURELY beat our rival league's best!"

[JayJaxon]

It's not gonna be pretty no matter how they decide to do it. But if it's gonna count, then the best players need to play. I'm sorry, but Manny should be in because I hate it when someone from a team that is 20+ games back has just as much of a chance to determine home field advantage in the World Series as the players from the Division Leaders. If the game is that important, the best players should play.

Personally, I think team record should determine who gets home field advantage. When the playoffs start, everyone knows how each team will stack up against the other as far as wins and losses, so it would really not be that hard to do it that way. It would be easy to come up with tie-breaker situations too just in case the World Series Participants have the same record. Selig has done a lot of good for baseball. But for everything he has done good, he has also made a joke out of things like the All-Star Game.

[Gothamite]

I'm sorry, but Manny should be in because I hate it when someone from a team that is 20+ games back has just as much of a chance to determine home field advantage in the World Series as the players from the Division Leaders. If the game is that important, the best players should play.

You're presuming that the best players all come from the best teams. It is very possible for one of the best players in the game to represent a team well out of contention.

[TFoA]

I agree with both of you. The best team doesn't neccessarily have the best players. But I do agree that, dammit, if I were picking a team for a game that could give potential advantage in the World Series, I'd definitely want ManRam in there. Not current just-getting-off-vacation suspension Manny, but using-Citizens Bank Park-as-a-driving-range Manny.

[FiddySicks]

Vote for Shane

Pablo Sandoval wants you to kiss off, buddy

[cappital92]

Vote for Christan Guzman. It's the only thing us Nats fans have at this point.

[Jigga]

Not that I'm expecting or even hoping he will get the spot, I'm voting for Matt Kemp of the Dodgers...only because no one up here is schilling for him.