M L B All-Star Game Question

[slapshot]

Every team should be represented in the game. Every team has a player who is the best on the team that season, and if not voted starter, the coaches should recognize these players and put them on the roster (hello, David Ortiz).

Say this is the late 80s/early 90s, right after the Mets won the series and started to decline. It's very possible neither NY team had a player worthy of the All-Star game. Granted, there were less teams, and this is most likely a possibility in theory alone, but without the "every team represented" rule, you may have no players from the biggest TV market in the country.

For a game that was pretty much meaningless (who watches after the HR Derby anyway?), the MLB should do what they can to make sure people in every market will watch the game & related activities. And if that means getting someone from every team on the rosters, so be it.

[WJMorris3]

I like the one-player-per-team rule. But I'd also propose a limit of five players for any one team. No way in heck the Yanks deserve eight.

[AbbeyBF42]

I think Jack Wilson should start at SS. But that's just me being a homer.

I'm with you on that one, check the stats (next to Wilson's stats I have listed the difference between his and Renteria's) :

Edgar Renteria:

(batting)

AB: 310

H: 88

AVG: .284

R: 51

HR: 6

RBI: 40

SLG: .410

(fielding)

INN: 701.1

TC: 351

PO: 115

A: 229

E: 7

DP: 54

PCT: .980

Jack Wilson:

(batting)

AB: 348 (+38)

H: 118 (+30)

AVG: .339 (+55)

R: 47 (-4)

HR: 8 (+2)

RBI: 35 (-5)

SLG: .511 (+101)

(fielding)

INN: 710 (+8.2)

TC: 391 (+40)

PO: 113 (-2)

A: 270 (+41)

E: 8 (+1)

DP: 64 (+10)

PCT: .980 (=)

As you can see, Jack is inferior to the starter in 4 areas (I of course counted Es as against) out of 14 and equal to him in one. Of course, you may not count ABs and Innings, but that makes it 4 out of 12. I was ranting about this recently to my family (usually, only my dad cares) and I've even got my mom fired up. We're big Jack fans in my house, my dad and I have been rooting for him since the start, he's something special. I just hope he's back next year.

And there's why I think that managers should choose, because the best players deserve to start. My 2 cents.

Abbey