All-Star Voting has started

[Mole 0]

And David Ortiz is leading in the AL voting while Nomar is leading in the NL voting.

 

It's actually suprising that Big Papi is leading the AL in voting since the BoSox have had the least amount of home games. It just shows how popular he has gotten across America. Or it just shows you how damn good he really is.

[Steve J. Rogers 0]

Again the results prove that letting the fans vote for the game is a bad idea. 

 

.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Why? Because some early results have some injured stars in front, before the cream has a chance to rise to the top? If Nomar is elected to the team, I will be absolutely shocked. Otherwise, there are a few questionable choices, but you are going to get those no matter who votes.

 

The problem isn't the voting group. It is the process. No leading player has less votes than Garciaparra. Most fans are not voting for Nomar Garciaparra. Just counting the top 5 of NL First Basemen, at least 1.2 Million ballots have been cast. I figure the total number counted is somewhere around 1.75 Million. Think about that. That means that just 15% of the voters picked Nomar. 15%! Do you really want to take away fan voting because 15% of the voters picked Nomar? That's silly, particularly since most All-Star voters do not have access to current statistics when making their selections in the ballpark.

 

The problem is that the vote is an unrestrained plurality, and when the process lacks a clear candidate, the vote becomes divided and a player with little to offer besides a name has an advantage.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Good point. How many people looking at that ballot in the first few weeks realized that Nomar is A) injured, B) not having a good year and C) there are more worthy canidates (a guy in New York perhaps...)

 

Steve

[Precious Roy 0]

It's so awesome that Tino is leading at 1st. Doesn't deserve it, but I'll take it

 

My votes, 1st ballot:

 

AL (homer picks):

1B: TINO

2B: Soriano

SS: Jeter

3B: A-Rod

C: Posada

DH: Ortiz

OF: Matsui, Sheff, Ichiro

 

NL:

1B: Derrek Lee

2B: Jeff Kent

SS: Jimmy Rollins

3B: David Wright

C: Ramon Hernandez

OF: Abreu, Cabrera, Carlos Lee

 

and my starters, if we could vote, would be Halladay and Pedro

[Guest Brian]

You said Tino didn't deserve it but you voted for him. Makes sense.

[Precious Roy 0]

I'm a Yankees fan, of course it makes sense. You think I'd vote for some scrub like Konerko over the almighty TINO MARTINEZ?!?!

[Mole 0]

AL (homer picks):

1B: TINO

2B: Soriano

SS: Jeter

3B: A-Rod

C: Posada

DH: Ortiz

OF: Matsui, Sheff, Ichiro

 

1st: Tino? No. His average is only .238, which is not an All-Star number. Millar, who I watch everyday, has a better average than Tino and he's playing like shit. I know Tino is a nice guy and everything, but he isn't an All-Star.

 

2nd: Soriano would get it if Brian Roberts wasn't the best lead off hitter, the best 2nd baseman and having the best start in his career.

 

SS: Jeter shouldn't get the starting spot, that goes to Tejada, who is having another amazing year.

 

3rd: A-Rod. Oh yeah, he should be starting no doubt.

 

C: Posada? WHAT? Hell no. Varitek is having a great year, with one of his better starts in years. I'd even give it to Pudge over Posada.

 

DH: Ortiz. Yeah. I could see Ibanez be there too, but he only has half of the RBIs that Big Papi does.

 

OF: Matsui? Not this year. I can name 4 outfielders who are having a better year than him: Damon, Anderson, Nixon, and Mench. Sheff and Ichiro defiently should have a spot.

 

WHAT? How bout you not be a Yankee mark there? Just because you're a Yankee fan doesn't mean all of the players should get on the team. I'm a BoSox fan and I'd only put 3 of them out on the field. Here is my AL All-Star lineup.

 

1B: Mike Sweeney

2B: Brian Roberts

SS: Miguel Tejada

3B: Alex Rodriguez

C: Jason Varitek

OF: Ichiro

OF: Johnny Damon

OF: Gary Sheffield

DH: David Ortiz

 

As for the NL, I don't know enough about them to vote. I think I've seen 3 NL games this year, so it wouldn't be fair for me to put anyone down.

[Precious Roy 0]

What part of HOMER PICKS don't people understand?

[Vern Gagne 0]

1B: TINO

2B: Soriano

SS: Jeter

3B: A-Rod

C: Posada

DH: Ortiz

OF: Matsui, Sheff, Ichiro

 

I hate voters like you.

[Precious Roy 0]

1B: TINO

2B: Soriano

SS: Jeter

3B: A-Rod

C: Posada

DH: Ortiz

OF: Matsui, Sheff, Ichiro

 

I hate voters like you.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

It was my 1st ballot out of 25 fool, homer picks. I'll vote a handful of times for the guys I root for, and the rest for the guys who deserve it.

 

My real AL ballot:

 

C: Pudge

1B: Teixeira

2B: Roberts

SS: Tejada

3B: A-Rod

OF: Ichiro, Sheff, Vlad

 

[Vern Gagne 0]

The sad thing is their are people who do have like 20 homer ballots.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

It's so awesome that Tino is leading at 1st.  Doesn't deserve it, but I'll take it

 

My votes, 1st ballot:

 

AL (homer picks):

1B:  TINO

2B:  Soriano

SS:  Jeter

3B:  A-Rod

C:  Posada

DH:  Ortiz

OF:  Matsui, Sheff, Ichiro

 

NL:

1B:  Derrek Lee

2B:  Jeff Kent

SS:  Jimmy Rollins

3B:  David Wright

C:  Ramon Hernandez

OF:  Abreu, Cabrera, Carlos Lee

 

and my starters, if we could vote, would be Halladay and Pedro

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Bobby Abreu for outfield? Yes, I endorse this ballot.

 

And Jorge Posada is not a bad All-Star choice. He's the most reliable catcher in the league in terms of games played, and among players with more than 100 at bats, he's third in OPS.

[Mole 0]

1B: TINO

2B: Soriano

SS: Jeter

3B: A-Rod

C: Posada

DH: Ortiz

OF: Matsui, Sheff, Ichiro

 

I hate voters like you.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

It was my 1st ballot out of 25 fool, homer picks. I'll vote a handful of times for the guys I root for, and the rest for the guys who deserve it.

 

My real AL ballot:

 

C: Pudge

1B: Teixeira

2B: Roberts

SS: Tejada

3B: A-Rod

OF: Ichiro, Sheff, Vlad

 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Are you sooo biased you can't give ONE BoSox a slot?

 

As good as Vlad is, Damon is having a better year. Period.

[Precious Roy 0]

I voted Ortiz for DH, so

 

When did this thread turn into a disection of my meaningless, first glance picks?

[the pinjockey 0]

I forget who I voted in the AL, kind of breezed through them to get to the NL (Did this a few days ago)

 

C: Ramon Hernandez

1B: Derrek Lee

2B: Chase Utley (fuck you , I get a homer pick)

SS: Clint Barmes

3B: David Wright

OF: Abreu, Cabrera, Edmonds

 

Edit:

C: Varitek

1B: Texiera

2B: Soriano

3B: A-Rod

SS: Tejada

OF: Vlad, Sheff, Ichiro

DH: Ortiz

[Mole 0]

I voted Ortiz for DH, so

 

When did this thread turn into a disection of my meaningless, first glance picks?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Right, my bad.

 

Because first glance votes count and if they don't deserve to be there, they shouldn't be voted for.

[nl5xsk1 0]

I have no issues with people mixing in homer pick ballots with actual choice ballots. It's an exhibition game that's meant to be entertaining, and if watching the local talent is more entertaining than watching another player that's having a better season, then voting that way is fine.

 

/won't be voting

//won't be watching the A*G regardless of who plays

[Bored 0]

Al hacks into MLB.com online voting, Abreu moves into 3rd in outfield voting

[the pinjockey 0]

If I had any faith in people I would picture Abreu running away with it, since the Phils play at home 75% of the time until the AS break. Unfortunately being at plenty of games last year and seeing how many of the ballots end up on the ground at CBP, I will remain just cautiously optomistic.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

I have no problem with a player like Vlad selected, because he is still an elite player, and still an exciting player. I will argue statistics when it comes to the end of the year awards, but when it comes to choosing players in an exhibition, why argue over two months worth of statistics? The teams have at least 11 reserves, so it is not like the players having truly deserving seasons will get shut out. Besides, some of the picks that looked obvious in mid-May can look dreadful by the time the All-Star ballot rolls around.

 

Bobby Abreu is #1 among NL outfielders in runs created. Number two and number three are Luis Gonzalez and Carlos Lee. How many of you selected either of those two men on your ballots? I didn't realize they were doing that well, and I'm generally the expert. Bored did not even select them among the complete ballots.

 

And that is not wrong, really. Too much is made out of early season statistics. We argue that player A is better than player B because he has ten more hits this season, while ignoring the rest of his resume. In essence, the conversation becomes everything wrong about statistics. If you were trying to win a pennant, would you rather have Carlos Beltran or Brady Clark? Clark is having a better season, but Beltran has five years of excellence, and we expect him to compete at a higher level. That is what I think the All-Star selections are about. You are compiling the best players to win a game. You recognize the variance a small sample of statistics can produce, and you adjust.

 

In my mind, there are three relatively poor selections the All-Star voting can produce.

 

1. The faded superstar. Ken Griffey Jr., Cal Ripkin in 2001, you get the idea. Yes, these players are not the stars we remembered, but as long as they are not terrible, I see no harm in these players making the All-Star team. It is a screw-up to some extent, but letting future Hall of Famers on the squad does not sully the image of the game.

 

2. The injured star. Nomar Garciaparra, etc. No biggee. If the player is injured, we simply replace him. Most statistics regarding All-Star games to not mention if the player was voted in or not.

 

3. The bad choice. Usually the result of voting irregularities or a flaw in the system. David Bell was nearly the starting third baseman in 2001, when Ichiro-mania gave the Mariners a huge advantage in the voting. Thanks to pre-written ballots, an All-Star squad in the late '50s produced nearly an entire team of Cincinnati Reds.

 

Ultimately though, I think too much is made of the voting. It produces its share of hiccups, but since those hiccups are players the fans want to see anyway, let them slide.

[UZI Suicide 0]

Hey Cesar Izturis is on the SS list.. kickass!

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

My Ballot

 

C - Ivan Rodriguez

1B - Paul Konerko

2B - BRIAN ROBERTS

SS - MIGUEL TEJADA

3B - MELVIN MORA

DH - Dimitri Young

OF - Vlad Guerrero, Ichiro, ???

 

=

 

1B - Derrek Lee

2B - Jeff Kent

SS - Felipe Lopez

3B - Scott Rolen

C - Paul Lo Duca

OF - Bobby Abreu, Carlos Beltran, Andruw Jones

 

Homer Picks are in CAPS, although I dont expect Mora to have a shot at starting at 3rd, Roberts and Tejada better be starting at 2B/SS..

 

I cant figure a 3rd OF thats not a Red Sox/Yankee and Sosa doesn't deserve to go to the All Star game.

 

Im gonna vote my max 25 times.

[the max 0]

AL -

 

C - Jorge Posada

1B - Mark Teixeira

2B - Brian Roberts

SS - Miguel Tejada

3B - A-Guez

OF - Vlad Guerrero, Ichiro, Manny Ramirez

DH - David Ortiz

Starting pitcher - Johan Santana

 

NL -

 

C - Johnny Estrada

1B - Albert Pujols

2B - Jeff Kent

SS - Rafael Furcal

3B - Aramis Ramirez

OF - Los Beltran, Bobby Abreu, Miguel Cabrera

DH - Adam Dunn

Starting pitcher - Dontrelle Willis

[Mole 0]

Manny Ramirez

Manny is not having a All-Star year. He will probably get out of the slump he is having, but he's playing like shit this year.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

I put Ramirez on my ballot without any reservations. He has too much of a track record to vote against him, in my view.

[Vern Gagne 0]

AL

C-Jason Varitek

1B-Mark Teixera

2B-Brian Roberts

SS-Miquel Tejada

3B-Alex Rodriguez

OF-Manny Ramirez

OF-Johnny Damon

OF-Gary Sheffield

DH-David Oritz

 

NL

C-Ramon Hernandez

1B-Albert Pujos

2B-Jeff Kent

SS-Cesar Izturis

3B-David Wright

OF-Carlos Lee

OF-Bobby Abreu

OF-Miquel Cabrera

DH-Derek Lee

[C Dubya 04 0]

Alright, where is the love for Pat the bat Burrell? He's hitting .321 with 12 HRs and 51 RBIs. Get him in the game.

 

IMO (which is as a lifelong Phillies fan) the Phils should have two thirds of the All Star game starting outfield lineup.

[Bored 0]

http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article..._id=mlb#results

 

Cesar Izturis takes the lead at shortstop, with David Eckstein 11k back. Really the only position with any suspense left in either league.

[Vern Gagne 0]

Stop voting for Tino Martinez.

[Precious Roy 0]

Izturis passed up Nomar in the NL, but he's barely leading Eckstein. And how is Jimmy Rollins not in the top 5 but Rafael Furcal and his .220 avg and .610 ops is?!?!? And I still can't believe Tino is going to start in the all-star game

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Mark Teixeira is closing the gap. It's funny. Earlier in the thread I expressed my usual preference for taking more than the current year into account. Meanwhile, everyone voted for the hot hand in May, who is now hitting .226. Some "All-Star."