June is the month baseball fans vote for their favorite players to participate in the annual All-Star game this year hosted by the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim. Clearly, the All-Star game has as much to do with picking the best and most deserving ballplayers as American Idol actually picks true musical talent. The debate will always be there that a true All-Star team would be better chosen by experts who know the game who could truly assess players’ worthiness. Far enough, but perhaps that misses the point. If the game is for the fans and a television network is paying the big bucks to broadcast it, why not give the people what they want?
The results generally keep well-known players on the team past their prime but neglects up-and-coming players who might be the true all-stars from a talent standpoint, but so what?
There’s another part of the All-Star selection process that perhaps is more meaningless. Consider this, for Baltimore Orioles’ fans, however few might be left, who on the 2010 team deserves a trip to Anaheim?
At every position, there are plenty of players more worthy than any of the Orioles. Even Nick Markakis who is having a decent year is playing well below what should be expected of him perhaps because he’s being pitched around, but his homeruns and RBI’s are way down.
Regardless, once voting is concluded and the starting team is announced, the American League manager will have to be sure there is at least one player from each team even a Baltimore Oriole. Can even the most devote Orioles fan be able to argue a member from the team deserves to be an All-Star? If one player per team were not a requirement could anyone feel slighted if an Oriole were not included?
Aside from whatever ceremonial value displaying all thirty uniforms upon player introductions serves, does it make sense to have one representative per team?
Clearly in 2010, the answer is, “NO!”
The results generally keep well-known players on the team past their prime but neglects up-and-coming players who might be the true all-stars from a talent standpoint, but so what?
There’s another part of the All-Star selection process that perhaps is more meaningless. Consider this, for Baltimore Orioles’ fans, however few might be left, who on the 2010 team deserves a trip to Anaheim?
At every position, there are plenty of players more worthy than any of the Orioles. Even Nick Markakis who is having a decent year is playing well below what should be expected of him perhaps because he’s being pitched around, but his homeruns and RBI’s are way down.
Regardless, once voting is concluded and the starting team is announced, the American League manager will have to be sure there is at least one player from each team even a Baltimore Oriole. Can even the most devote Orioles fan be able to argue a member from the team deserves to be an All-Star? If one player per team were not a requirement could anyone feel slighted if an Oriole were not included?
Aside from whatever ceremonial value displaying all thirty uniforms upon player introductions serves, does it make sense to have one representative per team?
Clearly in 2010, the answer is, “NO!”
No comments:
Post a Comment