Exercising Your Voteby Robert Nishihara There are certain rituals baseball fans honor every season, and punching out All-Star ballots is one of those time-honored traditions. Thus, when I grabbed a handful of All-Star ballots at the ballpark recently, I endeavored to complete this annual rite. However, Boston Red Sox pitcher John Burkett just did an astonishingly cool thing that has changed my mind about how I will exercise my All-Star vote this year. As many of you may already know, Burkett has announced that he will be boycotting this year's All-Star game because it is being played in Milwaukee and Milwaukee is, well, the home of the dev... er, Sata... um, the esteemed Commissioner of Baseball, Bud Selig. As my own personal tribute to Commissioner Bud, I re-tailored my All-Star ballot to include as many Expos and Twins as feasible. In fact, if a small market team had a viable candidate, I weighed that accordingly in my selections. Of course, there were some choices, markets not withstanding, which just could not be compromised no matter how much I would have liked to have taken a more symbolic choice. So, without further ado, here is how I punched out my All-Star ballots this year.
American League Pierzynski - Check out his numbers, I'll think you'll be surprised at what kind of season Pierzynski is having (for a first place team, no less!). Sweeney - Jason Giambi is off to a very good start (the transition of playing in the Big Apple doesn't seem to have affected his offensive prowess), but I decided to give Sweeney his due. Unheralded for the past few years now, Sweeney may be the best hitter no one's heard of. Soriano - No sophomore slump here. With his combination of power and speed, he's becoming the AL's best 2B. Hinske - Shea Hillenbrand has been good but Hinske's been better (look at his OPS). Rodriguez - The $252 million man just keeps rolling along. Too bad his Texas teammates haven't been able to keep up with him. Damon - He's having the kind of year everyone predicted for him last season with Oakland, and he's one of the biggest reasons why the Sox have been so hot this year. Hunter - He's been the main run producer for one of baseball's most surprising teams. Suzuki - He's proving to be every bit as good as his superb Japanese League numbers suggested. He's Tony Gwynn-esque but with Raul Mondesi's arm in the outfield.
National League Barrett - Barrett's an Expo (and he's been very good this season), and Piazza hasn't been particularly Piazza-esque this season. The math just seems right to me. Helton - Coors Field or no, the man can hit, and he's becoming one of the best hitters in the NL. Vidro - He's proving that his stellar 2000 season wasn't a fluke, and, bless his heart, he's doing his thing with no one around to watch. Lowell - Power and average. He's doing what Scott Rolen's been doing in seasons past (but not what he's done this season). Rollins - With Rich Aurillia hurting and Barry Larkin on the downside of his career, Rollins is putting together a nice sophomore season. Berkman - Big power numbers may be aided by Astros Field, but his offensive prowess is for real. Bonds - A lot of people thought there was no way he'd be able to come close to his 2001 numbers. A lot of people are starting to look very wrong. The best player of his generation is putting an exclamation point on his Hall of Fame career. Sosa - The homers keep coming, but the average and walks are going up as well. Though, obviously, I'm not taking on nearly as strong a symbolic stance as John Burkett in my dissatisfaction with Commissioner Bud, my final tally shows votes for two Twins, two Expos, one Royal, one Blue Jay, and one Marlin. Though Burkett wouldn't accept the invitation, I still consider him an All-Star. Thanks, John, for the inspiration. The All-Star game this year is Bud's party, and I hope that he'll be given a chance to cry if he wants to. We, fans, just need to make sure he has a reason to do so. Just keep that in mind when you cast your ballots this year. Leave feedback on our message board. |