Enough is enough, fans shouldn't vote for All-Stars any longer

June 14, 2006 | By Evan Kirkpatrick | Discuss

The voting totals for the 2006 MLB All-Star game have been released, proving that fans should no longer be allowed to vote for the players. It's become more andmore predictable, with the same players making appearances year after year and the more deserving players missing the boat. In the American League, this point rings loud and clear.

The Red Sox and the Yankees have the two largest fan bases in the league. That shouldn't mean, however, that we should only see them play in the game. Example, if the voting ended today, only one player from a team other than New York or Boston would be starting: the Angels' Vladimir Guerrero.

Starting at first base for the AL is David Ortiz. That move I can understand, as he clearly deserves to be there. I personally would have chosen Travis Hafner over Big Papi, but one can certainly make a very strong case for Ortiz. At second base, Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano leads the tallies. He's a decent selection, though Jose Lopez of the Mariners leads all second basemen with 47 RBIs. Alex Rodriguez leads all third basemen in votes by a large margin, even in a down year. At shortstop, Jeter is starting as usual. Miguel Tejada deserves it, as he has more home runs, RBI's, runs, and hits. At catcher, Jason Varitek of the Red Sox leads the way, despite his .258 average.

In the outfield, Guerrero, Manny Ramirez, and new Yankee Johnny Damon beat out Vernon Wells, Alex Rios, and Ichiro Suzuki. Guerrero, Ramirez, and Damon are all having mediocre seasons (by their own standards) and the pair from the Blue Jays and Suzuki would be a
welcome change. Sure Vlad, Manny, and Johnny are very popular, but if everyone votes squarely on the fact that they are recognizable, neither side benefits. The fans don't get to learn about new, upcoming faces around the league like Alex Rios. He is not a common name to the majority of casual baseball fans around the country.

Everyone has seen enough of Manny Ramirez, it's time to move on and let the more deserving players have a chance to start. Guys like Nick Swisher and Jonny Gomes will likely never get a chance to start an All-Star game in their careers. Why? Because baseball has millions of casual fans who only focus on the big names in the sport. They'll see a name like Damon and vote for him, but they'll overlook Swisher and Gomes because they don't know anything about them. If they were actually able to make an appearance in the ASG other than in the 7th inning when no one is watching, fans would get to learn about these guys.

I find it hard to believe that people really want to see an entire squad of Yankees and Red Sox. It's time for a change. Let the sports writers vote for the teams, they are the people that actually focus on the players. Many offer unbiased opinions and wouldn't vote for slumping players like the aforementioned Varitek. The fans had a chance to make the All-Star Game a great connection between the community and the franchises, but with the Game actually meaning something now, it needs to change. If my team is battling for a championship and they lose home-field advantage because stupid fans voted for mediocre players, I'd have my fair share of complaints. You can not have the game mean something and have the fans decide it. It doesn't work. Bud Selig needs to make up his mind before the game and the voting becomes even more out of hand.

Combining the Yankees and the Red Sox would make for a pretty good team. That is essentially what the AL starting squad will look like in July, and while they will be a solid bunch, few of them really deserve to be starting. Baseball needs to move past the fan voting and give the responsibility to the more knowledgeable and make the game better. Players who deserved it would be there and fans would have a chance to learn about them. And with the game meaning so much now, it just has to happen. Change it for the better.