The voting is done. The deliberations are over. The rosters are set.
All-Star starters
Who will win the historic 2008 All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium? See how all the starters match up
right here.
At long last, we know who's going to be on the field at Yankee Stadium for the All-Star Game on FOX on July 15. As such, it's time for a smattering of observations on the subject of the AL and NL rosters and what was right and wrong about them. Bullet points, for the busy executive ...
The Rays boast the best record in baseball, but they have only two All-Star selections (lefty Scott Kazmir and C Dioner Navarro). Although you can make the case that Evan Longoria, Matt Garza or Dan Wheeler deserved a spot, this is mostly a testimony to the balanced nature of the Rays' success. It's been a top-to-bottom effort in Tampa, and the paucity of All-Star selections reflects that fact.NL manager Clint Hurdle has only one lefty on his staff, and that's Mets closer Billy Wagner. Normally, this wouldn't be too much of a concern, but in Yankee Stadium it might be. After all, with the alluring right-field porch and with lefty AL power bats like Josh Hamilton, David Ortiz, Justin Morneau, J.D. Drew and Grady Sizemore poised to take advantage of it, Hurdle could use another lefty or three to neutralize them. We'll see if that turns out to be a game-changing factor.On the other hand, the NL has a serious edge in the starting lineup. In particular, first baseman Lance Berkman, second baseman Chase Utley and shortstop Hanley Ramirez are miles better than their respective AL counterparts (Kevin Youkilis, Dustin Pedroia and Derek Jeter).The NL-leading Cubs have three in the starting lineup, but did any of them truly deserve it? Brian McCann and Russell Martin would've been better choices at catcher than Geovany Soto, and in the outfield, Alfonso Soriano and Kosuke Fukudome are less deserving of starting detail than, say, Matt Holliday, Pat Burrell, Nate McLouth, Carlos Lee, Xavier Nady, Ryan Ludwick, Aaron Rowand and Carlos Beltran. Soriano was a particularly puzzling choice. None of the Chicago elected is a galling affront to common sense (i.e., they don't suck), but they weren't deserving.Kudos to the NL voters for taking a pass on Ken Griffey Jr. For a while, the undeserving Junior was in line for a starting spot in the outfield, but in recent days, Ryan Braun overtook him in the balloting. It's a good thing. Junior's a first-ballot Hall of Famer, but he would've hurt the NL's chances.What is Brian Wilson doing on the NL roster? The Giants were already represented by the excellent Tim Lincecum, and Wilson's numbers on the year (4.37 ERA) hardly merit inclusion. Among NL relievers, the Dodgers' Hong-chih Kuo would've been a far better choice, and he would've provided Hurdle with another lefty.On the AL side, it's hard to figure out why Terry Francona made Joe Crede his backup third baseman. Mike Lowell, Longoria, Scott Rolen and even Ramon Vazquez would've been better options. Crede can still pick it, but his offensive numbers aren't that impressive by third-base standards, and that's especially the case after you correct for hitter-friendly U.S. Cellular Field.If Hurdle doesn't name Albert Pujols as his starting DH, then he's derelict in his duties. Pujols is simply the best hitter in baseball.Biggest snubs of the day? In the NL, it's Jose Reyes of the Mets. A shortstop who is among the best base runners in the game and who hits .294 AVG/.355 OBP/.482 SLG while playing half his games in Shea deserves a nod. Hurdle was forced to pick a Washington National, and that's why Cristian Guzman took Reyes' rightful spot. In the AL, it's Brian Roberts of the Orioles. He's a slick-fielding middle infielder who gets on base and is on target for 60 doubles this season. That's an All-Star. In fact, Roberts and Ian Kinsler, who made the AL squad as a reserve, both deserved to start at second ahead of Dustin Pedroia.
Enjoy watching dominating relievers? Tune in. On the AL side, you've got future Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera, Jonathan Papelbon of the Red Sox, Joe Nathan of the Twins, Francisco Rodriguez of the Angels and Joakim Soria of the Royals. Over on the NL, you've got Brad Lidge of the Phillies, Billy Wagner of the Mets and Kerry Wood of the Cubs. In particular, keep your eyes on Lidge, who's cobbling together one of the great relief seasons of all-time (0.77 ERA, zero homers allowed). Also, it's interesting to note that Francona opted to put six relievers on his roster, while Hurdle named just four to the NL team.With all that said, this ritual picking of nits is common enough to the process. The voters, the players, Francona and Hurdle in the main performed their jobs well. So you're going to see a game that's brimming with stars — stars young and rising, stars seasoned and accomplished.
Oh, and let's not forget that the All-Star Game these days is for keeps. Home-field advantage in the World Series hangs in the balance, and that's especially crucial this year. With so many Series aspirants showing extreme differences in their home-road records (home-field in the World Series matters greatly to teams like the Red Sox, Rays, White Sox and Cubs) and with the talent gap between the two leagues closing quickly (AL dominance in the World Series is not to be assumed), the 2008 Midsummer Classic is rife with importance. In fact, it may wind up being one of the most important All-Star Games ever played.
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