Comments on: Initial AL All-Star voting released. Derek Jeter and five other Yankees leading at their positions

By: Brody

Brody — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 04:03:43 +0000

It bothers me that this has turned into a popularity contest instead of putting the best quality out on the field and making the players earn their spot on the team. Especially since the game actually does have meaning now. As much as I am a big Twins fan, Joe Mauer should not be second in All-Star voting. He hasn’t played all year practically! http://minnesporta.wordpress.com/2011/06/01/mauer-ranked-2nd-in-fan-voting-for-all-star-game/

By: aceshigh11

aceshigh11 — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 01:30:13 +0000

I predicted yesterday that Jeter would be the starting shortstop no matter what.

Now, OF COURSE I realize that I wasn’t going out on a limb, but there it is.

But again…since the All-Star game has actual implications for MLB and is not just an exhibition, this seems excessively silly. It’s a popularity contest, not a reliable measure of quality.

By: dirtyharry1971

dirtyharry1971 — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 01:05:33 +0000

What? No Crawford? Come on!!

By: simon94022

simon94022 — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 00:38:34 +0000

As a National League fan, this is great news.

Let’s just hope this bizarre NY parochialism doesn’t produce an NL starting lineup with 6 Mets.

By: bronxbomber213

bronxbomber213 — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 00:11:49 +0000

Man this IS rigged…those damn Yankees fans not allowing anybody else to vote for their favorite teams players….ohh wait…all these clowns on here act like the yanks fans are the only people with computers and email addresses…we all know it’s a popularity contest but if other fans won’t vote for their players then it’s their own fault

By: Utley's Hair

Utley's Hair — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 22:51:20 +0000

Hmm…a popularity contest being voted on by fans who see the Yankees just about all the time on national TV is being led by…wait for it…wait for it…Yankees. Go figure. It’s not that tough to figure out.

By: Utley's Hair

Utley's Hair — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 22:42:46 +0000

LEAVE JETER ALONE!!!!!!!

By: spudchukar

spudchukar — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 22:42:28 +0000

Let me put it to fellow fans this way: I hope Albert Pujols makes the 2011 All-Star team. His ten years of excellence certainly merits him a spot. However, if I were to vote today I would not vote for him. I have too much pride. I take my vote seriously. He is undeserving as a starter. It is an honor to be chosen to start in this mid-summer classic. Not voting for those that have earned the spot in the current year is a dishonor to their collective efforts. End of sermon.

By: cur68

cur68 — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 22:42:11 +0000

I’m happy to see Joey The Bat leading for votes. I’m terrified of him being in the home run derby, though. He’ll destroy his hips or back if he does that. I’d like to vote for Swisher to take JB’s place in the HR Derby. No one will miss his production (sorry Swish; you know I like you, but its true that you are not producing. Might as well hit some BP fastballs).

By: djeter220

djeter220 — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 22:12:14 +0000

Is it really that shocking? One of the greatest players of all time (at least at his position), most successful players of all time, most popular and marketable players in the game, who’s been in 11 ASG’s, who will be fresh off his 3000th hit by the ASG, who is the captain for one of the biggest sports franchises on Earth, located in the number one market in the country, who’s still playing better than most AL SS’s and while a couple of players have better numbers still none are really stand-outs, and you’re surprised he’s leading the vote? Against no real discernible competition?

I get that ramirez or cabrera may be more deserving, but until All Star voters are required to pass a baseball IQ test, Jeter leading the voting should be the least surprising name on that list.

By: Utley's Hair

Utley's Hair — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 21:56:20 +0000

A one game advantage may not be that big a deal, but there’s also the fact that you play the first two at home.

By: scatterbrian

scatterbrian — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 21:45:01 +0000

Take it a step further. Reward those who have played the best since the previous year’s All-Star game. That way you can limit the two-month hot streak guys.

By: kopy

kopy — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 21:34:24 +0000

Well, it BETTER be Martin that wins AL Catcher, because Joe “I’ve played 8 games this year” Mauer is in 2nd place!

By: jimbo1949

jimbo1949 — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 21:32:31 +0000

that’s an awful big ass umption

By: Elwood Larf

Elwood Larf — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 21:31:18 +0000

I’m a lifelong Yankee fan and I think the problem is the casual know-nothing fan. I vote for who I think is the most deserving, and right now the only Yankee who deserves to start the all-star game is Curtis Granderson–maybe Cano. No credit at all is better than undeserved credit.

By: tominma

tominma — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 21:21:38 +0000

When I was a kid, the All Star team was picked by the PLAYERS— with managers filling out the rest of the rosters! That’s how you got the BEST players AND the stars!

By: royalsfaninfargo

royalsfaninfargo — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 20:47:18 +0000

When i was a kid (which wasnt all that long ago) you had to actually go to the games to vote for the all-star team. Maybe if they went back to that this might not be so lop-sided.

By: Jonny 5

Jonny 5 — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 20:37:15 +0000

So the Best NL players against the Yankees for home field advantage in the WS? Cool………..

By: doworks0n

doworks0n — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 20:35:48 +0000

as a die hard yankee fan seeing Jeter so far leading is just down-right dumb and embarassing and proves sometimes all-star votes are just dumb. Tex is having a good year but clearly A-Gon and Miggy are better. But Martin Cano and Grandy def. deserve it.

By: rollinghighwayblues

rollinghighwayblues — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 20:31:12 +0000

I feel like Jeter is somewhere, chuckling to himself and saying, “Damn…I really cannot lose can I? I have multiple WS rings, won a Gold Glove last year for sub-par defensive play, leading the AL shortstops in AS voting when I’m clearly not near the top AND I’m dating (dated) Minka Kelly?!”Must be nice, Jeter….must be nice.

By: proudlycanadian

proudlycanadian — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 20:30:53 +0000

I hope not. I do remember watching ground balls bouncing by him that other short stops would have turned into outs.

By: IdahoMariner

IdahoMariner — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 20:27:16 +0000

Home-field advantage is just that, an advantage. Some “stakes” for the game. But to me, the bigger concern is more long-term. If you look at the arguments for who belongs in the Hall of Fame and who doesn’t, baseball writers (whether eligible to vote for HoF or not) invariably include in their analyses that a guy was an All-Star x amount of times (and even whether he was a Gold-Glover x amount of times). Even as they discount the weight they give such things, it’s almost always in the analysis. Who knows what weight they actually give it? If it’s going to be counted, then every effort should be made to make it close to realistic, not just a “you can vote as many times as you like, starting in May” joke.

If it has to be based on fan vote: One vote per position. Start voting in middle of June. Close it at the end of June. It still will largely be a popularity vote (and a population base vote), but it might come closer to how these guys are actually performing.

On the other hand…the fact that it is a fan vote means they should just rename it to “Most Popular Players at Each Position” — that, at least, would make it harder for the writers to include it in their HoF analyses.

By: sdelmonte

sdelmonte — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 20:26:20 +0000

Hard to argue against Granderson. Cano is somewhat worthy, and Martin is about equal to any other catcher. But the other three are not the best at their positions.

But this is a popularity contest. The fans never vote for the best players, only their favorites. It just puzzles me how Red Sox Nation hasn’t been as active as Yankees Universe in voting.

And thank goodness Bautista is leading everyone.

By: bobwsc

bobwsc — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 20:22:51 +0000

Jeter’s 2011 gold glove will be the other shoe to drop

By: Panda Claus

Panda Claus — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 20:18:56 +0000

This is just a blatant effort for NY fans to hose over the Red Sox. Starting predominantly Yankees in the All-Star game would not only deny the game, but also home-field advantage for the Red Sox in the World Series.

Spitefulness. That’s the only thing that makes sense.

At least Bautista is getting his deserved votes.

By: sabathiawouldbegoodattheeighthtoo

sabathiawouldbegoodattheeighthtoo — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 20:17:23 +0000

I’m not saying it doesn’t matter at all, but can one look up the winning % of world series teams with home field advantage? I really don’t think a 1 game advantage matters that much. Win one away game and it is even-stevens.

By: jontler

jontler — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 20:13:05 +0000

This would be a perfectly valid outlook if the All-Star Game was indeed an exhibition.

By: royalsfaninfargo

royalsfaninfargo — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 20:08:31 +0000

Somehow i get the feeling that if a Red Sox shortstop was leading in voting and had the numbers Jeter does we would never hear the end of it from Yankee’s fans.

By: tuftsb

tuftsb — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 20:04:34 +0000

It’s not the Irving Thalberg Award. Reward those that are playing the best at their position that season.

By: Mr. Jason "El Bravo" Heyward

Mr. Jason "El Bravo" Heyward — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 20:01:52 +0000

Jeter is the best!