The 2009 MLB All Star rosters were announced yesterday, expanding to 33 players apiece so as to avoid tie games and depleted pitching staffs. Many of the starters this year are deserved, but others are not, and this brings up a major issue: fan voting. It is simply ludicrous that the fans have 100% control over who starts the All Star game.Of course, fans from larger markets are going to stuff ballots and vote, vote, vote for their hometown players. Stadiums put computers in areas where visitors can vote for the club’s players—the system is flawed. Online, you can vote 25 times with a specific e-mail address. A loophole: you can make up e-mail addresses, as there is no confirmation of any sort, and thus essentially vote an infinite amount.
There are two glaring mistakes with this year’s starting rosters.
Josh Hamilton (TEX) OF: He has only played 35 games! His appearance on the starting list, let alone the entire roster, is a joke and a slap in the face to the All Star game.
Hamilton’s numbers: .240 AVG, 6 HR, 24 RBI, 5 2B in 35 games
Dustin Pedroia (BOS) 2B: His appearance on the starting roster is not a crime, but Aaron Hill (TOR) 2B deserves the spot. He's hitting .297 with 20HR, 59RBI, 49 RS,
As I said, Pedroia’s presence is not a crime in the same way that Hamilton’s is, but Hill deserves the spot.
Look at the stats, see for yourself. - Paul Leume
Paul Leume is a MLB columnist from Montreal, Canada. Paul, a one-time beat writer covering the Montreal Expos for the Montreal Gazette is a proud grandfather of 3 girls and now spends his time offering his thoughts and prospective on Major League Baseball on a variety of blogs and websites throughout Al Gore’s internet.
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