Yesterday at noon was the straw that broke the camel's back in regards to the present-day selection of "All-Star" teams. The fan vote needs to be stopped because, like 90% of people who vote in the governmental elections, they don't know, as Jim Mora once said, "diddly-poo." This is just not me being a fanatical Reds fan but Joey Votto deserved to be on the team and as a starter, however, he got jipped by the voters.
For years now, the starting 1B spot on the All-Star team has been hard to come by. You have to out vote Pujols, Howard, Fielder, and others. If the teams were selected by you know, on-field performance, which truly makes someone an All-Star, than Votto would be starting on the 13th at 1B. He is Top 5 in the NL in BA, HR, RBI, OBP, SLG, and OPS. Not to mention he is in the midst of a 41-game streak of reaching base safely. However, based on the fan vote, Pujols gets the start... and Votto is completely left out because Adrian Gonzalez and Ryan Howard got the other 1B spots. Therefore, Votto is left off and now has to be voted in by the fans along with 4 other players. I'm not going to hold my breath. Look at the numbers and tell me who the real All-Star is:
Player AVG/HR/RBI - OBP/SLG/AB per HR
Votto: .312/19/57 - .412/.572/15
Pujols: .305/20/60 - .413/.567/14.9
Howard: .293/15/59 - .349/.502/21.13
Gonzalez: .291/16/51 - .386/.517/19.73
Clearly, Votto is the 1st or 2nd most deserving of the 4 players - not only due to the stats, but what he has meant to his team this year. Oh, and the Reds currently lead the Cardinals by 1.5 games in the NL Central. The MLB All-Star game is just a microcosm of how flawed fan voting has been. How many years does Yao Ming get voted to start at C for the Western Conference in the NBA All-Star Game or Tracy McGrady when he played for the Rockets? The All-Star teams should not be based on fan voting - they show they can't be trusted to stay informed and choose based on merit and achievement rather than name and prestige.
Colin Cowherd: You freaking dumb@$$. You believe that Joey Votto does not deserve to make the team because:
A. Nobody outside of Ohio knows who he is.
B. He doesn't have the name recognition of Pujols, therefore he is not a true All-Star.
C. He doesn't rank high on Google Trends.
The name recognition thing is just incredulous and is just another example of why Cowherd is a blowhard. If that is the case Colin, then how does your name recognition compared to Mike and Mike? Dan Patrick? Jim Rome? You are at least 4th in the rankings based on those 3 and probably lower because I'm sure your show has turned many listeners off of ESPN Radio to listen to some real sports talk. Sadly, compared to you, Jim Rome IS real sports talk.
PHE-NO-ME-NAL! Cowherd's last point is laughable. Since he does not rank high on Google Trends, he is not an All-Star worthy player?? Using that logic, Colin, you aren't a popular sports talk host. I see the 1812 Overture ranks higher than you as does "rent a friend." How does that make you feel Colin? People would rather search a discreet escort service than your name on Google. Of course, to most of them, a good, stiff rod in the @$$ is probably more comfortable than listening to your sham of a radio show.
The All-Star Game is where people become recognizable! It's where deserving players from places like Cincinnati and Milwaukee get their moment to show the nation how good they are outside their fanbase. With Cowherd's logic, you would never get to be a breakthrough star unless you played in Boston, New York, or LA. Votto deserves to make the team. I will vote for him and so should you: http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com.
Till next time, be careful out there.
4 comments:
Although the problems with fan voting and All-Stars are an issue... I think the bigger outcry here is with the managers of the teams (in this case Philly's Charlie Manuel) being able to pick reserve players. Manuel picked Ryan Howard ahead of Votto because "He's my guy" and Omar Infante for God only knows what reason.
What a joke. You think Charlie Manuel is going to pick Votto ahead of Ryan Howard? Not a chance in the world. Votto ahead of Omar Infante is another matter. The problem is that baseball wants us to still think the All-Star Game is a big deal, and then fans have to put up with crap like this where the All Star Game has become nothing but a traveshamockery.
Just to be a slight devil's advocate here, per B-R's neutralized stats, Votto's triple-slash lead over Gonzalez is significantly less than it is in the raw numbers. Because I'm sure Cowherd took that into account.
There is no defense for Ryan Howard being on the team.
Holla, I'm no sabermetrician, but you make a good point about Votto, Gonzalez, and Pujols being fairly even, especially if you adjust for Gonzalez playing in cavernous PetCo.
You're right - the one that does stand out in not belonging is clearly Howard. Although you can't blame Charlie Manuel for picking his own player. Blame the dumb system put into place that allows Manuel to pick his own player over one much more deserving.
Cowherd's always been a joke. He claims to be the most progressive guy around and then feeds on stereotypes and insulting his listeners and the sports he comments on. I was flipping through ESPN today and found Votto's snub across the screen on The Herd and could predict everything that was going to come out of his ignorant mouth. Votto's not a star, he plays in Cincy, he's a regional player, etc. It's really a miracle the guy has a job.
Thanks for the comment.
This is an awsome article! Vote Votto!
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