We know you’re busy, we know you’re on the go, and we know that attention spans on the web are short. MSF QuickCasts, quite simply, will be rants and raves about sports (and the occasional non-sports topic) that start and finish in less time than it takes to check your email.

That’s it. Quick, concise, and convenient. Like everything on the web should be.

And I’m leading off with the first QuickCast today. The topic: the MLB All Star Game.

We know Bud Selig needs to get rid of the silly rule that awards World Series homefield advantage to the league that wins the Midsummer Classic, but I’ve got another simple, noble way that the Commish can easily and profoundly improve the best of the major sports All Star extravaganzas.

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For those of you who would rather read than listen, here is the transcript for this quickcast:

One Simple, Noble Way to Improve the MLB All Star Game

Personally, I enjoy the MLB All Star Game far more than the NBA All Star Game, certainly more than the Pro Bowl, and I don’t really follow the NHL so I have no reasonable basis for comparing its All Star game to baseball’s.

But despite my affinity for the show MLB puts on each July, it could be better. Much better.

The first improvement is obvious: end the silliness of making it, quote, count. This point is so widely accepted now that I need not expatiate on it further.

There are plenty of other ways to make the MLB All Star Game more compelling though, and today I’m going to talk about one in particular:

Let’s do away with the previous season’s World Series managers managing the AL and NL teams.  I’ve got a much, much, much better way to do it.

Ron Washington and Bruce Bochy are good managers, solid baseball men, and interesting in their own way – especially Wash – but let me ask you this: wouldn’t it have been more interesting this year to have Bobby Cox manage the National League and Joe Torre manage the American League?

I propose that during Spring Training each year, the commissioner appoint two legendary, retired managers from each league to head up that year’s All Star managing staff. Not only would it give these men a chance to be honored and remembered by players and fans alike during the All Star weekend, they would be able to make more informed choices on reserves.

With today’s setup, players and managers are choosing reserves. While I’m sure some take it seriously, during the season most have to have tunnel vision on their own daily duties for their team, which is why no-brainer All Stars like Paul Konerko and Andrew McCutchen have to back into the All Star game as a, quote, “last man” or injury replacement. If veteran baseball men like Torre and Cox paid attention all year to the entire league, my guess is they would make much better choices than we currently see.

But selection fairness is far less of a reason to implement this system than simply how much more compelling it would be.

Imagine the intrigue of Joe Torre being back in a dugout with Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez (assuming that they had been healthy enough to play, of course).

Imagine getting to see Bobby Cox manage, for a night, Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels, and Cliff Lee…the present day version of his 1990s Braves staffs.

Imagine once Ozzie Guillen retires from managing, bringing him back to the dugout for an evening. His antics are often criticized and lambasted now, but they’ll be romanticized and missed once he’s gone, and his presence would interest baseball fans in general.

How about a retired Tony LaRussa bringing his unique style back for a night and getting to write “Albert Pujols” on a lineup card again? Or Jim Leyland getting to rah-rah the troops for one more big game after he hangs up his stirrups for the final time?

I could go on and on.

Baseball managers are the most interesting head men in professional sports. Many of them never went to college, all of them are “baseball lifers”, and so many of them are quirky and idiosyncratic and endearingly unpolished in ways that just are not, nor could be, appreciated in other sports.

Guys like Ron Wash, and Charlie Manuel, and Tito Francona. These men, like so many before them, are baseball treasures, part of the unique fabric of America’s pastime that links today’s managing characters to the Lou Piniellas and the Sparky Andersons and the Earl Weavers and the Connie Macks of years gone by.

But in today’s 24-hour sports attention span, the phrase “out of sight, out of mind” has never been more apropos. And that’s a shame.

I miss Bobby Cox and the consistent excellence be brought to the game. I miss Sweet Lou and his emotional distress.  I miss Joe Torre and his steady hand in the eye of the omnipresent New York storm. And I’ll miss Wash, Oz, Tito, and so many more once they are gone.

So for one night each season, let’s bring a couple of these legendary old boys of summer back into the spotlight. It will be more interesting and educational for fans, it will be good for the fairness of the rosters and the integrity of the game itself, and, most importantly, it will honor deserving men who spent a lifetime dedicated to the game of baseball.

Joe Torre, Bobby Cox, and so many others deserve one more nostalgic, loving curtain call, and the fans deserve one more appreciative, damp-eyed hat tip.

Image source: AP via PinstripedBible

Memories and emotions are what making something compelling, what make something, quote, count; not the location of the games with the most important outcome being determined by the game with the least important outcome.

Hey Bud, want the All Star Game to count? This is how you do it.

Final thought:

Remember the old saying it doesn’t matter if you win or lose, but how you play the game? That should be the guiding principle of the MLB All Star Game. And what better way to keep that in mind each year than by honoring the best to ever teach players how the game should be played.

For as many superstars bas aseball has, nothing showcases players with rare good seasons (in many cases half-seasons) than the All-Star game. Many of these “breakout” years amounted to nothing much in the end; that’s part of the reason I love the All-Star Game.

Heck, some of the players aren’t even all that good, but were merely the best players on their respective teams (which also probably were not that good) for one half of a season. For those who don’t know, MLB invites at least one player from every team, even if that team is a collection of complete bums. This has lead to a few more head scratchers.

So as much as I love baseball and the positive vibes the Derby and All Star Game carry, I want to have some fun remembering the worst All-Stars of the past decade. (Jerod is going to kick my ass as several White Sox grace this list.)

2000

James Baldwin P CHW
14-7 4.65 ERA

I obviously loved the 2000 AL All-Star Team. Travis Fryman and Mike Bordick I have already written about for this site. Throw in the ever enjoyable David Wells starting, after going 15-2 in the first half, and this team was a dream come true. Even the worst player wasn’t that bad.

Baldwin went 11-4 in the first half. That’s exceptional. His 4.28 ERA was not. He went 3-3 with a 5.27 ERA the rest of the way and finished the year with an ERA+ of just 108 (league average is 100). A classic example of people looking at just Wins in electing a player. Baldwin would never even have a season again where he beat those 11 first half Wins.

Shane Reynolds P HOU
7-8 5.22 ERA

How an Astro from this year didn’t have a name starting with “B” is baffling enough. How Reynolds got in the 2000 All-Star Game and no other is more baffling. In 1998 and 1999 Reynolds had 19 and 16 Wins, respectively, to go along with better stats in every category. Yet 2000 is the year he gets in? Don’t think about it too long. You’ll need to lay down.

2001

Cal Ripken 3B BAL
.239/.276/.361 14 HR

Yes, this seems blasphemous to say, but really, 2002 Ripken was awful, with career lows in average and on-base percentage. This was purely a sentimental choice by fans as it was Ripken’s final season. He was hitting just .240 with 4 HR and an OPS+ of 56 at the time of the All-Star Game.

Ripken also provided one of the great feel-good moments in baseball on that day when Alex Rodriguez switched places with Ripken so he could play shortstop, and later, when he hit a home run in his first at-bat of the game. In an awful season, he won game MVP in a great moment.

When looking at the roster, I really expected Paul Quantrill to be my guy. Then I looked at his 2001 stats. 11-2 in 80 relief appearances? How was that real? How did I forget about that completely? I will be writing about him very soon.

Jimmy Rollins SS PHI
.274/.323/.419 46 SB

I will never understand the love affair people have with Jimmy Rollins. Rollins made his first All-Star Game here in 2001, the first of many; also, the first of many he had no right playing in.

He sure did steal 28 bags in the first half, but considering his on-base percentage was .309 at the break, he must have stolen two bases every time he got on. Despite a better second-half (fewer steals though), he still finished below the league average in hitting (an OPS+ of 92). But he sure was fast.

2002

Tony Batista 3B BAL
.244/.309/.457 31 HR

For every Jays fan (myself included) who worried that Jose Bautista would fall off this season, we have our reasons. There was another Ba(u)tista who played third about ten years ago that hit 41HR in 2000 before falling off the face of the earth: Tony Batista.

Batista made it in 2000, really deservedly, but 2002 with the Os? Not as much. I mean, he wasn’t awful, but just the worst player on one of the best All-Star Teams of this era. Besides, it gives me a chance to mention that insane batting stance.

Batista was hitting .269 with 19HR at the break, which was just okay. His defense was also just okay. He finished with an OPS+ of 105, which is pretty okay. He wasn’t actively bad. He was just very unusual to watch and definitely not an All-Star.

Jimmy Rollins SS PHI
.245/.306/.380 31SB

Just looking at the rosters, Junior Spivey is RIGHT THERE. I would love to include him as this is both a list of bad picks and guys who seem really out of place having been All-Stars. Problem with including him is despite a forgettable career, he was hitting .328 at the break and Rollins was somehow even worse in 2002 than in 2001.

Rollins finished 2002 with an OPS of .686 which isn’t even good if you’re a pitcher. His OPS+ was 85. League average is 100! Are you kidding me? He sure was fast though, with 31 steals (14 at the break) but he was caught 13 times (8 at the break) so he was doing more harm than good there too.

I’m starting to think baseball people just love the band Black Flag and got their Rollins’ mixed up.

2003

Lance Carter P TB
26 SV 4.33 ERA

Carter was a rookie back in 2003, one of those players that the Rays really were counting on to develop and help the team. This was the 2003 Rays though, so that was never in the cards.

Carter is a classic example of a guy who made it simply due to the player-per-team rule. He finished with a 13-12 record and a 4.12 ERA in 253 2/3 innings in his career before shipping off to Japan. I was an avid baseball fan during this time and I needed to use Google to remember what he looked like.

Mike Williams P PIT
28 SV 6.14 ERA

Say what you want about the current All Star selection process and added emphasis on the outcome of the game, but at least now middle relievers will get in if more deserving than closers.

Mike Williams made the NL squad despite a 1-3 record and a 6.44 ERA during the first half of the year. Yep. He actually improved it to 6.14 by season’s end. While he had 25 saves, he allowed 41 hits and 22 walks in only 36 1/3rd innings pitched. He also somehow had only 19 strikeouts.

The most telling statistic? Williams never pitched in the bigs again after the 2003 season.

2004

Esteban Loaiza P CHI
10-7 5.70 ERA

I have an issue with Esteban Loaiza. First of all, the Jays traded Michael Young to get him, then he went 25-28 with a 4.96 ERA with the team while Young could have prevented Eric Hinske from making me question my Toronto loyalty.

This isn’t purely a pick out of spite though. Loaiza was undeniably not worthy of being here.

Loaiza’s nomination to the AL’s ’04 team is a classic example of wins and losses carrying more weight than actual pitching ability. Throw in him finishing 2nd in the 2003 Cy Young race and he got his golden ticket.

Loaiza’s 8-4 record wasn’t even that good, especially when matched with his 4.77 ERA and 1.41 WHIP. Loaiza gets the nod here over Kansas City’s Ken Harvey simply because of who he beat out. Loaiza made is while Johan Santana and Pedro Martinez got snubbed.

Johnny Estrada C ATL
.314/.378/.450

This NL All-Star team was really strange. Despite Griffey, Piazza, and Sosa all having less than great seasons, their first halves were all worthy of selection. Despite Liván Hernandez and Ben Sheets having awful records, they were both great pitchers in 2004 but had to pitch for the Expos and Brewers.

This will be an example of a player who was good for only one season ever: Johnny Estrada.

In the wake of Javy Lopez leaving Atlanta for Baltimore (where all good careers go to die), Estrada was an overnight sensation in 2004. In the first half he hit .332 for the Braves. The problem was he was only good for one year.
He played 8 seasons on 5 teams with a career OPS+ of 84. He didn’t even have a good season throughout the rest of his career (he wasn’t a total albatross for the 2006 Diamondbacks at least). But in 2004 he was “the future”.

2005

Shea Hillenbrand 3B/1B/DH TOR
.291/.343/.449 18 HR

How did this even happen? The Jays also sent Roy Halladay to the All Star Game in 2005 so this was not a case of a lone representative making the big game. I attribute this to Hillenbrand’s .390 April batting average (which was followed with 5 mediocre months of playing).

Hillenbrand is one of those ballplayers referred to as scrappy (this means white guy without any obvious skill). He didn’t walk, ever. His .343 OBP came from 26 walks and being hit by pitches 22 times. He played such poor defense that Eric Hinske was the finer choice in the field.

He played 7 seasons of below average baseball in every way imaginable. The only thing that makes him memorable is he actually called the Red Sox GM a “faggot” when he got traded. No one even remembers that, because no one remembers Hillenbrand.

Cesar Izturis SS LAD
.257/.302/.322

Cesar Izturis is a rare case. Not only does he not fit as a man billed as a “former All-Star”, he also had an outright awful season in 2005. He was so bad I can’t even put Jimmy Rollins on here for a third time.

Izturis was named to the 2005 All-Star team, despite a .275 average with just one home run in the first-half of the season. Looking further, the “better” Izturis brother had 34 strikeouts and just 15 extra-base hits during those first 72 games. He ended the season with a whopping 66 OPS+. He managed to go 8 for 16 in stolen base attempts, which proves he was a liability in every regard but defense.

2006

Mark Redman P KC
11-10 5.71 ERA

Even in a year with Alexis Rios and Gary Mathews Jr. making the cut, this isn’t even close.

Redman had a 6-4 record with a 5.27 ERA and 1.45 WHIP at the break, which was good enough to be the Royals’ representative that year. Yes, obviously Mike Sweeney was too injured, and by this point Damon and Beltran were not in Kansas anymore.

These were thin years for KC. Mark Quinn ruined his career with karate. Joakim Soria was a couple years away. Next to the 2006 Royals, Mike Aviles is a hall-of-famer. Nobody will get that joke because no one else knows who he is.

Redman also carries the distinction of being the first MLB starter since 1900 to give up 10 or more runs in the first inning, while still completing the inning. He accomplished this feat as a member of the Colorado Rockies against the host Los Angeles Dodgers April 26, 2008.

David Eckstein SCRAP STL
.292/.350/.344

How do you have a lower slugging percentage than on-base percentage? Eckstein found a way. Just like he “found a way to win” and other such nonsense. Eckstein would be the poster boy for players defined as “scrappy”. The problem is nobody would buy the poster since he looks like a used Q-Tip. He could potentially make an All-Ugly team comprising a middle infield with Jhonny Peralta (whose head looks like a Tetris piece).

Terrible hitter and terrible fielder, but he was built like a jockey and tried really hard so people loved him. Unless he was on your favorite team.

At least Eckstein brought that scrapfulness to TNA Wrestling. I wish that were a joke.

2007

Alexis Rios OF TOR
.297/.354/.498 24 HR

This selection didn’t seem too bad at the time. Rios is a classic example of a guy with amazing natural talents who does not live up to his potential. He also can’t deal with any ball that approaches the outfield wall without fearing for his life.

There was once a time, 2007 to be exact, that Rios was the “future” of the Blue Jays. Around this time he was even rumored to possibly be dealt for Tim Lincecum. By 2009 he was waived and picked up by the White Sox without any return. Since joining the White Sox he has hit .250/.297/.389 with an OPS+ of 84. He also makes $12M dollars a season.

According to some, he would qualify as a “bum.”

Brian Fuentes P COL
20 SV 3.08 ERA

Don’t let that ERA fool you; it was 4.06 heading into the break. Fuentes made the All-Star team and then immediately lost the closer’s role, recording 0 Saves afterwards. But, Colorado needed someone there, and Fuentes was unfortunately the best option.

2008

Jason Varitek C Bos
.220/.313/.359 13HR

Every team has this guy: that player that has been there forever who hasn’t been good in years but he’s “part of the team”. Up north we deal with John McDonald providing 3-4 outs per game when Yunel Escobar or Aaron Hill need a night off. The difference, John McDonald will never come close to an All-Star game. But you know, RED SOX NATION and all. Ugh.

Varitek ended the first half of the season hitting just .218, and he had more strikeouts (73) than hits (56). He also hasn’t been able to throw out a runner in years. But Tim Wakefield sure likes to pitch to him so who needs some “talented” player taking up valuable bench space?

Christian Guzman SS WSH
.316/.345/.440

Guzman is here simply because of who he beat out. He had a .313 average at the break, but also only 5 homers, 30 RBIs and a .765 OPS. Throw in the fact he is incapable of playing shortstop effectively and it’s a true case of being the best player on the worst team.

Who didn’t make it? Jose Reyes .302 average, 10HR, 32 SB and JJ Hardy’s .283, 13 HR and .827 OPS.

2009

Brandon Inge 3B DET
.230/.314/.406 27 HR

Obviously whoever chose the rest of the AL team in 2009 had Inge as their fantasy baseball catcher (he only played 3B in 2009 but had eligibility from the 2008 season). 27 dingers is pretty good, but none of the other stats going on there are. Inge, to this day, is an ugly player to watch hit and at no point has he been close to one of the three best Tigers hitters.

He did lead the AL with 161 games played though. So at least he was out there being lackluster on the regular.

Zach Duke P PIT
11-16 4.06 ERA

Duke is one of the few players named here that ended up leading his league in a category. Unfortunately, that category was Losses. Duke was a respectable 8-8 heading into the break, but at no point was he thought of as a dominant pitcher that season. His selection is even more confusing since he was one of two Pirates on the team. Freddy Sanchez made sense, Duke did not.

Summary

So in summary: two Orioles, two White Sox, two Blue Jays, two Pirates and two Jimmy Rollinses grace the list. Despite the amount of slandering I just did, I love the fact the these outliers get into the All-Star Game. It’s one of the charming imperfections than make the game fun.

So enjoy tonight’s game where Scott Rolen and Blockhead Peralta will warm my heart and soul. I sure will. They give me something to write about.

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* – James Baldwin photo credit: Bleacher Report

* – Jimmy Rollins photo credit: Mark Duncan/AP via I Love Bubba Dogs

Paul Konerko – the ONLY player in the AL currently in the top 5 of all three Triple Crown categories – was NOT chosen as an All Star this year. There is not one person who doesn’t think, in the immortal words of Bob Knight, that such a snub is absolute fucking bullshit*.

Luckily, MLB does have a way to write egregious wrongs such as this.

So join me in what I am officially dubbing the “Paul In” campaign (#PaulIn on Twitter) to get Paul Konerko to the All Star Game: http://atmlb.com/k0dHWw.

I just voted 20-some times and plan to vote a lot more.

White Sox fans, fans of baseball in general, and anyone who cares about justice and right prevailing over wrong should be voting for Paul Konerko. Come on. Let’s get Paul in.

(BTW, in case you don’t get the connection, I chose “Paul In” to go with the White Sox season slogan of “All In.” Seems to fit in multitudes of ways. If you agree, let’s roll with it.)

**********

* – I don’t use such strong language on this site very often; so when I do, you can be sure it is for a good and meaningful reason.

Well, Votto wasn’t the only player with Midwest ties who got bent over when the rosters were announced today. Paul Konerko and Alex Rios of the Chicago White Sox also have legitimate beef with Yankees manager Joe Girardi.

At least Konerko still has a shot to make the team; Rios, however, will see perhaps the greatest half season of his career go unrecognized. That’s BS.

First, take a look at the outstanding seasons being turned in by Konerko and Rios, the two players who have carried an otherwise underperforming White Sox offense.

• Konerko: .297/.386/.564, .950 OPS, 20 HR, 57 RBI, 45 R, 0 SB
• Rios: .307/.362/.516, .878 OPS, 13 HR, 45 RBI, 49 R, 22 SB, 5.3 UZR

Outstanding all around numbers for both, with Rios’ excellent defense in center being an underrated quality he’s brought to the White Sox this year.

Now, the question is which players Girardi selected should Konerko and Rios have made it over. I hate it when people say “So-and-so should be an All Star” but then don’t say who should be taken off the team.

In Konerko’s case, I say David Ortiz. Here are Big Papi’s numbers on the season:

• Ortiz: .263/.369/.566, .935 OPS, 17 HR, 54 RBI, 43 R, 0 SB

Update: An astute commenter point out that in my zeal to defend Paul Konerko from this terrible injustice I failed to realize that players vote for a portion of the reserves. David Ortiz was voted in by the players, so Joe Girardi did not screw him in this instance (more on this below). Still, it doesn’t change the fact that Konerko is more deserving of a spot in this year’s All Star game than Ortiz.

After a woeful start (.143, 1 HR in April) Ortiz caught fire in May (.363, 10 HR) before cooling off somewhat in June (.238, 6 HR). Ortiz also should be given credit for helping to keep the Red Sox afloat despite a rash of injuries.

However, Konerko leads Ortiz in every category but slugging percentage, with Ortiz holding a .002 advantage. Plus, as any White Sox fan knows, Konerko has not just been padding his stats with meaningless homeruns. Paulie has been hitting a lot of late-inning, game-deciding taters all year long…and I do mean all year long.

Unlike Ortiz, Konerko’s great numbers are not a product of one hot month. While he did struggle somewhat in May (.233, 3 HRs), Konerko was outstanding in both April (.297, 11 HRs) and June (.351, 6 HRs).

Just based on numbers alone, Konerko should be in over Ortiz. Add in the fact that Konerko has played very solid defense (just one error on the year) and has been more consistent, and there is simply no way Paulie should be on the outside looking in with Big Papi getting the nod.

You could actually make a pretty good case that Kevin Youkilis (.986 OPS, 16 HR, 53 RBI) should be in over Ortiz also. Things actually get pretty tight between Youkilis and Konerko, though I’d side with Konerko because of how clutch he has been this year. I’ll admit that I’m biased though; if you want to say Youkilis is more deserving, I won’t argue. It’s a toss up.

What is not a toss up, however, is that both are more deserving than Ortiz.

I guess Girardi thought he needed to bring a full-time DH. That is the only possible reason I can find for why Ortiz made the team.

Now let’s turn our attention to Alex Rios, who really got shafted. He deserves to be in the All Star game, yet he’s not even among the players up for the fan vote! That is outrageous.

Here are the numbers for Blue Jays OFs Vernon Wells and Jose Bautista, both of whom made the All Star team as reserves:

• Wells: .274/.328/.544, .872 OPS, 19 HR, 48 RBI, 45 R, 4 SB, -2.0 UZR
• Bautistia: .229/.356/.530, .887 OPS, 21 HR, 52 RBI, 50 BB, 3 SB, -1.7 UZR

And here are Rios’ numbers again for your convenience:

• Rios: .307/.362/.516, .878 OPS, 13 HR, 45 RBI, 49 R, 22 SB, 5.3 UZR

Wells and Bautista have the edge in power…but that’s it. Rios has killed them on the basepaths and is far superior as a defensive player. He also gets on base on more. I guess we are back in the mid-90s now and all that matters are HRs. Apparently Joe Girardi, like chicks, just digs the long ball.

What would have been so wrong with picking one of the two carbon copy Blue Jays OFs and balancing it with the much more well-rounded skill set of Rios? It certainly would have been the most sound baseball decision for Girardi.

In Girardi’s defense, perhaps his judgment is clouded after watching Rios underperform for so many years in the AL East. Still, that’s no excuse. This is 2010. Girardi should have picked Wells or Bautista and had Rios on the team.

Leaving Rios off the final vote, however, just compounds the error. And look at who Girardi left him off for: Delmon Young. Delmon Young!

Look, Young is quietly having a really nice season up in Minnesota this year. I know this because I have him on a few fantasy teams. I also know that it would take me all of about two seconds to say yes if someone offered me Alex Rios for him straight up.

Here are Young’s good ,but nowhere near great, numbers:

• Young: .295/.330/.484, .814 OPS, 9 HR, 54 RBI, 35 R, 3 SB, -2.3 UZR

Do I even need to explain why Rios is more deserving? I didn’t think so.

Finally, let’s look at one more way that Joe Girardi screwed Paulie and Rios: that time-honored tradition of All Star managers giving preferential treatment to their own players. Honestly, I really don’t have a problem with this, if it comes down to breaking a tie between two relatively even players.

However, just as with Charlie Manuel choosing Ryan Howard over Joey Votto, Joe Girardi adding Alex Rodriguez to the All Star team over Konerko, Youkilis, and even Michael Young, and Nick Swisher to the fan vote over Rios, is simply indefensible.

Here are the numbers for ARod and Swisher:

• ARod: .278/.351/.489, .840 OPS, 12 HR, 62 RBI, 43 R, 2 SB
• Swisher: .287/.370/.504, .873 OPS, 13 HR, 47 RBI, 49 R, 1 SB, -1.2 UZR

Konerko is better than ARod in everything but RBIs, and Girardi did not have to take ARod as a backup 3B because he has Adrian Beltre as a backup to starter Evan Longoria. Why not carry two backup 1B, considering the fact that Konerko is so clearly better? And if you want someone who can play third, then at least take Youkilis instead of ARod.

Oh wait, never mind, I forgot. Girardi needs to keep A Rod – the narcissistic delicate genius – happy and confident. I guess it just means screwing more deserving players in the process.

Whatever.

What really gets me steamed is the choice of Swisher. Rios is clearly having a better overall season and is virtually even with Swisher in terms of power. Yet, Girardi has effectively named Swisher to the All Star team because we know that the Yankee fan machine will vote Swisher in.

I know that none of this should really surprise me, and it doesn’t. Year after year there are deserving players not selected to the All Star team while managers play politics with the rosters. It is what it is.

I just wanted to write this post to let out my frustration, to make sure you know not to vote for Delmon Young or Nick Swisher, and to highlight yet another example of the White Sox getting screwed and being disrespected.

Paulie, Alex…you’re both All Stars in my book, and I assume in the book of most objective observers. Let’s just get to the World Series this year so that next year Ozzie can be the one screwing other teams over. The Yankees get to do that enough; they don’t need to do it with the All Star rosters too.

Update: As I mentioned above, a couple of commenters pointed out, correctly, that I am an idiot…and failed to mention that a portion of the reserves for both the AL and NL are chosen by the players. This is no defense for Charlie Manuel, who picked Ryan Howard over the clearly more deserving Joey Votto, but it does excuse Girardi from a portion of the vitriol I expressed in this post.

According to Bryan Hock of MLB.com, Girardi actually chosen seven All Star reserves, with five of them filling the requirement of one player per team. The two players he chose were ARod and CC Sabathia (who will not play and be replaced by Andy Pettitte).

The reasoning given for choosing ARod is that he is third in the AL in RBIs. Well, seeing as how Paul Konerko has eight more home runs and is slugging about .070 higher than ARod, I’m going to assume that his RBI total would be pretty close to 61 if he had table setters like ARod has in New York. Yes, it is important to be able to drive in runs, but RBI is a stat based so much on the lineup one is in that it is not a good one for comparing the relative strength of two players’ numbers.

The real reason Girardi chose ARod was because he’s his guy and he wants to keep him happy and he wants to thank him for helping Girardi win a World Series. And like I said, I’m fine with that…when it’s a tie-breaking situation. Paul Konerko and others in the AL are having much better seasons than ARod though and deserve to go this year.

So, in conclusion, I shouldn’t have jumped quite so hard on Girardi as I did, seeing as how he had less spots to play with than I’d implied, but the spirit of my feelings and argument remains.

That is, until this week, when the sports world stops to celebrate the biggest and brightest stars of our national pastime.

Certainly, the All Star Game has lost some of the luster that it had when my dad was younger.  Back in those days (at least according to the legends I’ve been told) you typically saw one or maybe a couple of games per week, and most of these nationally televised games involved the Yankees.  This was before the Internet, before the MLB Network, before Baseball Tonight, before fantasy baseball, before cable, etc.  Thus, baseball fans like my then-Yankees-obsessed dad (we’ve slowly but surely split his allegiances between the Yankees and White Sox…or so he makes us think) had far, far fewer opportunities to watch and build fan relationships with the stars of their day than we do.  Sure, he was able to watch #7 on the weekends, and probably got to see a fair amount of Willie Mays and other stars in the big markets, but the All Star Game was really the only the time when you could see all of the best players in baseball in one place on one night.  That is a major part of what made the All Star game such an incredible event.

Today, all we have to do is watch the MLB Network for a half hour at night and there’s a good chance we’ll see nearly every superstar in the game take an AB.  Seriously.  (That’s why the MLB Network is awesome!)  And while this is great, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything, there is no chance that the All Star Game could maintain it’s old school magic in the new school era.

CHICAGO - JULY 6, 1933: Babe Ruth crosses home plate as teammate Lou Gehrig waits to congratulate him during the first inaugural All-Star game at Comiskey Park. (Photo by National Baseball Hall of Fame Library/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

But with all that said, I still love watching it.  And I love looking back on the history of what is unequivocally the greatest All Star game of them all.  So for today’s post, that’s what I am doing.  At the bottom of the post, you’ll see a table that lists the results of every All Star Game since its inception in 1933. (It’s a big table, so I didn’t want to break up the text of this post by listing it here.)

The first cool bit of information I learned this morning (at least for a good guy who wears black like me) that I did not know previously: glorious Comiskey Park is actually the cradle of the Midsummer Classic, as it held the first MLB All Star Game in 1933 as part of the World’s Fair in Chicago. Notice how they didn’t have the first All Star Game in decrepit, puke-worthy Wrigley Field.  (Suck it bleacher bums.)

One of the common refrains we will hear tonight during the telecast, and that we’ve heard all week, is how the AL dominates the NL in the All Star Game.  The American League has not lost an All Star Game since the 1996 game in Philadelphia’s Veterans Stadium, going 11-0-1 in the last 12 contests.  But the AL’s reign goes back even further than that, as the Junior Circuit also won six in a row from 1988 to 1993 after a short three-game streak by the NL.  So the AL is 17-3-1 in the last 21 All Star Games.

But here’s the rub: the National League still holds the all-time advantage at 41-36-2, meaning the NL went 38-19-1 from 1933 to 1987 with the following dominant streaks of their own:

• 11 in a row (1972-1982)
• 8 in a row (1963-1970)
• 19 out of 20 (1963-1982)

For whatever reason, the last four decades of All Star Games have seen one league dominate for long periods of time. Prior to 1963, the longest winning streak by either league was four and it happened only twice: NL 1950-1953; AL 1946-1949.  Something else I did not know: from 1959-1962 there were two All Star Games played each year, a format that was attempted but obviously was quickly changed.

In summation, it will be important for self-righteous AL fans (like myself) to remember that the AL’s decade of dominance still has not erased the gargantuan lead that the NL developed during the 60s and 70s.  But if the AL can hold on and keep winning until 2013, they’ll be able to even out the all-time series.

Now that we’ve discussed the all-time records and win streaks by league in the All Star Game’s history, let’s take a look at some of the more interesting individual records and achievements in the history of the Midsummer Classic. (All stats courtesy of Baseball Almanac.)

All Star Game Individual Records: Career Hitting

• Most Career All Star Game At-Bats: Willie Mays — 75 (in 24 games)
• Highest Career All Star Game Batting Average: Derek Jeter — .474 (in 9 games)
• Most Career All Star Game Extra Base Hits: Willie Mays and Stan Musial — 8 (in 24 games for both)
• Most Career All Star Game Grand Slams: Fred Lynn — 1 (it’s the only Grand Slam in All Star Game history)
• Most Career All Star Game Hits: Willie Mays — 23 (in 24 games)
• Most Career All Star Game Home Runs: Stan Musial — 6 (in 24 games)
• Most Career All Star Game Runs: Willie Mays — 20 (in 24 games)
• Most Career All Star Game Runs Batted In: Ted Williams — 12 (in 18 games)
• Most Career All Star Game Stolen Bases: Willie Mays — 6 (in 24 games)

Sluggers Stan Musial and Ted Williams pose together before a 1950's All Star game.

All Star Game Individual Records: Single Game Hitting

• Most At Bats in a Single All Star Game: Willie Jones (NL) — 7 in 1950 (14 inning game)
• Most Doubles in a Single All Star Game: 8 players (including Paul Konerko!) tied with two
• Most Hits in a Single All Star Game: Joe Medwick (NL), Ted Williams (AL), Carl Yastrzemski (AL) tied with 4
• Most Home Runs in a Single All Star Game: 5 players (including Ted Williams) tied with two
• Most RBIs in a Single All Star Game: Al Rosen (AL) and Ted Williams (AL) tied with five
• Most Runs in a Single All Star Game: Ted Williams — 4
• Most Strikeouts in a Single All Star Game: 12 players tied with three
• Most Stolen Bases in a Single All Star Game: Four players tied with 2

So, if you’re scoring at home, Ted Williams pretty much had the greatest All Star Game ever for a hitter in 1946.  He had 4 hits, 2 home runs, scored 4 runs, drove in 5, and also set the single-game record with 10 total bases.

Another interesting note: five players have led off an All Star with a home run: Lou Boudreau, Frankie Frisch, Willie Mays, Joe Morgan, and, of course, Bo Jackson.

Now let’s turn our attention towards the hurlers.

All Star Game Individual Records: Career Pitching

• Most Career All Star Appearances: Roger Clemens — 10 (in 10 games)
• Most Career All Star Games Started: Don Drysdale, Lefty Gomez, Robin Roberts — 5
• Most Career All Star Game Hits Allowed: Whitey Ford — 19 (in 6 games)
• Most Career All Star Games Pitched in Consecutively: Ewell Blackwell and Early Wynn — 6
• Most Career All Star Game Home Runs Allowed: Vida Blue and Catfish Hunter — 4
• Most Career All Star Game Innings Pitched: Don Drysdale — 19.1 (in 8 games)
• Most Career All Star Game Strikeouts: Don Drysdale — 19 (in 8 games)
• Most Career All Star Game Wins: Lefty Gomez — 3 (in 5 games)
• Most Career All Star Game Saves: Dennis Eckersley and Mariano Rivera — 3

All Star Game Individual Records: Single Game Pitching

• Most Earned Runs Allowed in a Single All Star Game: Atlee Hammacker — 7 (1983)
• Most Earned Runs Allowed in a Single All Star Game Inning: Atlee Hammacker — 7 (3rd inning in 1983)
• Most Hits Allowed in a Single All Star Game: Tom Glavine — 9 (1992)
• Most Home Runs Allowed in a Single All Star Game: Jim Palmer — 3 (1977)
• Most Innings Pitched in a Single All Star Game: Lefty Gomez — 6 (1935)
• Most Strikeouts in a Single All Star Game: Four players tied with 6

Other Interesting All Star Game Records

• Largest All Star Game Attendance: Municipal Stadium in Cleveland — 72,086 (1981…Cleveland actually won something!)
• Smallest All Star Game Attendance: Braves Field — 25,556 (1936)
• Earliest All Star Game Date: July 6th (four times)
• Longest All Star Game: 15 innings, twice (1967 in Anaheim and 2008 in Yankee Stadium)
• Most All Star Games Managed: Casey Stengel — 10


Roberto Clemente, Willie Mays and Hank Aaron stand together for a victory portrait after the 1961 All-Star Game in San Francisco. (© Bettmann/CORBIS)

• Most All Star Game Losses by a Manager: Casey Stengel — 6
• Most All Star Game Wins by a Manager: Walt Alston — 7
• Most All Star Games Played: Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, and Stan Musial — 24
• Most All Star Games Played on Losing Team: Brooks Robinson — 15
• Most All Star Games Played on Winning Team: Hank Aaron and Willie Mays — 17
• Oldest All Star: Satchel Paige — 47 years and 7 days old
• Youngest All Star: Dwight Gooden — 19 years, 7 months, and 24 days old

So that should be pretty much everything you ever wanted to know about individual performances for a career and in a single game in All Star history.  If you want to get more granular and look at the stats for individual All Star games, follow the link to the All Star Game index at Baseball-Reference.com.  There, you can view the box score for any game.

And finally, as promised, below is the table with the all-time list of All Star Game results and year-by-year winners.

Enjoy the game tonight everyone.  (And go AL!  The White Sox are going to need home field advantage when they shock the world and make it to the World Series…)

MLB All Star Game History: All-Time List of All Star Game Winners by Year

**********

* – Babe Ruth / Lou Gehrig photo found at: Legacy.com

* – Stan Musial / Ted Williams photo credit: ioffer.com

* – Roberto Clemente / Willie Mays / Hank Aaron photo credit: Achievement.org

2009 MLB All Star Game Schedule

• All Star Game Date: Tuesday, July 14th
• All Star Game Start Time: 8:00 ET
• All Star Game TV: FOX
• All Star Game Announcers: You don’t want to know…they’ll suck

And now, the starting pitchers and lineups, courtesy of ESPN.com:

American League Starting Pitcher and Lineup:

1. RF Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle Mariners
2. SS Derek Jeter, New York Yankees
3. C Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins
4. 1B Mark Teixeira, New York Yankees
5. LF Jason Bay, Boston Red Sox
6. CF Josh Hamilton, Texas Rangers
7. 3B Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays
8. 2B Aaron Hill, Toronto Blue Jays
9. SP Roy Halladay, Toronto Blue Jays (for now)

National League Starting Pitcher and Lineup:

1. SS Hanley Ramirez, Florida Marlins
2. 2B Chase Utley, Philadelphia Phillies
3. 1B Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals
4. RF Ryan Braun, Milwaukee Brewers
5. LF Raul Ibanez, Philadelphia Phillies
6. 3B David Wright, New York Mets
7. CF Shane Victorino, Philadelphia Phillies
8. C Yadier Molina, St. Louis Cardinals
9. SP Tim Lincecum, San Francisco Giants

And here are a few of my own quick-hit predictions:

• The NL will dominate the Home Run Derby, but the AL will win the All Star game, running its record in the last 15 All Star games to 100-0-1.  I know that the math doesn’t match up exactly, but doesn’t it feel like that?
• Josh Hamilton will jack a home run in his second at-bat (once Lincecum is out) nd end up being named the MVP.  One of the tools I work with is crowing about how I have a “man crush” on Josh Hamilton…to which I reply, what baseball fan does not have a man crush on Josh Hamilton?
• If Nelson Cruz actually makes it into the game, I will throw my remote at the TV in disgust that he is there over the far more deserving Jermaine Dye.
• The announcers will not do anything to make the game more exciting.

And now, some links from around the sports blogosphere from some of my friends who do this blogging thing a hell of a lot better than me:

15 extremely painful looking PARKOUR accidents — (Hail Mary Jane)

Marisa Miller gets naked in GQ for real this time — (The World According to MoonDog)

Some comic relief: Archie and the whores — (GadJunk)

How To: Pick up a woman — (Straight Pinkie)

The Cowboys may actually have a chance this season (Romo-Jessica break up) — (Dallas Sports Fans)

A history of big white stiffs for the Mavericks — (Dallas Sports Fans)

Kobe: You ‘aint dunking on me at my camp — (You Been Blinded)

Do hitters decline after the Home Run Derby? — (Hardball Times)

The average All-Star makes less than the average Yankee — (Bugs and Cranks)

Matt Bush has seen better days (like when he wasn’t crying like a baby while being arrested) — (Josh Q. Public)

It’s on: Cliff Lee v Eric Wedge — (Waiting for Next Year)