Joey Votto, Justin Verlander, And A Defense Of The All-Star Game

Joey Votto and Justin Verlander squared off on Tuesday night, and it reminded us why the All-Star Game can be interesting for a few seconds, at least.

All-Star Game Ratings Imminent, Irrelevant

The Nielsen ratings for the 2012 All-Star Game should be underwhelming. Here's a reminder why that (still) doesn't matter.

SI: All-Star Game Myths And Truths

We've reached the 2012 MLB All-Star Game, and there's always a lot of cynicism and snark around this event. About how it's a glorified exhibition with imperfect rosters that counts for something real and meaningful even though it absolutely shouldn't. Just because it's probably the best of the major All-Star events doesn't mean it isn't a flawed All-Star event. And so on. You know about all this, because you are a well-informed fan of sports.

In a column over at Sports Illustrated, Tom Verducci tackles these and some other matters as he identifies myths and shares truths related to the Midsummer Classic. It's titled "Myth vs. truth for the Midsummer Classic." In case you didn't believe me. Select excerpts, or as I like to call them, selexcerpts:

Myth: Bud Selig put World Series homefield advantage on the line at the All-Star Game to recover from the embarrassment of a tie game in Milwaukee at the 2002 All-Star Game.

Truth: In September 2000, Fox secured exclusive rights to MLB's All-Star Game, LCS and World Series for the next six years -- and almost immediately expressed concern about the two-year decline in ratings for the All-Star Game. Fox began kicking around the idea of World Series homefield advantage with MLB officials well before the 2002 All-Star Game.

Myth: The World Series hook has done nothing for the ratings.

Truth: The ratings would be even worse without it and, more certainly, the game would be worse. Before 2003, you could have shot a cannon in the dugout after the sixth inning and not have hurt anybody -- that's how many players left the premises as soon as they came out of the game and high-tailed it to their private jets. It wasn't unusual for All-Stars to watch the end of the All-Star Game at home.

You may continue reading for even more, including an eye-opening section about All-Star Game ratings versus Pro Bowl ratings. You have my permission. You didn't need to ask, but I do appreciate the courtesy.

New York Times: Meet Your Hosts, The Royals

When the All-Star Game rolls through town, it comes with a lot of attention. And with the ASG in Kansas City, that means a lot of attention is going to be paid to the Royals. Based on my research, though, it appears the Royals have not been one of the more successful teams over the last two decades. This will get some scrutiny.

If you want to laugh about it, go read Jon Bois's account of being a Royals fan. If you want to get mad about it, go read Rany Jazayerli's breakdown of the 2012 season. But if you want to learn and study, the Grey Lady has an in-depth feature on the rich history of the Kansas City Royals:

"Once school was out, from 1977 to 1989 or 1990, every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night was sold out, didn’t matter who we were playing," said Brett, whose entire 21-year Hall of Fame career was spent in Kansas City and who remains with the Royals as the vice president for baseball operations. "It became a destination for people from Nebraska, Kansas, from miles and miles away. They would go to amusement parks, take a little family vacation. We had turf for that reason. You’d get torrential downpours, but it could stop at 7, and we’d be playing by 8."

When I was growing up, the Royals were a model franchise. They were the goal, the team you couldn't help but envy. Other teams have cycled between relevance and despair, like the Marlins or Indians, but the Royals ... not so much. There are a lot reasons for that, and the Times does a pretty good job hitting on most of them.

The Most Surprising All-Star Of Them All

Fernando Rodney is an All-Star in 2012. And not because he's representing a terrible team -- because he actually deserves it.

Heads And Tales: The Inside Scoop On Adrian Beltre's Greatest Fear

Adrian Beltre notoriously hates it when people touch his head. How come? SB Nation's Amy K. Nelson investigates.

All-Star Game History: 6 Bizarre Starting Pitchers

Think it's odd that Matt Cain is starting over R.A. Dickey in the 2012 All-Star Game? Here are six bizarre choices to start All-Star Games in years past.

All-Star Game 2012: National League Starting Lineup

Where earlier we provided for you the American League starting lineup for the 2012 MLB All-Star Game, now we provide for you the National League starting lineup, because it wouldn't make sense to have one without the other. This NL lineup was built by the voters and arranged by Tony La Russa, who isn't even a manager anymore! I mean, he still manages things on a daily basis, like when he gets up and what he eats, but he doesn't manage baseball. I'm surprised he even remembers how to make a lineup, but maybe he had help. After all, where there are All-Star Game managers, there are All-Star Game bench and base coaches. I bet La Russa had one of them other guys make this.

Carlos Gonzalez, DH
Melky Cabrera, CF
Ryan Braun, LF
Joey Votto, 1B
Carlos Beltran, RF
Buster Posey, C
Pablo Sandoval, 3B
Dan Uggla, 2B
Rafael Furcal, SS

Matt Cain, SP

There is just no let-up in that lineup. If this team existed during the regular season it would probably be the best team, especially since it would take a lot of the other teams' best players. That wouldn't be fair! Especially to the Giants. The Giants would be terrible.

All-Star Game 2012: American League Starting Lineup

It's the day before the 2012 MLB All-Star Game, meaning it's the day we find out all about the respective leagues' starting lineups. I don't think I need to tell you that what follows is absolutely inconsequential, completely insignificant, and if you take issue with anything in here and try to argue about it you are doing it wrong. You are doing sports wrong. This is an All-Star Game. This is a starting lineup for an All-Star Game. This is as newsworthy as somebody's status update that gosh it sure is great to see the family after so many weeks, what a wonderful Saturday on the back patio! Here is the American League starting lineup, as built by the voters and as arranged by Ron Washington.

Derek Jeter, SS
Robinson Cano, 2B
Josh Hamilton, LF
Jose Bautista, RF
Prince Fielder, 1B
Adrian Beltre, 3B
David Ortiz, DH
Mike Napoli, C
Curtis Granderson, CF

Justin Verlander, SP

Boy, what an outstanding starting lineup that is, with Curtis Granderson batting all the way down in ninth. It's almost as if this is a starting lineup of All-Stars.

La Russa Chooses Matt Cain As NL All-Star Starter

It's been a leaky Monday morning in Kansas City.

First, we learned -- hours before the official announcements were due -- that Justin Verlander's going to start for the American League in the All-Star Game. Now comes the National League news: according to sources, Matt Cain's going to start for the National League.

The early reaction has been ... well, this Tweet from John Harper gets at it pretty well:

LaRussa can explain this any way he wants, but Dickey should be starting. Best pitcher this season and best story.

Dickey's 12-1 and Cain's 9-3, but otherwise their numbers are practically indistinguishable. Same strikeouts, same walks, same innings, same earned-run averages. Cain's home ballpark is probably slightly tougher on hitters than Dickey's, and all things considered Dickey's probably pitched slightly better than Cain.

But there's something to be said for history, isn't there? Matt Cain was also an All-Star last year, and finished eighth in the National League's Cy Young balloting.

Dickey's story is certainly better than Cain's. But this is probably the last game Tony La Russa will ever manage. He probably cares a lot less about stories than about winning. He probably thinks Cain pitching two innings gives him the best chance to win. And it's not obvious that he's wrong.

Justin Verlander Starting For AL In 2012 All-Star Game

Justin Verlander won the AL Cy Young Award as well as the MVP in 2011, and is once again among the league's leaders in a variety of pitching categories.

For that, he’ll be rewarded with an All-Star start. Jon Morosi:

American League manager Ron Washington has chosen Verlander as his starting pitcher for the 83rd All-Star Game, a major league source told FOXSports.com. The assignment will become official at a Monday news conference.

Verlander, 29, likely would have been the AL starter last season, but he was ineligible to pitch because he started for the Detroit Tigers on the final Sunday before the All-Star break.

Verlander hasn’t pitched since a complete-game win over the Twins on July 4, so he’ll have the perfect amount of rest before taking on National League hitters at Kauffman Stadium on Tuesday. Verlander's got a 1.83 ERA in 13 career starts in Kansas City.

Stay with this StoryStream™ for more All-Star Game updates.

C.J. Wilson Withdraws From 2012 All-Star Game Due To Blister

The American League roster has suffered another loss. Angels pitcher C.J. Wilson has pulled out of the 2012 All-Star Game.

Bryce Harper Joins N.L. All-Star Squad

Michael Bourn Replaces Ian Desmond On NL All-Star Team

There's been a roster swap for Tuesday's All-Star Game.

Matt Holliday Replacing Yadier Molina On All-Star Roster

Cardinal in, Cardinal out. On Friday, St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina was placed on the bereavement list, which put him out for at least the next three games. But seeing as those three games lead right into the All-Star break, Molina has elected to skip the game altogether, and skipper Tony La Russa has named outfielder Matt Holliday as Molina's replacement.

Holliday is having a typically fantastic season, hitting .318/.397/.526 on the year with 14 home runs. He's been unspeakably hot since the start of June, though, hitting .385/.457/.606.

While Holliday is certainly a worthy selection, there might be some quibbles with the strategy part of La Russa's pick. The loss of Molina leaves Buster Posey and Carlos Ruiz as the only two catchers on the NL roster, and it's been something of a boom year for catchers, as A.J. Ellis and Miguel Montero are both having fantastic seasons worthy of consideration.

But La Russa chose a player from the same team as the player who is giving up a spot. That makes sense from a fan perspective, even if you know that more than a few people are going to dwell on a) exactly which team that happens to be and b) the manager's relation to said team.

Chipper Jones Replaces Matt Kemp On NL All-Star Team

The Braves' about-to-retire third baseman will be making his ninth All-Star appearance, and first-ever appearance at Kauffman Stadium.

An All-Star From Every Team Is Still A Good Idea

Johnny Cueto has allowed 27 earned runs in 107 innings. Huston Street has thrown 21 innings. Only one of them will be in the 2012 All-Star Game. But don't (completely) blame the one-player-per-team rule.

Miklasz: Baker's Obsession Honors La Russa

The world found out about the 2012 MLB All-Star Game rosters on Sunday, and as always happens following those announcements, fans took to identifying worthy snubs. But it wasn't only the fans who had some bones to pick with the selections -- Reds manager Dusty Baker didn't understand why Tony La Russa left off both Johnny Cueto and Brandon Phillips. Cueto has a 2.26 ERA! Phillips has ... numbers that are all right! How dare that old man!

There have been explanations offered for La Russa's decisions, including those offered by La Russa himself. Some have sounded more reasonable than others. Over at StLToday, Bernie Miklasz chooses to have some fun with the whole story. I wonder if Miklasz has gotten any feedback for this piece. I wonder if any people have opinions about it.

Baker blamed La Russa for the exclusion, accusing TLR of carrying a grudge from the famous Cardinals-Reds brawl in 2010.

The power of Don Tony lives on.

Even after he's gone, and out of the way as a threat in the NL Central, the Reds are obsessed with La Russa. They're still taking him on.

La Russa still lives in Baker's head, still exists in the Reds' collective consciousness. La Russa is the ghost in the big red machine. The Reds lead the NL Central, and La Russa is a civilian. But TLR has changed the rules of engagement, and he's clearly winning the psychological battle with Baker.

I don't know which I enjoy more -- the thought of two old men fighting physically with one another, or the thought of two old men fighting with mind games with one another. Perhaps this reflects poorly on Baker. Or perhaps this is more like Baker's comfort zone, where he can act like a rival of La Russa again after months upon months of feeling lost and alone.

Nobody's going to care about the All-Star Game, but at least it's providing us all with some entertainment in the lead-up.

MLB: Leave Tony Alone!

There's an All-Star brouhaha article at stltoday.com that details the Johnny Cueto/Tony La Russa flap, and it's filled with interesting quotes and tidbits. But apropos of nothing, this one's my favorite:

"I know the rule," said La Russa, tersely.

I don't care what the context is! If that quote is in the article, it's an interesting article. If you must know, though, the quote is regarding a new provision of the collective-bargaining agreement that specifically deals with pitchers who make a start the Sunday before the All-Star Game. La Russa said that Cueto's schedule was a factor, even though technically it shouldn't be.

MLB responded:

(MLB senior V.P. Katy) Feeney said that pitching on Sunday "maybe was the final consideration," for a pitcher not to be included on the club. "That’s just one of the reasons," Feeney said.

"We had to get people from all the teams represented and at a certain point you just run out of room. Every team has somebody left off, no matter how you do it," Feeney said.

Also included in the article: nasty quotes from Cueto's agent. I don't have a horse in this race, and I sympathize with just about everyone involved. But I hope you don't mind if I get some popcorn and watch this all unfold with rapt fascination. Fight! Fight! Fight!

The Amazing Pitching Snubs Of The NL All-Star Team

There isn't just one starting pitcher with a 2.26 ERA who was snubbed -- there were two of them. Here's a look at five pitchers who somehow didn't make the National League All-Star team.

This La Russa / Greinke Thing Just Gets Worse And Worse

Man, the more I read about this Zack Greinke thing, the more annoyed I get.

Sunday, I read these two things where Tony La Russa explained why he didn't choose Johnny Cueto or Zack Greinke for his National Leage All-Star roster ...

"If Dusty had been more interested in Cueto being on the team, then he wouldn’t be pitching him on Sunday. Cueto probably would be on the team if he wasn’t pitching Sunday."

and

La Russa attributed the absence of Greinke and Reds starter Johnny Cueto to the abundance of quality arms in the NL.

"That’s exactly right, those are the two guys [who were close], and there are others that you could point out," LaRussa said. "There was something to consider: both Greinke and Cueto are pitching Sunday. When you’re splitting some pretty fine hairs, that worked against them."

Seems pretty straight-forward, right? If you're going to start a game on the Sunday before the All-Star Game, the manager's not going to choose you for the All-Star Game. So if you want to be chosen for the All-Star Game, figure out a way to not pitch on Sunday.

Sorry, guys!

Well, that's fine when it comes to Cueto. But it never seemed fine regarding Greinke, and now it really doesn't seem fine. Look at this series of tweets from Buster Olney:

In fact, the Brewers arranged Greinke's schedule so that he'll pitch this Saturday -- not Sunday -- and be in position to pitch ASG in K.C.

— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) July 2, 2012

Recently, the Brewers asked Greinke what he preferred, and he asked to be put in position to have a chance to pitch in the All-Star Game.

— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) July 2, 2012

Greinke's pitching tonight, and then Saturday, leaving him in perfect position to be asked to pitch in the All-Star Game. It didn't happen.

— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) July 2, 2012

And finally, the coop-duh-grace delivered by John Fay, who cites a specific rule in the Collective Bargaining Agreement that prohibits a pitcher from being left off an All-Star roster because he's scheduled to pitch on the Sunday before the All-Star Game. The rule (via Fay):

(ii) Sunday Pitcher Rule. Any starting pitcher elected or selected to the All-Star team who makes a start on the Sunday immediately preceding the All-Star Game ("Sunday Pitcher") shall have the option to participate or not participate in the All-Star Game. If such starting pitcher elects to participate in the All-Star Game, he will not be permitted to pitch for more than one inning, and he may also inform his manager that he should be removed from the game if he reaches a certain pitch count (irrespective of whether he has completed one inning), provided such pitch count is reasonable. If a Sunday Pitcher who was originally named to the team elects not to participate in the All-Star Game, he will be replaced on the roster but treated in the same manner as other All-Stars who are excused from participation, and he will be encouraged to attend and be announced at the All-Star Game.

Well, maybe that's not quite the coop-duh-grace that Fay thinks he sees. According to Fay, "No pitcher is supposed to be passed over because he’s starting on Sunday."

But that's not what the rule says. The rule doesn't seem to prohibit a Sunday pitcher from being passed over; rather, it simply says what must happen if a Sunday pitcher is an All-Star. Unless I'm missing something.

So maybe La Russa didn't break a rule. Except the Rule of Logic, which dictates that Zack Greinke has been one of the National League's best pitchers this season, and is one of the National League's best pitchers, and thus belongs on the National League's All-Star team.

I always root against the National League anyway, because that's how I grew up. But this time around, I'll root against La Russa's team with a bit more relish than usual. Unless Greinke winds up on the team. Which he might, somehow.

MLB All-Star Game Final Vote: Chipper Jones vs. Bryce Harper

The fans get to vote for the final All-Star spot, and they'll get to choose between the past or the future

Don't Blame La Russa For Reds Being "Snubbed"

I don't know, maybe it's sort of a shame that on the day when 68 players are named as All-Stars, we fixate on the dozen or so who were snubbed. Or might have been snubbed, if you look at the numbers hard enough (or don't look at them at all).

But hey, it's not just us. Dusty Baker and at least one of his players are complaining, too. Here's Rick Hummel, in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

In San Francisco, Baker, upset that Cincinnati second baseman Brandon Phillips and starter Johnny Cueto, weren’t named to the club, told the Cincinnati Enquirer, "A snub like that looks bad. Johnny and Brandon were at the center of the (2010) skirmish between us and the Cardinals. Some of the Cardinals who aren’t there anymore are making some of the selections."

--snip--

"I don’t know if they base their selection on the brawl," Cueto told Cincinnati reporters. "That’s not the way it should be. . . They should pick and choose players by their numbers."

Well, no. They should actually pick and choose players by how good they actually are. So yes, numbers. But not just the numbers in the first half of the season. That's how you wind up with Jack Armstrong starting an All-Star Game.

Does Cueto have a case as one of the best starters in the National League this season? Sure. So do a dozen other guys (not including Cliff Lee, who bizarrely hasn't won a single game all season). Is there a good reason to keep Johnny Cueto off the All-Star team?

Performance-wise, no. He doesn't walk guys, and he doesn't give up homers despite pitching half his games in homer-happy Great American Ballpark. His 2.29 ERA over these last two seasons is something of a fluke, but he's really good.

There's another problem.

An angry La Russa said the non-selection of Cueto was due to the fact that Cueto, who is 9-4, is slated to pitch next Sunday for the Reds and would be unavailable to pitch in an All-Star game two days later.

La Russa said, "If Dusty had been more interested in Cueto being on the team, then he wouldn’t be pitching him on Sunday. Cueto probably would be on the team if he wasn’t pitching Sunday.

"The comments Dusty made clearly disappoint me and are attacking my integrity. The All-Star experience is too important to let anything stand in the way of a decision like that .

"No way am I going to penalize anybody for any kind of past history. The fact is that Cueto is going to be pitching on Sunday. Some other day, he’s probably on the team."

Is this at all unreasonable? La Russa makes a good point: If teams want their starting pitchers on All-Star teams, they can rejigger their rotations -- which, considering days off, is not terribly difficult -- a few weeks before the All-Star Game.

Phillips is a different sort of situation. He doesn't have a great case at all. Dan Uggla's been real good, and got the fans' nod. Jose Altuve's been good, and got La Russa's (or perhaps the players') nod. There's no need to take two second basemen, and while Phillips has been roughly as good as those other guys, so has Aaron Hill.

But all of this is just begging the question. Yes, Baker and Cueto are whining without much reason. No, La Russa's not showing any obvious bias against the Reds; in fact, he selected Jay Bruce for the squad and didn't choose any Cardinals at all.

The real question, though, is about Zack Greinke.

So far, he's had two chances to make it.

The players could have made Greinke an All-Star. They didn't, in part because they did most of their voting before Lance Lynn's recent struggles, and in part (I'm guessing) because he's an odd duck and baseball players don't much care for odd ducks.

Tony La Russa could have made Greinke an All-Star. Unlike Cueto, Greinke is not slated to start next Sunday; he's starting on Saturday, which would give him two days to rest before perhaps pitching one inning Tuesday night in the All-Star Game.

La Russa chose Cole Hamels instead of Greinke. La Russa chose Clayton Kershaw instead of Greinke. La Russa chose Wade Miley instead of Greinke. Wade Miley.

Zack Greinke has pitched better than all three of those guys this season. He's got a better record and a lower ERA than Hamels. He's got a better record and a lower ERA than Miley. He's got a better record than Kershaw, and roughly the same ERA.

Oh, but wait! Here's a quote from La Russa, explaining why he spurned Cueto and Greinke:

La Russa attributed the absence of Greinke and Reds starter Johnny Cueto to the abundance of quality arms in the NL.

"That’s exactly right, those are the two guys [who were close], and there are others that you could point out," LaRussa said. "There was something to consider: both Greinke and Cueto are pitching Sunday. When you’re splitting some pretty fine hairs, that worked against them."

(source)

Except according to the scheduled starters listed here, Greinke is not pitching Sunday. La Russa doesn't make these decisions in a vacuum; the managers supposedly get a lot of "help" from Major League Baseball. Does it really seem likely they'd get that flat wrong?

However it happened, there is simply no logical rationale, or anyway none that I can find, for leaving Zack Greinke off the All-Star team. None.

Of course, the way these things work, there's a pretty good chance he won't be left off. There's a pretty good chance that one of the other starting pitchers will pull out, and Greinke will be the obvious choice to fill in, assuming of course that he's interested.

Schoenfield: All-Star Game Rosters Predictably Imperfect

The American League and National League rosters for the 2012 MLB All-Star Game were only just announced on Sunday, but already David Schoenfield has drafted a response at ESPN's SweetSpot. Did you know that the All-Star Game rosters are imperfect? That sometimes deserving players get shafted while undeserving players earn spots or even starting roles? Why didn't anybody warn me about this before! Anyhow, excerpts:

Worst National League fan selection: Pablo Sandoval, Giants. I chided Rangers fans last week for stuffing the ballot box, but clearly I underestimated Giants fans. David Wright has arguably been the most valuable player in the National League in the first half, hitting .355/.449/.564 while carrying a Mets offense racked by injuries. Sandoval overcome a 400,000-vote deficit over the final week to pass Wright even though he's only played 44 games.

And:

Weirdest selection: Huston, Street, Padres. Street has pitched well (1.35 ERA) but has pitched only 20 innings. Third baseman Chase Headley would have been the Padres' obvious rep, but Sandoval getting voted in as a starter meant Wright had to get the nod as the backup third baseman.

And there's more, of course. Click through for the rest. I don't really know what to say about the Sandoval selection. On the one hand, Giants fans were clearly stuffing the boxes, but isn't that precisely what's encouraged? Doesn't MLB want fans to vote as much as possible? Additionally, while Wright has been better than Sandoval over 2012's first half, Sandoval was better than Wright over 2011's second half, and doesn't that matter? Should that matter? Hell, I don't know, none of this matters. Except for the game. That matters, for the World Series. This is still not a joke!

Full American League All-Star Game Roster Set

There was a whole hell of a lot of voting this year for the 2012 MLB All-Star Game starters, but the rest of the rosters are not left up to the fans, thankfully or not thankfully. Beyond the starters, the American League roster was filled out by Ron Washington, MLB, players, managers, and coaches. Here is a list of the available AL pitchers and reserves:

C: Matt Wieters
C: Joe Mauer
1B: Paul Konerko
2B: Ian Kinsler
SS: Elvis Andrus
SS: Asdrubal Cabrera
3B: Miguel Cabrera
OF: Adam Jones
OF: Mike Trout
OF: Mark Trumbo
DH: Adam Dunn
DH: Billy Butler

P: David Price
P: CC Sabathia (unavailable -- replaced by C.J. Wilson)
P: Chris Sale
P: Justin Verlander
P: Felix Hernandez
P: Jered Weaver
P: Jim Johnson
P: Chris Perez
P: Fernando Rodney
P: Ryan Cook
P: Matt Harrison
P: Joe Nathan

Plenty of good players in the American League will not represent the American League in the All-Star Game. That's how it is, and that's how it always has been. Some of them might even be better or more deserving than some of the players above! Oh no! The Final Vote will come down to a choice between Yu Darvish, Jonathan Broxton, Ernesto Frieri, Jason Hammel, and Jake Peavy. So, Darvish. It'll be Darvish. I don't even know why they're asking. Paul Konerko was the winner of the AL Final Vote a year ago. As a fan, you can place your vote somewhere.

Full National League All-Star Game Roster Set

We already know who's going to be starting in the 2012 MLB All-Star Game, but of course the game is about more than its starters. You could say that part of the game's charm is how players are constantly being shuffled in and out. You could also say the opposite of that, but you could say that, and some people would agree with you.

The full National League roster has been set by Tony La Russa, MLB, players, managers, and coaches. Here are the available pitchers and reserves:

C: Yadier Molina
C: Carlos Ruiz
1B: Bryan LaHair
2B: Jose Altuve
SS: Starlin Castro
SS: Ian Desmond
3B: David Wright
OF: Ryan Braun
OF: Jay Bruce
OF: Andrew McCutchen
OF: Carlos Gonzalez
OF: Giancarlo Stanton

P: Matt Cain
P: R.A. Dickey
P: Lance Lynn
P: Gio Gonzalez
P: Stephen Strasburg
P: Aroldis Chapman
P: Joel Hanrahan
P: Craig Kimbrel
P: Cole Hamels
P: Jonathan Papelbon
P: Clayton Kershaw
P: Huston Street
P: Wade Miley

The final vote -- or Final Vote, as it were -- comes down to a choice between Bryce Harper, Chipper Jones, Aaron Hill, Michael Bourn, and David Freese. Hill and Bourn just stand such wonderful chances.

2012 MLB All-Star Game Starters Announced

You care about the 2012 MLB All-Star Game. Here are players who will be playing in it!