What's Making Me Talk: It's All-Star Time

(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Notebook Scribbles: All-Star Rosters

A special section of Notebook Scribbles dedicated to everything about the 2009 MLB All-Star Rosters.

Let's start in the AL with the starters, where I can't really disagree with anyone making the team there with the exception of Josh Hamilton. Hamilton doesn't even deserve to make the roster this year. He's definitely the star power fans want to see, but his numbers aren't on par.

His inclusion forced Torii Hunter to be a reserve, which took a way a spot for someone else as a reserve. The two leading candidates? I'd go with Adam Lind and Shin-Soo Choo. Lind is on the final vote ballot, but Choo isn't.

Speaking of the final vote, it's hard to argue with Chone Figgins being left off at third base in favor of Michael Young. Figgins still has a chance, but Young is such a pro for moving to third and doing it very well.

While Dustin Pedroia is the reigning MVP, I could understand the argument to leave him off. He was voted in, so it's a moot point, but I could take both Ian Kinsler and Robinson Cano over him. Aaron Hill is a given, he's the best second baseman in the AL so far this year.

First base definitely always needs to have at least two reserves. Even though it's the simplest position on the infield, it always has the big stat players. The National League is crazy, but the American has its own log-jam. Miguel Cabrera leads all first baseman in average, Paul Konerko has 50 RBI, and Carlos Pena leads the majors in home runs. None of them made the team.

It's always easy to say, "Oh, such and such should be an All-Star," but it's not easy to say who they should be an All-Star over. I said it with Choo, I could say it with both Nick Markakis and Bobby Abreu, but who would I replace?

How about Tim Wakefield making his first All-Star game? Congratulations to him. If he didn't make it this year, he wasn't meant to make it at all, even if it's at the expense of Cliff Lee, who's having a better year ERA-wise.

Joe Maddon is just the type of manager that would select someone like Andrew Bailey. Another manager might have taken Kurt Suzuki to represent the Athletics and just take another closer instead of Bailey. Maddon took the best Athletic, even if he was just a middle relief pitcher most of the year.

Moving over to the National League, where two of the outfielders selected to start are both on the disabled list. What’s the difference between Josh Hamilton and NL outfielders Raul Ibanez and Carlos Beltran? Ibanez and Beltran haven't missed as much time and despite their missed time, they've put up outstanding numbers.

Seven first time All-Stars are on the NL pitching staff. A lot of new faces for the senior circuit.

Can you disagree with the four first baseman that are on the National League squad? I sort of can as I would have selected Pablo Sandoval over Ryan Howard, but I see why Charlie Manuel did what he did. It will be a major cramp on the versatility of the team, but I don't think Manuel is worried about that. Remember, National League rules, so pinch-hitting for the pitcher might come up more than once. Just hope it doesn't go extras.

Every year the NL shortstop position seemed to have a log-jam. This year, not so much due to injuries and down performances. That opened up the door for Miguel Tejada, who's having a good year on top of it all.

The log-jam this year, aside from first base of course, shifted from short over to third. Sandoval and Mark Reynolds both have strong cases. Of course Ryan Zimmerman was the lone representative from Washington, so someone is going to get left out. Both won't win the final vote.

You might notice that there is one extra pitcher on the rosters this year. That’s because after last year, added with the fact that this game now counts, the MLB allowed managers to add one more pitcher. They also made it very vague as to the criteria. Buster Olney ponders the possibilities, but it looks like in the end, the managers just picked a starter that deserved the honor.

Well I guess there's nothing more left to say other than to watch out for my own All-Star Rosters and my annual MLB Non-Stars. That and vote for the Kung Fu Panda in the Final Vote, of course.

These Are My Links, You Shall Click Them

The links were almost in danger after a virus hit my computer. I was able to recover my bookmarks though and everything is fine for now. I still can't use my laptop, but all the important stuff, especially the links, is safe.

Anyone that gets Sports Illustrated will no doubt see the players poll about the manager that players least want to play for. It was a big deal in Cleveland because Eric Wedge was in the top four with three World Series winning managers.

Ozzie Guillen had the best response to the poll though. He wasn't as vocal as Guillen, but Wedge isn't sweating it, and he shouldn't. I mean, Guillen knows what he's talking about, considering the managers on that list, minus Wedge, have all had success.

I also enjoyed the reaction Jack Wilson had to the latest trade the Pirates have made. I'll talk about Nyjer Morgan being dealt to Washington later, but Jack Wilson was very vocal about not just that trade, but all the others the Pirates have made.

I'm with Wilson in his anger, but you can tell the Pirates have no faith in the current team winning much. Sure they may have a shot to finish over .500 if they keep a Nyjer Morgan, but this team's regime is aiming for the future. They won't sit around when they can better that future.

A "steroid list" hit the Web this past week. It was a bunch of garbage. Deadspin did a great job busting the list with specifics that were off-base, but if you read through the list, all of those players are well known. I expect a list like this one to have a lot more lesser-knowns and struggling players on it for it to be legit.

I'm not going to say the name of the site that leaked this "steroid list" because they don't need the extra publicity that this fake list was intended to gain. Not that the 99 reads this column gets is any extra as far as publicity goes.

Grant Balfour and Ryan Rowland-Smith have had an impact on the MLB and no-doubt with their success; we'll start seeing more Australians pop up in the game. Especially now with the MLB helping to back a professional league that will be starting in Australia.

Someone couldn't handle Scott Boras anymore, so they did the mature thing and took it out on his Land Rover. That may sound sarcastic, but it isn't, taking anger out on Scott Boras' Land Rover is the mature thing to do.

It sucks to see the Moneyball movie die like it did. I was really looking forward to seeing how it was done. Who cares if it was too much like a documentary, I want to see the real thing, not a Hollywood version of it.

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