Should Fans Vote for the MLB All-Star Game? My Opinion on a Touchy Subject

I know this article will be popular, and I don't question it.  It brings up a touchy subject.  If you don't agree, as 51 percent should not agree, please comment, and tell me about your opinion. He we go:

Should fans be allowed to vote in MLB's All-Stars?

Before we have our discussion, let’s remind everyone how this works:

·   Fan voting: Baseball fans vote on the starting position players for the All-Star Game, with ballots distributed at MLB games before midseason and, more recently, on the Internet. When the game is played at an American League park, the designated hitter for the AL team is also selected in this manner.

·   Player voting: Eight pitchers (five starters and three relievers) and one back-up player for each position are elected by the players, coaches, and managers.  If the top vote-getter at a position has also been selected via fan voting, the second-place finisher in this category is selected.

·   Manager selection: The managers of the 30 MLB teams and the co will fill the roster up to 32 players. At this point, it is ensured that every team is represented by at least one player.

·   Final Vote: After the lists of 32 players for each league is announced, fans will vote for one additional player, chosen from a list of five players provided by the manager and the Commissioner's Office.

·   Replacements: After the roster is selected, the All-Star manager and the Commissioner's Office will replace players who are injured or who decline to participate.

Now, we've got that cleared up; let's look at the arguments from both sides:

Fans Should Be Allowed to Vote

Well, first off, that's very American.  But, there is a bigger deal, perhaps the biggest downfall to not allowing fans to vote:

The managers/Bud Selig would pick the best players, not essentially the favorite players.  This would mean players at the end of their career, like Cal Ripken, Jr. in 2001, wouldn't get in, whereas this year, Derek Jeter got in, and not some one younger, like Jason Bartlett, who did get in, he's just on the bench.  Oh, and forget Kosuke Fukudome being in, let alone a starter.

So, basically, we are taking away a right of fans if we don't let them vote.

What does the other side have to say?

Fans Shouldn't be Allowed to Vote

Don't call me communist for taking away a fan's right, but I like this idea.  Mostly because us Yankees fans kind of ruin voting.  I know I voted all Yankees, except for the second and third OF spots, where I picked Ichiro and Ken Griffey, Jr.  And I know other Yankee fans that went all-Yankee.

Also, since 2003, the All-Star game really "counts" because it determines home field advantage.  If managers picked, they should be given a limit as to the number of players picked from there team, but I think that a manager selection would be much fairer.

My Vote:  No vote.  Just let the managers do it.