Tigers are the best team in baseball, so they should have a ton of AL All Stars this year. Especially since this year means something. Winning Conference gets homefield advantage.First off, Leyland will coach it.I think Pudge will make it as catcher, Shelton as Firstbaseman or DH, Maybe Brandon Inge at 3B, Magglio Ordonez and Rookie Curtis Granderson in the outfield, maybe Bonderman as Starter, and Justin Verlander as a relief pitcher. I might be asking for a lot, but it's the first place team. Is 7 players and one coach asking too much? New York and I think St. Louis had eight players last year. LaRussa even coached last year.
Well, LaRussa was the head manager last year because his team won the NL pennant. That's how the head manager is selected. So no, Leyland will not be the head manager. He could possibly be an assistant, it depends on whom the head manager selects. Guillen picking Leyland to work with? I couldn't see it...You gotta realize that this is a voting thing. Yeah, ok, New York had 8 or so players last year, but they basically do every year. New York is a city with a lot of people, and a lot of those people are passionate about their team. With that said, you can take out two AL starting positions, 3B and SS. Furthermore, the head manager selects the backups, so you can bet that there will be quite a few of them wearing White Sox ballcaps.Pudge might not play, since he had a hand injury the other day. He's day to day though, so who knows. If he is injury free he will be in it. There is no DH selected, because the game is in Pittsburgh. I'm sorry to say that I really don't think many others will make it. The outfield is packed (Ichiro, Manny, Damon, Guerrero, etc.), and the closest anyone is to first aside from Pudge is Polanco, who was 440,000 votes behind Cano as of this week. Do they deserve a lot of players? Yes. Will there be many in the game? Probably not. I imagine they will have about 3 players in the game. Pudge, Kenny Rogers possibly, maybe one other.
For me these are the realistic guys that I think will make it:1. Kenny Rogers. He has been great all year, and he has 10 wins this year with a great ERA, and he plays great defense.2. Fernando Rodney. He has been a little shaky for a week, but he still is one of the best relievers in the game, and Jim Leyland is quoted as saying that as a two weeks ago Fernando Rodney is the only Toger worthy of an All Star apperance.3. Ivan Rodriguez. Easily the best catcher in the AL that isn't Jason Varitek. He will make the team by default.4. Justin Verlander. Possible ROY in the AL, and has 9 wins, which is a Tigers Rookie record before the All Star break.5. Magglio Ordonez. 50+ RBI's and some great outfield defense. He is one of the better outfielders in the American League.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (pistonz4life @ Jun 26 2006, 06:30 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>You guys are asking for too much. Maybe Kenny and Pudge but that's it. Have you seen the votes?</div>Yea, we're only getting two all stars this year - you guys are asking for like the whole team - and the only reason Pudge will make it is because of his name - that plays a huge factor in his selection.
I think Rogers, Shelton, and Rodney make it. Shelton will be on the bench and Rogers wont start. So everyone will be a backup. The Yankees will have a bunch of starters that dont deserve it cuz a bunch of people in New York vote for the players on their team even if they dont deserve it.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (wade2shaq93 @ Jun 27 2006, 02:03 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I think Rogers, Shelton, and Rodney make it. Shelton will be on the bench and Rogers wont start. So everyone will be a backup. The Yankees will have a bunch of starters that dont deserve it cuz a bunch of people in New York vote for the players on their team even if they dont deserve it.</div>Shelton isn't even in the top 5 for first baseman in the AL. I would like to see him there but it's not happening.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>3. Ivan Rodriguez. Easily the best catcher in the AL that isn't Jason Varitek. He will make the team by default.</div>There's this guy called Joe Mauer who's hitting .390, plays great defense, and is a good leader. So yeah, you take Pudge ahead of him. Uh huh. Right.Have some of you ever, you know, watched the All-Star Game? You guys are asking for WAY too much, I think. Yeah, the Tigers are good, but they're a team with a bunch of good players and not too many stars. Stars make the game. I think Rogers and Verlander will probably make it, maybe Pudge, and possibly one or two others - and maybe a reliever (I don't know their bullpen that well). The Yanks and Sox will dominate the starters as usual and still have a few bench players. For us Rangers, I'm hoping we can get 2 or 3. Young's one of the best SS's in the game and Teixeira is a great 1B offensively and defensively although he's just getting his power this year. Blalock's been doing pretty good, but Gary Matthews Jr really deserves it this year. I'm not going to hope for all of them, of course, and although our pitching's better I don't think it warrants an All-Star.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Justice @ Jun 24 2006, 06:33 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Probably not. I imagine they will have about 3 players in the game. Pudge, Kenny Rogers possibly, maybe one other.</div>Called it. Verlander is up to get the last spot, but I doubt he will get it over Liriano or Pierzynski. He might, though.Here's the roster if anyone is interested.Bam, link.
I don't know how AJ got into the all-star game. Any of the other guys should have gotten it over him.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Mr Wolf @ Jul 6 2006, 08:37 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I don't know how AJ got into the all-star game. Any of the other guys should have gotten it over him.</div>They promoted him in Chicago by saying you could punch him for the all-star game... it's really just ballot-stuffing, basically. He's not that great.
I think Verlander should have gotten in with the add on vote. Leriano is a beast but Verlander has a better ERA and more wins.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Pistonfan11 @ Jul 6 2006, 11:20 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I think Verlander should have gotten in with the add on vote. Leriano is a beast but Verlander has a better ERA and more wins.</div>Um, Verlander's ERA is over a point higher (Verlander - 3.01, Liriano - 1.99), and Liriano has a better winning percentage (1 fewer win, but 3 fewer losses). But they should both be in the all-star game.
Liriano hasn't played as much as Verlander, though.But really, Pierzynski? Verlander AND Liriano deserved it more than him. (Although Liriano at least should be in 9 or 10 more of them. Verlander's going to be the next Mark Prior and injure his arm by pitching too much this season. )
ERA factors in innings pitched, you know. If you're suggesting that the duration wore him down, that's Leyland's fault or Verlander's, not Liriano's. And let's not forget, Liriano plays on a worse team and Comerica Park is a pitchers' park.Edit: MARK REDMAN Edit2: Also, I had to mention that I was right about there being a lot of White Sox in the game: 7. Quite a few of them deserved it, though.
I know that ERA is earned runs per nine innings. What I was saying is that a lot of pitchers begin seasons on hot streaks like Liriano's because they're just playing really well or the hitters haven't figured them out. I think his ERA is going to settle somewhere around 2.50 or higher. He's still a damn good pitcher, but I think he's going to have a slight dropoff just because he's a rookie and he's going to have his bumps - and because he's only had, what, 11 starts? I'm saying that this season I'm not sure who's the better pitcher between the two, although I'd lean with Liriano right now.Redman's only in because he had to be a rep for his team. It's a stupid rule.
No one has mentioned Hafner yet. He was in that final voting too. I mean that should be the easiest thing to compare hitter to hitter: Hafner>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>PierzynskiAnyways, the whole all-star game is becoming a joke.
