The Time to Vote is NOW

Papi knows you voted for him! (Photo courtesy of Kelly O'Connor and used with permission)

Given the Red Sox just went 2-4 against National League teams that supposedly aren’t very good, the timing for this post is terrible.  But no matter.  After watching the Red Sox salvage a win in Pittsburgh, I flipped to the end of the Rockies/Yankees game.  Michael Kay was talking about Yankees relief pitcher David Robertson and how he should be elected to the All Star team but since there were going to be so many Yankees on the team he most likely wouldn’t be chosen.

Now, it’s true that there are many players on the Yankees who are leading in the All Star voting.  It was just the smugness of Michael Kay’s words that made me want to reach into the television and shake him a few times.  (Much like the other night when discussing Huston Street and Kay, in trying to compliment him, I guess, said “He’s not a clean closer like Mariano Rivera”.  (Now, I know damn well what a great pitcher Mo is.  My issue is, there is really NO ONE you can compare Rivera to and there was no reason to throw that dig in there…especially on a night when the Yankees LOST, Mr. Kay.)  So I decided yesterday that I was going to stop avoiding mentioning the All Star Game and ask you all to get on your butts (you’ll be sitting at a computer, yes?) and go vote for the Red Sox for the All Star Game.

But wait.  This is about spite (I’m not proud) so let me check that.  Alex Avila of the Detroit Tigers is behind Russell Martin right now in the voting for catcher.  I know Martin started off hot but after his first month with the Yankees he hasn’t really done much.  Certainly not enough to be the starting catcher in the All Star Game.  Voting ends this week at 11:59 on Thursday night, so there really isn’t much time to vote for your “favorite” any more if you actually want them to win (unless your favorite is Alex Avila, in which case you need to pick that up a notch).  So my spite vote for catcher goes to Alex Avila.  You’re welcome, Detroit.

At first base, Adrian Gonzalez is leading Mark Teixeira by about 600,000 votes.  Good work, Nation.  But the lead needs to widen.  It also gives us a little credibility that Adrian isn’t purely a spite vote, right?  I mean who, aside from Yankees fans, wouldn’t want Adrian Gonzalez on their team?

At second base, Robinson Cano is kicking Dustin Pedroia‘s butt by well over a million votes.  While I personally think this one is a bit of a wash, the idea of having baby Jeter out there annoys me to no end.  Unlike the catcher and first baseman positions, this one is a larger hurdle to jump, vote-wise, so you need to get out your multiple email addresses and start voting for Dustin.  I know Cano is a good second baseman and if I actually cared about winning or losing in the All Star Game I’d feel less annoyed by his presence, but I don’t and I am so Pedroia gets not only the “I think he deserves it” vote but the spite vote as well.

Third base has a pretty tight race going.  Sure Alex Rodriguez has 2,876,537 (at last count on June 21st) but behind him is Adrian Beltre with 2,307,380 and Kevin Youkilis with 2,025,438 votes.  When I started writing this, I had it in my head that Beltre was doing much better than Youk this season but after doing a little research I’m not so convinced of that any more.  I could go either way here, Beltre or Youkilis, and Beltre does have a better chance (give the current tallies) of catching up to Slappy, but I can’t go against Youk.  I just can’t.  So I’m not only spiteful but I’m a hypocrite.  Youk gets my vote.

Shortstop:  Derek Jeter is leading Asdrubal Cabrera by only 400,000 votes so there’s hope!  The fact alone that he’s leading is a complete joke.  Let’s forget how the Cleveland Indians have been struggling – who honestly believes Derek Jeter belongs in this year’s All Star Game over Cabrera?  If you aren’t a Yankee fan just voting across the board and you have voted for Derek Jeter this year, please tell me why?  I mean it, I really want to know why you think Jeter should start this year’s All Star Game?  A vote for Asdrubal Cabrera is a vote for baseball, people.  No spite or hypocrisy needed.

David Ortiz has almost two million more votes than Michael Young in the quest for starting DH.  I’d love to see that margin widen (no offense to Michael Young who seems like a perfectly nice guy).  Pile on the votes for Papi!  (Much to the chagrin of Joe Girardi, I’m sure, Jorge Posada has over a million votes and holds third place over Victor Martinez and Johnny Damon.)

Even on the DL, Carl Crawford is fifth on the list of outfielders.  Jacoby Ellsbury is fourth.  The top three are Jose Bautista (completely deserving), Curtis Granderson and Josh Hamilton.  I have a difficult time begrudging any one of those guys a spot on the team.  Jacoby is around 1.2 million votes below Granderson and would have to bump off Hamilton to get a starting spot.  Believe it or not, I’m okay with the way voting is going for this one.  Still, get your butt out there and vote for Jacoby.  He’s as deserving as Granderson or Hamilton.  (Carl, I love ya but I’m happy if you’re staying home this time around and resting up for the rest of the season.)

Sadly, Michael Kay, arrogant and annoying as he is, was right.  If the voting keeps up the way it is now, five out of the nine starting positions that fans are voting on will be filled by the New York Yankees and two by Boston Red Sox players.  Only Bautista and Hamilton in the outfield will save the American League from an all Boston/New York starting lineup.  We have work to do, people, and only four days to do it.

Now is the time to get to the voting, folks!