Fair Weather from the Northeast blows through AL Ballots
Ben Godar
The American League has been catering to mouth-breathers for some time, but the Junior Circuit may have reached a new low: Every player (save one) leading the AL All-Star ballot is either a Red Sock or a Yankee.
Sure, Jermaine Dye and Vernon Wells might be on-pace for 40 homers, but Johnny Damon is New Yorky! And Victor Martinez may be a superior baseball player, but Jason Varitek wears a "C" on his jersey and is on TV a lot!
Which brings me to another indictment: ESPN. Based in Bristol, Conn., the network is at the epicenter of the Yanks/Sox rivalry. Which seems to have convinced them that the rest of the country gives half a shit about these overpaid, underperforming teams. We don't. But over the last five years, I've seen national baseball coverage degenerate into a New York to Boston circle-jerk. Surely, an all BoYanks All-Star team would be a crowning achievement.
On the practical side, I don't mind seeing the AL put the worst team possible on the field. Maybe then the NL can win one of these damn things. But as a fan of The Game, it hurts me to see a fanbase so drunk on celebrity and hype.
I think there should be a minimum competency test required before a fan is allowed to vote. I'm not talking about answering obscure baseball trivia, just something along the lines of "name a player who retired more than two years ago." Or maybe, "name a team that isn't located in New York or Los Angeles."
The American League has been catering to mouth-breathers for some time, but the Junior Circuit may have reached a new low: Every player (save one) leading the AL All-Star ballot is either a Red Sock or a Yankee.
Sure, Jermaine Dye and Vernon Wells might be on-pace for 40 homers, but Johnny Damon is New Yorky! And Victor Martinez may be a superior baseball player, but Jason Varitek wears a "C" on his jersey and is on TV a lot!
Which brings me to another indictment: ESPN. Based in Bristol, Conn., the network is at the epicenter of the Yanks/Sox rivalry. Which seems to have convinced them that the rest of the country gives half a shit about these overpaid, underperforming teams. We don't. But over the last five years, I've seen national baseball coverage degenerate into a New York to Boston circle-jerk. Surely, an all BoYanks All-Star team would be a crowning achievement.
On the practical side, I don't mind seeing the AL put the worst team possible on the field. Maybe then the NL can win one of these damn things. But as a fan of The Game, it hurts me to see a fanbase so drunk on celebrity and hype.
I think there should be a minimum competency test required before a fan is allowed to vote. I'm not talking about answering obscure baseball trivia, just something along the lines of "name a player who retired more than two years ago." Or maybe, "name a team that isn't located in New York or Los Angeles."
posted by Ben Godar at 2:36 PM
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