My MLB All-Star Team

With the MLB All-Star voting winding down (little more than a week left), I feel enough of the season is in the books that I can now present my All-Star teams.

American League

C: Victor Martinez, Cle

All season Victor has been proving that he's at least the equal of last year's batting champ, Joe Mauer of the rival Twins. Martinez has been the most consistently excellent offensive weapon on one of the AL's top run-producing teams. His defense has also improved to the point where he's now just passibly below average, but at least no longer abhorrent.

1st: David Ortiz, Bos

"1st baseman," sure. But man, can he rake? Power numbers are down ("only" 13 HR's), but his average (.332) is higher than most could have imagined in the face of the extreme shift he must deal with. His talents as a hitter are really being exhibited; he's not just an Adam Dunn-type.

2nd: Placido Polanco, Det

Does he ever strike out? Apparentlt not very often (only 13 times so far). He's also yet to commit an error, has scored 49 runs and is hitting close to .340. That's the picture of an All-Star to me. This season, Polanco has finally been healthy enough to show that his prodigious hitting talents can hold up over a longer sample size.

SS: Orlando Cabrera, LAA

He's always been able to play defense, but now he's swinging the bat better than he has in a long time. He showed this type of offensive talent as far back as Montreal and it's finally translated into a situation where his name has hovered near the top of the AL batting list (.337). Still, Cabrera really is getting this spot because Jeter, Peralta, Guillen and Young are booting the ball all over their respective infields.

3rd: Alex Rodriguez, NY

His girly yelp in Toronto and his late-night shenanigans with his blonde bombshell shouldn't overshadow the fact the he carried the entire Yankees team during the month of April (hooray for Mr. April!). He's having his best year (73 RBI's!) since he arrived in New York as his defense has recovered and his swing looks down-right menacing. He deserves to be starting in 'Frisco.

OF: Carl Crawford, TB

Baseball pergutary in Tampa may very well be rough, but Crawford sure doesn't let it affect his game. He's been tearing it up on the basepaths as well as hitting for power and average (five more extra base hits than the comparable Grady Sizemore). He's a plus defender too.

OF: Magglio Ordonez, Det

There's just something about him that I don't like. It's not fair, so I won't let it keep me from putting the AL hitting leader (.383!) on this team. He's been the clutch bat for a Tigers offense that has had to bash its way to victories in spite of the pitching (mainly relief pitching) woes afflicting Detroit.

OF: Torii Hunter, Min

He's a joy to watch in the outfield. Great range, great arm and highlight-reel catch after highlight-reel catch to boot. The thing is, he's also been the bat (15 HR's and 56 RBI's) keeping the Twins in the Central race. Terrific year so far for Mr. Hunter.


National League

C: Russell Martin, LAD

Can't Jorge Posada or Jason Varitek play for the NL? I guess not. Martin will have to do. 11 SB's from a catcher!? Wow, I like it. He's an up-and-coming talent out in La La Land and he deserves to start behind the plate for the NL All-Stars.

1st: Prince Fielder, Mil

Woa! Sorry, I got distracted, The Prince of Plate just smacked another moon shot while I was typing this (in reality he's got 26 and counting). The way he's been crushing the ball this past month, he's got to start over the fast-heating-up Albert Pujols. Plus, Pujols is another guy I just don't like (unfairly or not).

2nd: Chase Utley, Phi

Last year was his year to get all the fan-fare, I guess. He's not being talked about too much outside of Philly this year. I guess his offense greatness is getting boring to some. Not me. Sure, he strikes out at a pretty decent rate, but look at that power (12 hrs and 56 RBI's) he has at second base! Utley out edges Hudson, Uggla and Phillips for this spot.

SS: Jose Reyes, NYM

Jose Reyes is so terrifying on the bases that he got Armando Benitez (yes I know it was Benitez, but still) to balk twice in an extra-innings game that he ended up blowing to the Mets. Armando was promply cut and Reyes' legend grew further. Reyes' transformation for OBS chump to champ has been so remarkable that he's got to be on this team even with Jimmy Rollins, Edgar Renteria and Hanley Ramirez in the same league (J.J. Hardy is proving that he never deserved to be in that group of NL shortstops). SI had an article on "stars of the future" a few years back and Reyes and LeBron were both in it. They've sure lived up to the hype, huh?

3rd: Miguel Cabrera, Fla

This time the Marlin beats the Met, as Cabrera is having a better year than David Wright and thus makes up for Reyes snatching away the SS spot from Hanley Ramirez. His defense is pitiful (just put him back in the outfield and be done with it, Florida), but he can hit with anyone in baseball.

OF: Matt Holliday, Col

I though those humidors were supposed to tone down Coors field? Well maybe they have, but don't look to Holliday as any kind of proof. The NL batting leader (.366!) is finally getting some publicity and will probably move into the top three in the NL. I've already got him there. The surprising Rockies could get even better once Garrett Atkins wakes up (he's already begun to somewhat so beware).

OF: Eric Byrnes, Ari

"Byrnes!?," you say. Yep, Byrnes. I say screw it. I don't want streaky Carlos Lee or BALCO Barry taking this spot, I'm giving it to Eric Byrnes. I love the way he plays the game: balls to the wall. He always taken away a ton of hits in the outfield at the expense of his body. Now, he's finally the one inflicting some pain. He steal bases (14), hits for average (.318), hits for some surprising power (11 HR's) and most importantly he's been the D-Backs' most consistent (you'd have to go back to April to find the last time he posted back to back O-fers) spark at the top of their young line-up.

OF: Ken Griffey Jr., Cin

He's 40 and the Reds suck, but the 'Ole Kid keeps putting up numbers (19 HR's and almost as many walks and strike outs). Griffey should start in SF to show Bonds fans how the game should be played: with a prodigious bat as well as a clean smile.

-MP

[MLB] [baseball] [All-Star+game]

Performance Enhancement in the Sports World

It has been two days since 1996 Tour de France winner Bjarne Riis (along with two of his former Telekom teammates) has admitted to using performance enhancing drugs (EPO in his case).
We're also only about one week removed from the Giambino's timid, semi-admission to taking "that stuff," and we're still in the middle of Floyd Landis' absurd doping soap opera. And of course, who can forget that we continue to bare witness to Barry "BALCO" Bonds' unpleasant march towards Hammerin' Hank's all-time home run mark.

Unforetunatley there is not much shock associated with these newest cases of doping, because these doping violators of late are only the latest in the ever-growing line of cheaters in the contemporary sporting universe. We've learned over that past few years that atheletes cheat - a lot. The increased monetary stakes of our modern games have forced cheating to extraordinary new heights. The crazy money athletes can now make, coupled with new scientific advances, has upped the ante on cheating. Athletes can now stick needles in their bodies and inject chemicals that produce results only science fiction could have thought up 50 years ago. It is clear that athletes can dope, and will dope, no matter what type of testing systems are in place to catch them. The forces pressing on them are just too overwhelming. Also, the scientific advances are rapid enough to keep the cheaters always one step ahead of the testing bodies. Because of all this, I write as a sports fan who is not shocked, but who is at a crossroad.

Doping is here to stay and we as sports fans are now forced to decide how we will respond to it. Should we just give up? Turn in our sports fan membership cards and try gardening? I don't think so. Doping is bad. It is illegal and hurtful. The "oh, he's only hurting himself" explination doesn't fly either. One doper indirectly forces the man next to him to cheat as well, if only to keep his spot on the team. All that being said, doping is not the most horrible transgression in the grand scheme of things. A doper is cheater, not a murderer; so lay off Barry for two seconds. Therefore, we should be able to find a way in which we are able to live in the face of doping (even if we very much wish we didn't have to).

Most people want to be fans ( just look at the MLB attendance records that continue to be broken even in the "steroid era"). The problem is that most people do not like to be played for fools. I think most people agree with me on this. Therefore, I believe the solution to the doping epidemic in the sports world is to, yes of course, apply the most stringent testing policies possible and back them up with harsh penalties, but even more importantly, to publically out any and all dopers. This way sports fans will be in the know. They will know who is cheating, and consequently, who is not. It is the cloud of uncertainty that hangs over sports that is doping worst result. Outing players who test positive will remove this cloud. Fans will then be able to decide who they want to root for, who they are willing to begrudgingly tolerate, and who they will decide they want nothing to do with.

For example, I'm an Indians fan (fresh off a sweep of the formerly first place Tigers, Go Tribe!). and I know that one of the key pieces of our bullpen is a steroid violator: Rafael Betancourt.
Betancourt helps us win games, and as a fan that's what I want: W's for the Tribe. I wish Betancourt wasn't a cheater (he hasn't failed since, so theoretically he is currently clean but his positive put that forever in doubt), I wish we had clean guy pitching for us in the 7th and 8th innings, but in the end I will tolerate him. The fact that I know that Betancourt has failed a test has allowed me to be able to make my own decision on how I feel about him. While I won't ever be buying his number 63 jersey, I'll continue to hope that he stikes out Paul Konerko when the Sox visit the Jake; and ever other time he takes the mound in and Indians jersey, for that matter.

It is time we as sports fans stop wishing for the good old days (which I'm not in any way denying weren't good) and realize that we must learn to live with doping because it's not going away any time soon. The sooner we accept doping (accept its prevalence, not accept that we like it), the sooner we will be able to go back to enjoying sports not as a bastion of idealistic innocence, but rather as an entertaining way to pass the minute and share something with our fellow fans.

As always, please post responses if you'd like.

Thanks,
-MP

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