It’s official!  Andre Ethier was elected as a starting outfielder for the 2010 National League All-Star Squad, and Jonathan Broxton was named to the pitching staff by skipper Charlie Manuel.

Dylan Hernandez, the erstwhile beat writer for the Los Angeles Times, caught up with Ethier:

“It’s something I never imagined would happen,” Ethier said. “You fight to try to get here to the major leagues. You get here and to be singled out by the fans as one of the top outfielders is certainly something special.”

The road to the All-Star nod hasn’t been easy for Ethier.  Although he’s batting .320 with 13 home runs and 49 RBI, he’s struggled significantly since coming off the DL with a pinkie injury suffered during batting practice.  Still, the honor was certainly deserved, and it’s nice to see baseball fans across the country honor the Dodgers’ young hitter. 

Jonathan Broxton also arrives at the All-Star game after a recent tough go of things.  Although the two-time All-Star has a 3-0 record with 17 saves and a 2.02 ERA (to go along with 52 strikeouts with just seven walks), he did face some tough innings against the Yankees and the Diamondbacks over the past 1o days.  That said, Broxton is the key to the Dodgers’ bullpen and any struggles are simply a blip on his stellar season.

And while a case could be made for either Rafael Furcal or Hong-Chih Kuo making the team, the worst All-Star snub in my opinion goes to Joey Votto, the first baseman of the Cincinnati Reds.  He’s only hitting .312 with 19 HR and 57 RBI.  The problem is that Votto’s competition, Ryan Howard, plays for the same Phillies manager that picks the reserves, and he went with his guy.  I get it, that’s the way the game is played.  Managers often pick “their guys” and bigger names traditionally win out over regular players like Joey Votto.  That’s who the fans want, right?

My problem is when this happens to a guy who is leading his team this year and is actually a legitimate MVP candidate for the first half of the season.  Those guys deserve to be named All-Stars, and it’s a crime when they don’t get the chance.  I’m no fan of the Cincinnati Reds, but this is just wrong. 

Here’s a little more on the Joey Votto situation from SI.com’s Joe Posnanski:

We’ll have more about the Reds’ Joey Votto in a minute… but the truth basically seems to be that he was left off the list for Philadelphia’s Ryan Howard. Now, THIS YEAR that’s ludicrous. Votto hasn’t just been better than Ryan Howard in every single way possible — but he’s been A LOT better in every single way possible. His on-base percentage is 61 points better, his slugging percentage is 68 points better, his OPS+ is 35 points better, his defense at first base has been about three or four grades better, even his TEAM has been better, which isn’t necessarily relevant to the conversation but certainly can’t hurt the guy.

So, comparing half-season to half-season, this is no contest, Votto is a slam-dunk, no-doubt choice over Howard. But is that really what the All-Star Game is about? You might think so. I might think so. But someone else might think, no, the All-Star Game is about having the biggest stars perform in front of the fans. And over the last five years, Ryan Howard has been a much bigger star than Joey Votto — he has won an MVP and finished second in another year, he has hit more home runs than any player in baseball, he has led the league in RBIs three times, and he has been a central figure in the Phillies’ renaissance. Fan voting is obviously a flawed way of looking at things, but it is true that 500,000 more people voted for Howard than Votto.

Fortunately, fans still have a chance to right this wrong (along with a few others) by taking advantage of the All-Star Final Vote.  Until 1:00 p.m. PT on Thursday, fans can vote on the final addition to each team’s roster.  Hopefully Votto will get what he deserves and will join Ethier and Broxton on the field in Anaheim for the 2010 National League All-Star team.

Photo Credit: Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2010

As part of the “PEOPLE All-Stars Among Us” campaign put on by Major League Baseball, PEOPLE magazine and the Dodgers, three LA-based community leaders have been selected as finalists.

Each MLB Club has three featured finalists which were selected from the online submissions of thousands of fans across North America.  Through June 20, fans are being encouraged to vote for their favorite community “All-Stars.”  At the conclusion of the voting period, one “All-Star” will be selected per Club and introduced during the pre-game festivities at the 2010 All-Star Game on July 13.  One of the final 30 will also be featured in PEOPLE.

Here’s a little additional information on the three LA finalists (from the Dodgers’ official press release):

The three Dodger finalists include Zaid Gayle of Los Angeles, Zachary Kidd of Burbank and Alma Martinez of Redondo Beach. 

Gayle founded Peace4Kids, a nonprofit providing programs and services for foster and at-risk youth ages 5 to 24.  More than 1,500 youth in Los Angeles neighborhoods have benefited from the organization’s programs, which include life skills training, mentorship and classes in the arts.

Kidd together with friends launched Goma Ventures, a micro-loan program for women in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.  Goma Ventures’ loans empower Congolese women to start their own businesses and ultimately increase their families’ financial security.

Martinez founded Amigos sin Barreras/Friends without Barriers 16 years ago. Founded to honor her son, this organization serves low-income HIV-positive Los Angeles residents with medical care, food and social engagement. Her mission is to prevent the spread of and provide quality services for people suffering from HIV/AIDS.

Ok, Dodger fans, get your vote in for these deserving community leaders!

…at least in my book, he’s an All Star…

After hitting a grand slam in the top of the 10th to extend the Dodgers’ lead to 12-6, Kemp came up with an unbelievable catch in the bottom of the 10th to end the game…an over the shoulder, Willie Mays style catch on a drive by Jason Kendall…

How big was that play?…men on 1st and 3rd, 2 out…if Kendall gets a double on that play, perhaps both runners score and we’re looking at a 12-10 game with Jonathan Broxton struggling on the mound…instead, Kemp ends the game and ends the threat…Dodgers win!

I can accept the addition of Shane Victorino to the NL All Star squad…the fans voted and those in Philadelphia seem to have nothing better to do than sit in front of their computers and vote…I bet we’ll see a spike in carpal tunnel problems in Philadelphia in the coming months and years…

What I cannot accept is the replacement of injured outfielder, Carlos Beltran of the Mets, by Jayson Werth of the Phillies…granted, Charlie Manuel sees Werth play everyday and knows his talent, but how can a guy who wasn’t even part of the “final vote” by the fans be allowed to go to the All Star game ahead of a guy who Major League Baseball thought was good enough in the first place and could have gone if the fans voted him in?

I wonder who Charlie Manuel would have picked to replace Carlos Beltran had Matt Kemp won the Final Vote…Victorino or Werth?

Oh, and of course, Philadelphia now has 5 guys on the All Star team and the Dodgers, with the best record in the majors, has just 3…go figure…

Perhaps the pricing at Citi Field is to blame…for the game versus the Dodgers (considered a “Gold” game), the cheapest ticket was $23…at Dodger Stadium, the cheapest seats are $9…the equivalent Loge level seats at Dodger Stadium ($60) go for over twice that at Citi Field ($138)…I guess the Mets have priced themselves out of bringing in the true fans…now, they are tailoring their home crowds to the likes of the theater district…the Dodgers have done a great job of keeping prices low for the fans!

Home Field Advantage…on the road!
From watching parts of the recent series at San Diego on TV, it was great to see the Dodger fans out in force…very similar to what I experienced at the Dodgers/Angels game in Anaheim when the Weaver brothers pitched against each other…our Boys in Blue must feel like they are playing in front of the home crowd when chants of “Let’s go Dodgers!” ring throughout the stadium…

Manny makes fantasy owners happy…
As a Yahoo Fantasy Baseball manager who happens to have Manny Ramirez on his roster, I am pleased that he’s back in my lineup…I was beginning to get sick of my replacement outfielder, JD Drew, sitting every other game and not getting stats for me…in the 4 games since Manny returned, the Dodgers are 3-1 as a team and Manny’s given me 3 hits, a homer, 4 RBI’s and a run scored…I’ll take it!

Hoping for a speedy return!
When news hit that Ronald Belisario returned to Los Angeles after complaining of a stiff elbow, my first reaction was, “Uh oh!”…I saw Saturday’s game at San Diego and how he struggled to throw strikes…chalked it up to simply having a bad day, but hearing the news of his elbow has me concerned…he pitched in 43 of the Dodgers’ first 82 games…add to that the number of times he’s had to get up and warmup in the bullpen and you can see that it’s a lot of pitches thrown for a guy who had Tommy John surgery and sat out the 2005 and 2006 seasons…I’m keeping my fingers crossed that this will pass and he’ll be back in the lineup soon…after all, it’s hard to lose a guy with a 2.42 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and a blazing fastball…

I’ve done my part!
Matt Kemp is still in contention for the last roster spot for next week’s All Star Game in St. Louis…I find it amazing that the Dodgers, with the best record in Major League Baseball, have fewer All Stars (3 – Billingsley, Broxton, Hudson) than the New York Mets (4 – Wright, Beltran, Rodriguez, Santana)…didn’t the Dodgers just beat the Mets, 8-0 on Tuesday???…how did the Dodgers build their 53-30 record with just 3 All Stars and the Mets build their not-so-impressive 39-43 record with 4 All Stars?…oh well, I’ve done my part by voting for Matt Kemp over-n-over via mlb.com…have you?

According to MLB.com, “This eighth annual event, which has gained in popularity each year, allows fans to decide the 33rd and final roster spot for the American and National Leagues leading up to the 80th All-Star Game on July 14 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.”

Additionally, the Dodgers and Angels are reportedly asking their fans to vote for each other’s players.  So Dodger fans, that means we’re all about Chone Figgins until voting closes on Thursday!

While I have several questions about how the finalists were selected (and why Juan Pierre isn’t on this list…the guy clearly is the most valuable Dodger position players in the first half of the season), I’m rolling with it and encouraging voting for our boy Matt.  While his stats are comparable to the other candidates (Sandoval is having an amazing year), Kemp’s fantastic defense can’t be measured in traditional stats.

Let’s make it happen people!

Torre played for the St. Louis Cardinals for six years and managed them for an additional five. He won the NL Most Valuable Player award as a Cardinal in 1971, when he hit .363 with 24 home runs and 137 runs batted in.

Hopefully Joe will be able to use his influence to get some of those well-deserving Dodgers players on the team!

Update:

the latest voting results (6/1) show Manny in 5th place for an outfield spot with 635,530 votes. He trailed Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun (908,745), Philadelphia’s Raul Ibanez (817,849), the Cubs’ Alfonso Soriano (775,319) and 1st place vote getter Carlos Beltran (741,875). Milwaukee’s Mike Cameron was sixth, about 100,000 back.

Those Philly fans are an ornery bunch just about all the time. Try showing up to an Eagles bar wearing anything other than a green NFL jersey on Sunday and see how you are treated.

These days, however, their ire is directed squarely at one Manny Ramirez. That’s because Manny is still a leading candidate to start in left field for the NL team. That leaves the Phillies’ Raul Ibanez, who is having a stellar season, out in the cold. Ramirez has a comfortable 50,000 vote lead as of Sunday, even though he is currently serving a 50-game suspension courtesy of Major League Baseball.

Now don’t get me wrong, I am not advocating for Manny Ramirez to get the starting slot ahead of Ibanez. The Phillies’ left-fielder is 36 and playing one of his best seasons ever. Through 49 games, Ibanez is batting .333 with 17 home runs, 46 RBIs, 40 runs, and 4 stolen bases. Ibanez is a serious standout in the NL right now (regardless of position) and should be recognized for his achievements.

However, we get to the crux of the issue that irks Philly fans so much these days – the voting system that powers everything from American Idol to the All-Star Game…the popular vote! Popular voting doesn’t guarantee that “All-Stars” will actually play in the game – it merely ensures that the most popular players for any given position are selected.

Ever since Sanjaya practaically made it to the 4th place spot on American Idol, we’ve learned all to well how the popular vote can be used for evil as well as good. The drama that unfolds is pretty captivating – as Sunday’s Philadelphia Enquirer showed us. Take a look at the first selection from the mailbag addressed to John Gonzales:

How can Manny Ramirez be suspended for 50 games and still be ahead of Raaaaaaaul Ibanez by 50,000 votes in the all-star voting? I know a name carries a player in voting, but this system is really ridiculous. I don’t care if the Phillies make the All-Star Game. I just worry of the integrity of the game itself.

- Mike

Mike,

You’re absolutely right. It’s crazy that Manny isn’t even playing and yet he’s way ahead of Ibanez – a guy who’s having arguably the best season of anyone in the National League right now.

I wouldn’t worry about the game, though. Whatever “integrity” MLB had vanished when it shipped a bunch of fools and liars to D.C. to talk about steroids with some other fools and liars.

These days, baseball focuses less on integrity than it does on the ballpark experience. MLB is about summer evenings at the park and Dollar Dog Nights and beach blanket giveaways. Just go with it.

- Gonzo

Wait a minute…since when did integrity come in to play here? Has the All-Star Game voting been compromised in some fashion? Did officials from some big accounting firm get it wrong somehow? Has MLB let us down by changing the rules on how the All-Star Game’s players are determined?

The answer to the last three questions above is NO. Fans have decided that the All-Star game should be more about celebrity and popularity then about statistics from the first half of the season. They are voting for the person they want to see (and see perform) during the game – and so far that person is Manny Ramirez, not Raul Ibanez.

You know who isn’t complaining right now (other than Manny Ramirez)? The Fox Broadcasting company, who will surely get better ratings with Manny in the lineup than Raul Ibanez

Huh?

I guess that’s better than nothing, but it speaks volumes about Manny’s interest in listening to the team and playing an appropriately active role while being suspended. Is taking batting practice and running the bases in Dodger Stadium (when no one is there) any better than staying away and continuing his regimen? I believe it’s actually worse, since he seems, more than ever, to be snubbing his teammates and the front office.

What’s the reaction of fans? To vote him into the All-Star game, of course! As of today, Manny is #4 in the voting with Where is Manny at in the voting with 1,213,423 votes. If he does end up getting sent to the All-Star game, can you imagine what his behavior will be like post-suspension?

I am bracing for the aftermath already…

With the season just about 1/4 over, it’s time to begin turning our attention towards the 2009 All-Star Game and voting for the right Dodgers to represent in St. Louis at the Midsummer Classic this year.  According to the voting rules, fans can vote online up to 25 times through July 2nd, as well as at the stadium (of course).

Needless to say, there are a number of intriguing options for LA fans to choose from, and we’ll be analyzing those over the course of the coming weeks.  Of course, the one situation that stands out is that Manny Ramirez is listed on the ballot and Juan Pierre is not.  While Pierre has been a breakout star of the team this year, I for one am a little dubious that he can maintain these super-human numbers over the course of the season (let alone the All-Star break).  Still, does he deserve All-Star consideration?  Absolutely.  The guy has been a key part of the Dodgers success since the Manny Ramirez suspension and his attitude has just been fantastic.  The guy is a gamer and wants to play, and for that I have nothing but respect.

Here’s where Pierre and Ramirez stand now, head to head.  Obviously Manny is suspended through the completion of All-Star voting, but Juan has a chance to significantly improve his stats and mount a legitimate write-in campaign.

                          At Bats   H   HR   RBI   AVG   SB   OBP   SLG

Juan Pierre      74        31   0       12   .412     7     .476  .554

M. Ramirez      92        32   6       20   .348    0     .492   .642  

Pierre apparently doesn’t have enough at bats to rank in the official MLB stats, but what’s even more interesting is that Manny Ramirez doesn’t either (a player needs an average of 3.1 plate appearances per game to qualify).  Still, can you imagine Manny Ramirez being elected to the All-Star Game this year?  Given that the voting tends to be more of a popularity contest than a true appreciation of fantastic play, it should be very interesting to see where Manny Ramirez’s name falls in the voting rankings.

Start thinking about those All-Star votes and we’ll see you at the ballpark!