Kieth Law of ESPN calls to task the players who voted in their poll for reserves and compares Jason Varitek to “various multicellular [sic] organisms capable of wearing a catcher’s mitt.”
What he fails to mention in his (article) is that while yes, Tek is in the worst slump of his career, his BA on May 24th was sitting at a very healthy .295. Millions of votes had been cast at that point, placing ‘Tek 2nd in the catcher balloting. Law mentions nothing, absolutely nothing, of Tek’s knowledge of batters, pitches, and his game calling abilities or defense. (Let’s not discount his A-Rod smackdown talents, too.)
The All Star Game is not only about the best hitters at each position. One could make a case that Omar Vizquel, whose BA is somewhere below the Mendoza Line, could be an All Star with his glove alone. Picture the NL with a short lead in the 9th and no chance for him to come to the plate. Would you rather have Vizquel (1 error this year so far, .994 fielding pct.) or someone comaparable to say Jeter with 7 errors (.976) come in at that point?
I believe all the MLB players who voted know that Jason is much, much, MUCH more than just his bat. (Witnesss the Red Sox implosion of ’06 the instant he hurt his knee.) They know, and rewarded him with what could be his last All Star game.
Law, as a baseball writer for ESPN, you should know that there is much more to this game we love than just hitting.
Kieth Law, you owe Jason Varitek an apology.
The other big snub is the one Mike Lowell got. His numbers are as good as they get, on the field or at the plate, and I would much rather have him on my team than A-Rod (who needs that freak show circus?) Knowing that Big Papi would not be able to represent the Sox in the game, I would have thought that at least one of the two L’s, Lester and Lowell, should have been named to the team. (And I would have picked Lester over Pap, too.)
That being said, I have to agree with Law in regards to Jon Lester getting snubbed. No Beckett? No Dice-K? Understandable, but not Lester.
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