So, without further ado, I'm going to announce my current picks for the All-Star Game starting roster, and leave it up to you to try to identify what kind of skills I regard as indicative of all-star calibre play.
CATCHER .......... A.L. - Victor Martinez ... (CLE) ... N.L. - Russell Martin ... (LAN)
FIRST BASE ...... A.L. - Kevin Youklis ..... (BOS) ... N.L. - Prince Fielder ..... (MIL)
SECOND BASE . A.L. - B.J. Upton ......... (TBA) .... N.L. - Chase Utley ....... (PHI)
THIRD BASE ...... A.L. - Alex Rodriguez ...(NYA) ... N.L. - Migueal Cabrera . (FLA)
SHORTSTOP ..... A.L. - Carlos Guillen .... (DET) .... N.L. - Jose Reyes ....... (NYN)
LEFT FIELD ........ A.L. - Carl Crawford .... (TBA) .... N.L. - Barry Bonds .......(SFN)
CENTRE FIELD ... A.L. - Grady Sizemore . (DET) ... N.L. - Carlos Beltran ... (NYN)
RIGHT FIELD ...... A.L. - Maglio Ordonez ...(DET) .... N.L. - Ken Griffey, Jr. .. (CIN)
As I said, as an exercise try to identify what kind of skills these guys have in common (trust me ... they are there). Some of these names won't surprise you, some of them probably will. Remember I'm not judging my team by reputation, what the sportcasters say, or gauzy memories of glories achieved in years-gone-by; no, my team is selected by concrete, mostly offensive skills and contributions demonstrated so far this year (and to a lesser extent, the second half of last year), and have been demonstrated by the player for a significant enough period of career time that they can be regarded as real, not merely luck, or random chance.
Also, over the days leading up to the game, I might post this list again, and you'll notice that some of the names will have changed, for indeed, some of these spots are hotly contested battles for top spot in the skills that I value.NEXT TIME: We'll try to get back on track and evaluate just what these skills are that I prize so highly; the skills and contribution that are the mark of an all-star.
