Monday, July 07, 2003
Benitez an All Star?
If ever there was an argument for abolishing the "every team gets an All-Star" rule, this is it. Allegedly the reasoning behind the rule is to give fans of every team something to watch for. Why would fans of, say, the Tigers tune in except to see their beloved representative get into the game. But for that argument to hold any water, the fans of the team have to actually, you know, like the guy chosen to be their representative. But the man chosen to represent the Mets is probably among the league leaders in getting booed by his home fans. Yes, Armando Benitez isn't quite as terrible as he's made out to be sometimes. His 3.11 ERA this season is pretty solid, his 77.7 percent save percentage somewhat less so. But regardless of his stats this year, regardless of whether or not you believe the All-Star game should be for players who've had a great first half of a season or players who've established a standard of excellence over several years, the idea of selecting Armando Benitez to appease Met fans is just silly.
So who would I like to see representing the Mets in Chicago? Jeromy Burnitz. It's true that just adding him and subtracting Benitez would give the NL nine outfielders, but the AL already has seven outfielders and two designated hitters, so I don't see this as a major problem. And if you're really intent on having only eight outfielders, let me present to you three players
Now, if you had to pick two of those guys to go to the All-Star game, which one would you leave out? Contestant Number One, leading the group in average and slugging? Probably not. Contestant Number Three, Leading the group in on-base, home runs and RBI? Of course not. You'd leave off the guy who came in last in three category and first in none, wouldn't you? Well, if you would, they you're not Dusty Baker. Because you see, Contestant Number Two is NL All-Star reserve outfielder Rondell White. Contestant Number One is Burnitz. And in case you're wondering who'd represent the Padres if not for White, well, Contestant Number Three is White's teammate Ryan Klesko, who would bring the NL first baseman total to three if included. Now, I don't know how the fans of San Diego feel about Mr. Klesko, but I somehow doubt he gets a Benitez kind of reaction from them. Get rid of Benitez and White, add on Burnitz and Klesko, and everybody's happy. Well, if not everybody, at least me, Burnitz and Klesko. ¶ joe | 5:01 PM |
If ever there was an argument for abolishing the "every team gets an All-Star" rule, this is it. Allegedly the reasoning behind the rule is to give fans of every team something to watch for. Why would fans of, say, the Tigers tune in except to see their beloved representative get into the game. But for that argument to hold any water, the fans of the team have to actually, you know, like the guy chosen to be their representative. But the man chosen to represent the Mets is probably among the league leaders in getting booed by his home fans. Yes, Armando Benitez isn't quite as terrible as he's made out to be sometimes. His 3.11 ERA this season is pretty solid, his 77.7 percent save percentage somewhat less so. But regardless of his stats this year, regardless of whether or not you believe the All-Star game should be for players who've had a great first half of a season or players who've established a standard of excellence over several years, the idea of selecting Armando Benitez to appease Met fans is just silly.
So who would I like to see representing the Mets in Chicago? Jeromy Burnitz. It's true that just adding him and subtracting Benitez would give the NL nine outfielders, but the AL already has seven outfielders and two designated hitters, so I don't see this as a major problem. And if you're really intent on having only eight outfielders, let me present to you three players
AVG OBP SLG HR RBI
.288 .357 .615 17 41
.284 .337 .491 16 48
.260 .359 .516 18 51
Now, if you had to pick two of those guys to go to the All-Star game, which one would you leave out? Contestant Number One, leading the group in average and slugging? Probably not. Contestant Number Three, Leading the group in on-base, home runs and RBI? Of course not. You'd leave off the guy who came in last in three category and first in none, wouldn't you? Well, if you would, they you're not Dusty Baker. Because you see, Contestant Number Two is NL All-Star reserve outfielder Rondell White. Contestant Number One is Burnitz. And in case you're wondering who'd represent the Padres if not for White, well, Contestant Number Three is White's teammate Ryan Klesko, who would bring the NL first baseman total to three if included. Now, I don't know how the fans of San Diego feel about Mr. Klesko, but I somehow doubt he gets a Benitez kind of reaction from them. Get rid of Benitez and White, add on Burnitz and Klesko, and everybody's happy. Well, if not everybody, at least me, Burnitz and Klesko. ¶ joe | 5:01 PM |
