The 2004 no-name all-stars

By Mike Round Sports Central Columnist

The 2004 All-Star Game is almost upon us, which traditionally signals time for me to get into a serious rage. I hate the All-Star Game and the associated hyperbole. It's an exercise in total futility. Every sport has an All-Star Game and they're all pointless. Baseball's version is particularly annoying because "the fans" get to choose who plays.

Accuse me of being a Marxist dictator better suited to North Korea if you wish, but I don't think the fans should choose who plays, primarily because every year the fans do a good job of showing their ignorance. This year is no different -- just check the current ballot leaders.

So, as usual, half the roster spots pick themselves, but take a look further down the list. Almost 300,000 people have voted for Mark Grudzielanek at 2B in the NL. He's been on the DL since the Reagan Administration, for God's sake, yet according to the fans, he's the fifth best second baseman in the league!

Over in the AL, Carlos Delgado is pursuing Jason Giambi for the 1B spot. Skipping over whether Giambi has merit to be the starter at first (he doesn't by a long way), how on earth could even Carlos Delgado's mother vote for him with a clear conscience? It's ludicrous, yet we are supposed to take this nonsense seriously.

AL shortstop is another bone of contention. Cal Ripken, Jr. got a series of undeserved all-star awards and now has passed the baton to Nomar Garciaparra and Derek Jeter, neither of whom deserve to be anywhere near Houston in July. Because they are famous, instantly recognizable and, yes, good players, they get the nod over more deserving cases.

It all depends what the All-Star Game is intended to be and baseball has never, to my mind, defined that. Is it a nod to perennial stars even if they are currently stinking the place up? Or is it a reward for a good first-half of the season?

To my way of thinking, it should be a mixture of the two, though a poor first-half of the season should exclude a Jeter, Barry Bonds, A-Rod, etc from selection. The fans shouldn't have the automatic right to select all-star lineups, especially as the result of the game decides which league gets homefield advantage in the World Series.

A better idea would be some sort of committee made up of ex-players, writers, and baseball executives. If the fans don't like that, then tough -- they shouldn't vote for Mark Grudzielanek. Or, alternatively, let the players decide by ballot.

To champion the cause of the unheralded baseball player, and as an antidote to the tendency at this time of year to harp on endlessly about the rich and famous, here are my...

No-Name 2004 All-Stars

Catcher: With an honorable mention to Atlanta's Johnny Estrada, there can only be one selection here -- Cleveland Indians young backstop Victor Martinez. Cleveland is a work in progress, but they can put runs on the board. Martinez hits for average (.321), power (10 homers), and plays decent defense. His 53 RBIs is five more than I-Rod and he leads all catchers in that category.

First Base: Still in Cleveland, Travis Hafner has 41 runs, 8 HRs, 47 RBIs, and a .314 average. But he just loses out to Milwaukee's Lyle Overbay (30-7-50-.345). Overbay was a makeweight in the Richie Sexson deal, but has blossomed in an everyday role.

Second Base: The San Diego Padres have started the season strongly and part of the reason is Mark Loretta (47-6-30-.317). He sets the table nicely for Brian Giles and company and is a solid pro, without setting the world on fire. Honorable mention goes to Brian Roberts in Baltimore, a streaky hitter, but an excellent base-stealer (20 so far).

Third Base: Rob Mackowiak can play all over the place and is, like Roberts, a streaky hitter, but 12 HRs and 36 RBIs, isn't bad production when you're hitting in Pittsburgh's lineup. Casey Blake in Cleveland has strong claims, also.

Shortstop: The Mariners gave up on Carlos Guillen and shipped him to Detroit. Boy, how they regret that. Guillen has responded by having a career year (49-10-47-.317). Jack Wilson isn't far behind in Pittsburgh (36-6-27-.346).

Outfield: Matt Lawton has come back from the dead to record a break out year. Batting .327 with 13 steals, massive 54 runs scored with 11 homers, Lawton has sparked the Indians. So far, he's stayed off the DL and if that continues, he's on for the sort of year he should have been registering years ago.

Craig Wilson makes my outfield, though he can also play catcher or first base. Wilson hits for the fences (15 homers, 42 RBIs) and for average (.304). Down in Tampa, Carl Crawford has been a revelation for over a year. He's already took 30 bags and scored 48 runs, with a healthy .307 average. He lacks power, but is a great table-setter for the likes of Aubrey Huff.

Starting Pitching: There's a whole host of great arms having solid years who won't get a look in at this year's festivities in Houston. My no-name starting pitcher would be Florida's Carl Pavano. Pavano has been threatening to break out for years, first in Montreal and now in Florida.

After winning 15 games and posting a 3.06 ERA in 2000 in Montreal, Pavano seemed headed out of the league with dreadful years in 2001 and 2002. He showed signs last year of a renaissance and this year, has been awesome. Four solid wins in June, including a complete game masterpiece against the White Sox and one out short of the same against Cleveland gives him the edge over the likes of Doug Davis in Milwaukee, Chris Carpenter in St. Louis, and Marcus Robertson in Detroit.

Bullpen: Scot Shields in Anaheim has picked up the slack in Anaheim after they lost Ben Weber, Troy Percival, and Brendan Donnelly to the DL. Shields has picked up five wins and three saves and limited batters to a .199 average. Furthermore, in his first year in the majors, Shingo Takatsu has been so good he's forced his way into the closing picture for the White Sox. Opponents are hitting just .133 against him and he has a miserly 0.70 WHIP.

Closer: Danny Kolb merits a look in Milwaukee, but he's an accident waiting to happen. He may have 21 saves and a microscopic 0.98 ERA, but he's only struck out eight hitters all year and sooner or later, the fly balls are going to turn into homeruns. Joe Nathan, on the other hand, has struck out a whopping 40 batters in just 32.2 innings and banked 19 saves. No one had Nathan pegged as a closer in San Francisco, so they let him walk to Minnesota. Nathan is no Eric Gagne, but he's way cheaper and gets his job done without any accompanying hype.

Article courtesy of Sports Central.