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A Big Market All-Star Game
July 2, 2004
By: PJ

The All-Star Game is approaching and once again you should expect the teams to be full of players from big market teams. With Fan Voting that's just the way it works. Fans vote for the starters so the teams with the most fans, (big market teams) go to the All-Star Game.

Is it nice for fans to be able to vote in the starters? Yes, but is it right? I don't think so. It takes away from the players that have had great seasons but will not get to go. There will be many All-Star caliber players this year that will not be in the All-Star Game. Sammy Sosa, he's had a decent season thus far but not really an All-Star season. He's been injured and has 14 Home Runs. Should he be in the All-Star Game? No, but he's starting thanks to fan voting. Sosa benefits from playing for a big market team like the Cubs, as well as the Cubs have many other fans from around the country. Lets now look at some players that should be going but might not be. How about the Pittsburgh Pirates Jack Wilson and Craig Wilson? Both have turned in fine seasons but only one will be in the All-Star Game. Each team is required to have one All-Star and this definitely helps the small market teams with limited exposure. You simply are now going to see small market teams with more than two All-Stars. Look at the Brewers. They have three players that should be All-Stars in Ben Sheets, Danny Kolb, and Lyle Overbay. One most likely won't be headed to Houston because Milwaukee is a small market and lets face it, even though at this point of the season they're 7 games above .500 they're still the Brewers.

If there is one positive to fan voting it's the voting the fans do after the All-Star teams have been selected, the voting for the 32nd man. A lot of those small market players that should be All-Stars end up in a vote. Whoever wins the vote gets the last All-Star spot. Last year you could vote up to 100 times for the player you wanted to win the final spot.

It's July and the All-Star Game is coming fast. There will be plenty of Yankees, Red Sox, and other players from big market teams. There will not be as many players from small market teams. Let's hope the players and coaches' vote in the right players to the All-Star Game. Not the players who get all the national media attention and the players that play in the big market cities but for the players that deserve to go.

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