If you're a reporter, or a blogger, you love a good storyline. The Casey Anthony trial is a great story, even though it's a tragedy wrapped in an abomination. The voting for the 2011 MLB All-Star game doesn't leave much to discuss. For that we can thank the fans.
Ever since MLB decided to allow Chicago-style voting on the Internet, whereby horsehide aficionados like myself could vote 25 times online with each email address we could co-opt (I stop at three), the elections have gotten ... better. That's right, fraud becomes All-Star voting.
The truth is, ever since fans could vote, fraud has been an essential part of the package. Fans received their ballots by the bushel basket at the ballpark and were urged to punch out the chad for the hometown heroes, even if the Mudville nine were channeling Mario Mendoza.
The 1957 edition of the fan vote channeled a Libyan presidential election. The Cincinnati Enquirer printed ballots allowing Queen City fans to elect seven Reds on the starting team, alongside Stan Musial. Left out were bench-warmers named Mays, Banks, Matthews, Campanella, Snider, Clemente, Ashburn and ultimate league MVP, Hank Aaron. (The commish voided two of the selections in favor of Aaron and Mays and then retired the fan vote for the next 12 years.)
In 2011, continuing a recent trend, the cream has generally risen to the top. This year, the performance fairy has shined on the entire NL squad. In the AL, only Josh Hamilton and Derek Jeter are debatable choices. Even then, Hamilton is probably the best player at his position, but he's been hurt most of the season. Jeter's Hall of Fame career is waning, but the fans want to see him. Asdrubal Cabrera, 25, will have his chances in future years.
The flipside mistake is an All-Star vote based on just 13 weeks or excellence, and fans have been careful not to fall into that trap. Jose Bautista and his 54 homerun season didn't start the Mid-Summer Classic last year because there was no reason to believe he was one of the three best outfielders in the league. This year, flashing similar stats, he's the leading vote-getter. The baseball public could teach the general electorate a thing or two.
The Internet ballot stuffing has actually benefited the game by allowing more thoughtful, non-partisan observers to overwhelm the hometown hooey. The results are teams that largely reflect the best of the baseball each year. Where that notion flags is more likely the result of the antiquated rule requiring each team to be represented, the reputational bias of players and blatant demonstrations of unwarranted loyalty by the manager.
So yipee for the fans, and look, I got a blog out of it anyway.
b
The flipside mistake is an All-Star vote based on just 13 weeks or excellence, and fans have been careful not to fall into that trap. Jose Bautista and his 54 homerun season didn't start the Mid-Summer Classic last year because there was no reason to believe he was one of the three best outfielders in the league. This year, flashing similar stats, he's the leading vote-getter. The baseball public could teach the general electorate a thing or two.
The Internet ballot stuffing has actually benefited the game by allowing more thoughtful, non-partisan observers to overwhelm the hometown hooey. The results are teams that largely reflect the best of the baseball each year. Where that notion flags is more likely the result of the antiquated rule requiring each team to be represented, the reputational bias of players and blatant demonstrations of unwarranted loyalty by the manager.
So yipee for the fans, and look, I got a blog out of it anyway.
b
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