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All-Star omission of Weaver is tough to fathom
July 6th, 2009, 6:15 am · 19 Comments · posted by Earl Bloom, staff writer
I’ve got nothing against Tim Wakefield, at 42 the second-oldest player 
to be selected for his first All-Star Game.
The honor for the knuckleballer, his first selection in 17 seasons, is long overdue. Only legendary pitcher Satchel Paige was older, at 46, when he got the call in 1952.
I do have a problem with six Red Sox on the 33-man American League roster. And the selections of Wakefield (10-3, 4.30 ERA, 1.35 WHIP) and first baseman Kevin Youkilis were made by Manager Joe Maddon of the defending league champion Rays, and a longtime Angels employe.
Say it ain’t so, Joe!
So the Angels,coleaders with Texas in the AL West, are left with two representatives on the team, closer Brian Fuentes and center fielder Torii Hunter (a reserve), although third baseman Chone Figgins can be voted in by the fans to fill the 33rd spot.
Either way, right-hander Jered Weaver and left fielder Juan Rivera won’t be going to St. Louis, unless an injury requires a substitution.
Weaver is 8-3 with a 3.10 ERA and 1.13 WHIP.
Rivera, below right, hit .305, slugged .518, and has 14 homers and 48 RBIs.
And he just keeps getting big hits.
The Rangers likewise got only two All-Stars, starting center fielder Josh Hamilton and reserve third baseman Michael Young, with second baseman Ian Kinsler vying with Figgins and three others for the 33rd spot.
Weaver is scheduled for two more starts before the All-Star Game. The second will be on the Sunday before the Tuesday classic, so I imagine that was the thinking behind his omission. I can think of no other valid reason for his omission.
But there are seven other starting pitchers on the AL roster besides Wakefield. Surely, one of them could be held in reserve for extra innings, and Weaver should be able to pitch an inning if needed — although I don’t know if his regular workout day is two days after his start, or three.
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Couldn’t agree more. Weaver is having a great year. 6 Red Sox players on a 33 man roster is just stupid. Shame on you Joe Madden.
Yeah, that and he’s 8-3 out of 16 games total. THAT’S WHY HE’S NOT GOING TO THE ALL-STARS. Way to leave out that tidbit of info. Spin it all you want, there are better P in the league that deserve to go.
Here is another tidbit left out: the Angels are 10-6 in those 16 Weaver starts. That is a .625 winning percentage. They are 35-29 (.546) when others start.
yeah, because like WIN/LOSS record is a true indication of pitcher’s ability, right???? Only amateurs pay attention to that
directed at MyName, not Mr. Bloom by the way…sorry if there’s confusion…I’m speaking to individual W-L record
Amen. That’s why I cannot stand Angels fans, they refuse to face reality. Weaver was not invited to the All-Star Game because he doesn’t deserve to be, plain and simple. Get over it.
WHAT!.. no Aybar??
Joe Maddon is a punk. I love how he all but blew off Kinsler, who was in a race with Dustin Pedroia down to the wire, even though the close race let him know who the fans wanted (to be fair, Hill is also deserving).
Weaver and Millwood over the extra Red Sox players is a no-brainer.
ummm FAIL.
being 8-3 in 16 games means his offense or bullpen hasn’t done the job to get him more decisions, moron. that has nothing to do with Weaver himself.
that was supposed to be a reply to MyName, but the reply button gods apparently don’t like me.
Two problems with the selection process, in my opinion:
(1) The rule requiring each team to have a representative. Sure, that gets the fans from Kansas City and Pittsburgh interested, but should a more deserving player not go?
(2) Having the fans vote. Those who know their baseball history will recall that Cincinnati fans stuffed the ballot box in 1957, electing seven of their players to the NL lineup. MLB took the vote away from the fans and gave it to the players. In 1969, to boost waning attendance, MLB gave it back to the fans but gave each team the same number of ballots. Of course, now they don’t really care.
One possible solution … There was a period (1959-1962) where two All-Star Games were played, usually within a few days or weeks of each other in July. We could have one game selected by the fans, the others by the players. The “fan” game could have a representative from each team, while the “players” game would be strictly on merit as judged by player voting
I doubt it would happen, because the season is too long already. They could schedule the games on consecutive days, or as in 1960 with a day off inbetween. But the union probably would reject it, and I can’t say I blame them.
An amended idea … Have one league’s roster chosen by the fans, the other league’s roster chosen by the players. So it’s fans vs. players. Who chooses which can alternate from year to year, e.g. the host league is chosen by the fans.
Boo hoo Stevie poo! Tell you what, you get on board with a fifth team being added to the AL West, so the Angels don’t have a cakewalk to the playoffs every year, and then I’ll consider embracing your changes to the All-Star Game nomination process.
Must be a dodger fan - - Since they’re division is so stacked.
Everyone dropped the ball on this year’s All-Star teams.
The fans:
Neither Josh Hamilton nor Dustin Pedroia should even be on the team, nevermind the fact that they’re starters.
The players/managers:
Beckett and Wakefield over Millwood and Weaver? Is this some sort of joke? The ERAs tell the story. Wakefield is just going to the game because it’s an “Oscar award” for a guy who has never been an All-Star before, and may never get the opportunity again. 10 wins is nice, but his ERA is significantly higher than a lot of other players. Same goes for Josh Beckett.
Curtis Granderson goes as a reserve for the AL outfield but Jermaine Dye, Juan Rivera and 4-5 other outfielders with better numbers don’t?
Usually the players/managers get it right, but this year, the stupidity is shared throughout.
No, the joke is your biassed toward the Angels. They have underperformed this season, most notably the pitching staff, so they deserve to stay home. The Angels pitchers spend more time vs the weak weak west than Hamilton or Pedroia, so their ERAs should be lower. My God, Mike Scoscia has raised a whole generation of whiny Angels fans who question everything.
Wow. Who peed in your cheerios? who’s whinier? The guys who support their teams and think a player got slighted or the guy who shows up to a rival/other/whatever teams local site to piss on everyone? Are you 14 or lonely, Danny? Seriously, man, deep breath. You sound like a 13 year old.
I dont know how much this factored into Maddons decision making- but he see Wakefield play more games since they are in the same division, whereas he maybe have seen Millwood and Weaver pitch maybe twice max.
Not saying its fair but it could be a factor
Weaver should be banned from the All-Star game for his mullet alone. Happy 1994, Weaver!