A Midsummer blunder

There's no rhyme or reason when it comes to picking MLB's All-Stars, as seen by the selections announced Sunday.

Just consider this blind test... Who's a more deserving All-Star?

Player A: 99.2 IP, 9 Wins, 91 Ks, 2.62 ERA, 0.96 WHIP
Player B: 109.2 IP, 8 Wins, 121 Ks, 3.28 ERA, 1.30 WHIP

It's a tough call.

Mat Latos is Player A, the ace of San Diego's 1st place pitching staff and is not an All-Star. Player B is Tim Lincecum ace of the 4th place San Francisco Giants and is an All-Star.

This exercise just proves that All-Star selections are largely arbitrary. And saying that Player X got snubbed, is rather futile.

Now if I were making the selections I would have found a spot for Reds 1B Joey Votto, Nats phenom Stephen Strasburg and a few more Angels since the game is being played in Orange County. But, I just want to see the best players and watch entertaining baseball. The managers who made this year's reserve All-Star selections must play to win.

And there's the disconnect.

As a fan I don't have a say in the 162 games my team plays, nor in the postseason should they make it. But here comes the Midsummer Classic, which determines a big advantage in the World Series, and suddenly the fans gets a say.

If Bug Selig and MLB want the All-Star game to truly matter, fans shouldn't get a vote at all. The entire roster should be selected by the managers and the league office. And if that were the case, it would make complete sense for Braves utility man Omar Infante to be an All-Star.

But this is one game that shouldn't matter.

All-Stars are meant to be fun exhibitions, where the fan experience matters most. Where we the fans get to vote on everything from the starting lineup to that last player on the roster and even who pitches in the 5th inning of the game.

It's a pipe dream, but one I hope is realized.