Kudos to Ichiro Suzuki. The Seattle Mariners right fielder was recently selected by fans to start the 50th All-Star Game in the Emerald City next week. Not only did he lead the majors with 3,373,035 votes, he becomes only the 13th position player in league history to start the mid-season classic as a rookie.
It's no secret Ichiro had the support of a few friends from home. For the first time, 5 million official All-Star ballots were distributed across Japan. Last month, the Asahi newspaper urged fans to "vote early and often" for Japan's rising son. They certainly did. Of the 853,000 ballots cast here, 82 percent went for Ichiro. But even without the Japanese vote, he still would've become the first rookie ever to lead the majors in All-Star balloting.
Major League Baseball should be commended for making the voting process so effortless. Fans in Puerto Rico, Mexico, Canada, Venezuela and the Dominican Republic -- countries where baseball rivals soccer in terms of popularity (except Canada, eh!) -- were also given the opportunity to cast ballots at home. Voting took place at all 30 big-league ballparks and over the Web, too. The league boasts that its All-Star balloting program is "the largest in professional sports." You won't catch me disagreeing. But is it the best? If you squint just a little you begin to see cracks in the system.
For starters, fans in Japan -- and everywhere else, for that matter -- weren't able to punch a chad beside Tsuyoshi Shinjo's name. The outfielder wasn't listed on the 72 million ballots printed by MLB because the New York Mets didn't project him as a starter by mid-April. Since then, he has established himself as a reliable batter with a knack for smashing game-winning hits.
Shinjo, who received 64,249 write-in votes, can still make the All-Star team as a reserve. Mets and NL skipper Bobby Valentine will announce his reserves in New York on July 4. With Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa and Luis Gonzalez in the mix, it's hard to imagine Shinjo would've landed a starting spot in the NL outfield even if he had a chad of his own. But it's a shame we didn't get the chance to find out.
According to an MLB executive quoted in a recent Sports Illustrated article, this kind of injustice happens every year. Shinjo's omission from the ballot isn't even the most glaring in the NL. St. Louis Cardinals rookie third baseman Albert Pujols has better numbers this season (.344 average, 21 homers, 66 RBIs through Monday, the day starters were announced) than the 10 third basemen listed on the ballot. Pujols is a lock to be chosen as a reserve but he clearly deserves to start.
Conversely, there were countless examples of guys with terrible seasons or injuries being included on the ballot. Houston Astros catcher Brad Ausmus was listed despite a measly .198 average and one homer through Monday. Ailing Boston Red Sox shortstop Nomar Garciaparra received over 400,000 votes even though he hasn't played a game this season.
MLB doesn't tell fans what criteria to consider when voting -- as it shouldn't. Fans can base their vote on who has the best stats or best-looking girlfriends. In cities (and countries) where enthusiasm for baseball runs deep, ballot-stuffing for local heroes is the name of the game.
Which brings us back to Seattle, where local support enabled a Mariner to finish in the top three at every position.
Joining Ichiro in the starting AL lineup are fellow Mariners John Olerud at first base, Bret Boone at second and Edgar Martinez at DH. All of these players deserve to start, though Olerud hardly deserves over twice as many votes as Jason Giambi AND Carlos Delgado combined. He received so much support because he plays in the baseball-delirious Pacific Northwest and not baseball-depressed Montreal. No one on the Expos finished better than seventh at his respective position because no one goes to see that team play.
David Bell of the Mariners fell just 44,000 votes shy of landing a starting job despite a .243 average through Monday. Had the third baseman played on another team, he wouldn't have even been in the running. Not only did Bell get the Seattle vote, he probably received support from clueless Japanese fans who just recognized him from NHK broadcasts. Minnesota Twins first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz (.311 average, 11 homers, 50 RBIs through Monday) rarely appears on NHK and, not surprisingly, isn't Mr. Popular on these shores.
Yes, All-Star voting is often nothing more than a popularity contest. Outgoing Baltimore Orioles third baseman Cal Ripken doesn't deserve to start -- he was averaging .227 through Monday and had missed 24 games -- but the fans adore him and so he'll start for the 17th time in his career. Sosa could go 0-for-June and he'd still garner a million votes. Some say this is a farce. The system isn't perfect, but at least it's democratic.
A system with more checks and balances could easily be established by MLB. If managers and the media were given a voice, Ripkens and Bells might never slip through the cracks each year. But what fun would that be? Fan voting is as much a part of the game as the seventh-inning stretch and Dodger Dogs.
And for the record, fans usually get it right. Texas Rangers shortstop Alex Rodriguez is having a phenomenal year and voters were willing to overlook his $252 million, nausea-inducing contract. San Francisco Giants shortstop Rich Aurilia began the season as a relative unknown but was rewarded by fans who obviously paid attention to box scores. Justice -- and we're not talking about the kind that DHs for the Yankees -- is alive and well this All-Star season despite claims to the contrary from the peanut and Cracker Jack gallery.
At least there weren't any pregnant, dimpled, hanging or swinging chads to cause further debate. Nor were there any butterfly ballots or recounts of recounts of recounts. Hmmm, suddenly those cracks in the system seem awfully small when you consider the alternatives.