Barry Bonds will be an All-Star: And impressively, too. He came back from a 119,000-vote deficit in the vote's final days to finish 123,000 votes ahead of Alfonso Soriano for the NL's third outfield spot. Who says the fans can't get it right? This was the ONLY choice to make.
The upshot: Bonds isn't hated NEARLY as much as the media will have you believe, AND fans – even if they hate Bonds – still want to see him in the All-Star Game in San Francisco in this year, of any year.
His selection -- and his appearance, particularly among his adoring, see-no-evil home fans of San Francisco and particularly given that he is ready to set the all-time career home-run record any day now -- is by far the biggest storyline of this year's All-Star Game.
Comments question: Which player(s) got screwed worst by the All-Star selection? And which All-Star was least deserving?
In the AL, there are few novel names among the starters beyond the usual suspects you could have predicted before the season started. (Frankly, among reserves, there are very few you wouldn't have predicted before the season there, either.)
Nice to see: Gil Meche, particularly after all the grief he and the Royals took in the offseason for signing him to such a big-ass deal.
In the NL, Prince Fielder and Russ Martin crash what is otherwise the usual suspects among the starters. For the reserves, it's hard to believe that the left side of the infield, league-wide, is so thin that they can only support ONE reserve SS and ONE reserve 3B. (C'mon: Where's Ryan Braun?)
Nice to see: Dmitri Young, whose career seemed irrevocably imploded as recently as last season -- now resurrected as the leader of the Nats.
ASG starting pitchers: I think Peavy is a no-brainer in the NL. In the AL, I could see Jim Leyland using his boy Justin Verlander, but the real starter should be Dan Haren.
"Final Vote" Mania! My favorite MLB marketing gimmick of the last I-don't-know-how-long:
In the AL, it's Bonderman, Halladay, Escobar, Neshek and Okajima. (They're all lucky there are no White Sox involved.) Halladay is the biggest name, but I'm betting on Okajima to upend traditional xenophobia/racism (Oh, fine. I hear you, Commenters.) The biggest thing going against him is that he's on the Red Sox.
In the NL, I think it will be Carlos Zambrano, over Gorzelanny, Oswalt, reigning NL Cy Young Brandon Webb and Chris Young the pitcher. If Hanley Ramirez was on this ballot, I think he'd win (and would deserve to win).
Comments: Who are your picks for the "Final Vote" in each league?
MLB Stud: Tim Lincecum, the Giants rookie SP who struck out 12 batters -- a career-high in his admittedly short career.
MLB Dud: Mike Hargrove, who resigned as Mariners manager because he couldn't hack it anymore. Let's hope another team does NOT give him another chance as part of the MLB Manager Recycling Program. (For example, the Reds, after they fired Jerry Narron.)
NBA Free Agency: Nets re-sign Vince Carter. I don't care how much money it was for -- it was a bad move. I understand the guy is popular (Wait: to whom, exactly? His popularity is a mystery to me.), but is it worth mortgaging the future of the franchise for it?
Rashard Lewis Watch: The Rockets want him. The Magic want him. The Knicks want him. Let's eliminate the Knicks right now, right?
I think the NBA Free Agent to Watch is Gerald Wallace, who is arguably not just a better value than the rest of the top-tier, but a better player, period, given his age, versatility and recent production.
NBA Relocation: Jason Kapono is taking his conscience-free 3-point shooting from Miami to Toronto, presumably where their international-friendly style probably fits his one-dimensional strengths best.
NHL Free Agency: Crazy start. See what a little extra cap room can do for player movement? In another era, Chris Drury's move to New York to play for the Rangers would have made him a national sports star. As it stands, he's still best-known for the Little League thing. The Rangers picked up the Devils' Scott Gomez from across the river, too.
Chris Benoit Murders: In a horrifying new development, it looks like Benoit may have used his "signature finishing move" to kill his own son. This is sick beyond words.
New Varsity Dad post up this morning: A parody off the story of 14-year-old Ryan Boatright committing to play hoops for USC. Here's the link.
-- D.S.