Bryce Harper: All Star

I know I'm not breaking any news here, but Bryce Harper is going to be at the All Star game as an injury replacement for Giancarlo Stanton.  DC fans are loving the announcement, coming shortly on the heals that Ian Desmond would not be going to the game because of a strained oblique.  National media has been less kind, with many claiming Harper does not deserve to go to Kansas City.

Well, lets take a look at the young Mr. Harper.

• .282, 43 R, 8 HR, 25 RBI, 10 SB, 27 BB.

Keeping in mind these numbers were put up during 63 games they are pretty respectable, especially when you consider they are coming from a 19 year old kid.

Mike Trout, age 20, is the main counter point people like to use when pointing to a deserving young All Star:

• .341, 57 R, 12 HR, 40 RBI, 26 SB, 25 BB. (Trout has played 64 games this season)

There is no arguing that Trout's numbers are better.  You'd be crazy to try and argue otherwise.  So now I'm going to tell you why Bryce Harper deserves to be in Kansas City...

Idiot Files: Not Voting For Bryce Harper

The other day I wrote about fans in DC not taking the time to vote for their player in the same fanatical way that St. Louis Cardinals fans do.  In that post I claimed to have voted for Bryce Harper myself a few times.  Well, that was not true.  I've never voted for Bryce Harper.  So why did I tell everyone that I did?  


Well that answer is simple.  I'm a compulsive liar.  Actually, that's not true.  Or is it.  It isn't.  I didn't vote for Bryce Harper because of the following user-error:


1.  Go to the All-Star voting site (CHECK)

2.  Click on Bryce Harper (CHECK)

Yay!  Bryce Harper is going to the All-Star game because I'm a great fan and I voted!!!

Uh...not so fast...i may have missed a crucial step the 7 times that I thought I voted.

3.  Scroll Down Idiot (No-Check)

Haha.  Whoops.  I have to enter all this info and then click Submit...I can't be the only one who didn't realize this.  Once you click on a player it shows that icon, makes the other players disappear, and it really really really looks like the process is complete.  Oh well, maybe I'm an idiot and not MLB...

And I have no time to fill that junk out, I'm too busy writing about a boring ride on the metro...

The voting closes tonight (Thursday, July 5th) at 4pm eastern time.  So do your duty as a Nats fan and take 30 minutes to fill out all this info, enter your social security number, and vote away!

Update:  Luckily it looks like I can vote on Twitter now by tweeting #BryceIn12 between noon & 4pm eastern...well I actually didn't read the whole thing, so you may want to doublecheck or you will end up not voting like me...

Don't Underestimate St. Louis

There has been a lot of talk about Chipper Jones vs Bryce Harper for winning the MLB Final Vote spot on the All-Star team.  In all that commotion one thing has been forgotten; that St. Louis fans are obsessed with baseball, and will actually vote for their player, David Freese.  And I am the main culprit of forgetting this.

Halfway into the voting and Chipper Jones leads with David Freese right behind him and Bryce Harper looking in from 3rd place for the NL team.

DC fans are talking about voting for Bryce Harper.  It is all over the radio and TV in the area.  But are people actually voting.  And I don't mean voting 1 time...I mean voting the maximum amount of times.  I mean ballot-stuffing Yao Ming style.  I don't think so.

I know a lot of you are out there button mashing.  You are erasing history deleting your hard drive, or whatever crazy computer stuff you need to do to throw in some illegal votes.  However, notice I said a lot of you, not ALL of you.  In St. Louis, EVERYONE is doing this and EVERYONE in the whole city is voting.

St. Louis as a baseball town makes DC look like a women's soccer town.  That city is one of the craziest baseball cities out there, where people in the neighborhood go out in the cul-de-sac, pop open a few Busch Lights, and listen to the Cards on the radio EVERY NIGHT.

I'm not calling on you to 'waste your time' voting for a "meaningless" game.  St. Louis has a longer baseball tradition that starts way before 2005.  I just want Nationals fans to be prepared in the case that a St. Louis Cardinal wins the Final Vote.  Its going to be almost impossible for DC to top St. Louis...but Harper will get some National help.


Note:  Matt Kemp is already out and Joey Votto may also miss the game, which could open up 2 slots...

Vote For Orioles? No Chance. Vote For Nats? No Chance.

The Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN) (Owned by both teams) has an interesting idea for getting local players voted into the All-Star game.  They want Washington Nationals fans to team up with Baltimore Orioles fans in order to help the other team's cause.  They are dubbing it "The Beltway Ballot" as in if you vote for President Harper, you also vote for Vice-President Hammel.


Two Opposite Parties?

Well Earth to MASN, I don't think you are thinking straight.  I don't think that the 'beltway teams' are one big happy family.  This isn't one ballot.  This is an American and a National.  A Democrat and a Republican.  A Washingtonian and a Baltimorian.  The two do not belong on the same ballot.

One Sided?

First of all, this is not a 2 sided idea.  The Nationals don't need help from Orioles fans to get Bryce Harper voted into the game.  Harper is one of the biggest names in baseball, and the All-Star vote is a popularity contest.  Bryce Harper is a national story, a national player.  Q-Rating = Votes.  Having a few people that are fans from a team an hour away N.E. Votes.  Throw performance out the window.

The NL vote is going to come down to Chipper Jones and Bryce Harper, and with Matt Kemp out of action with an injury, both players can conceivably end up on the roster.

The Orioles are the ones who are going to need the help from the Nats fans.  People outside of Baltimore or Colorado are unlikely to have ever heard of Jason Hammel.  Maybe if dyslexic Phillies fans think they are voting for Cole Hamels he will get some votes.  But other than that, Nats-only fans aren't going to vote for an Oriole because they are a "family".  They will do it for other reasons maybe.


The AL vote is going to come down to Yu Darvish vs Jake Peavy.  It isn't necessarily fair, but it is a popularity contest.  Jason Hammel will be left out.


Why Would Either Fanbase?

I'm wondering why Orioles fans would want to help out the Nationals.  I don't see what is in it for them.  Do they want to help out a team that came into town and stole many of their fans away.  Maybe to stick it to Peter Angelos.

And why would Nats fans vote for the O's.  If they were true Orioles fans they wouldn't have jumped ship as soon as a team came to DC.  If they weren't Orioles fans then they probably could care less what happens to a random organization that happens to be nearby.

Do Dual Fans Exist?

Yes.  There are plenty of people who like both of the teams.  These people are the ones who would vote for Jason Hammel and Bryce Harper...without MASN needing to prompt them to.  That is why this idea is so stupid.  MASN is asking the NON dual fans to vote.  You may as well ask Mets fans to vote for Yankee players.  It will never happen.

So?

So get the Orioles announcers out of the booth during interleague play.  Get the Nationals announcers out of the booth during interleague play.  Fans from DC will drive up to B-More to watch games anyway.  Fans from Baltimore will drive down to DC to watch games anyway.  Stop trying to make 2 opposites attract.  Stop trying to create a "family".

Nats fans vote for Nats.  Orioles fans vote for Orioles.  We'll come to your city, you come to our city, we will all have fun.  But will will all root for our respective teams.   MASN should know better...

Fan Poll: Harper vs Chipper

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Last week's question:  Should Ryan Zimmerman go to the DL?


Majority Answer:  Split:  The results to this topic changed quickly after Zimmerman took a cortisone shot and started killing the ball and driving guys in.  People seemed to be open to Zimmerman hitting the DL if it meant he would come back strong, but the shot changed everything.

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The main topic of this week will be the All-Star game.  People are talking, and specifically are interested in the "Final Vote" thing that MLB is doing.  On the National League side, Bryce Harper looked like he would be a lock to be the fan vote.  However, MLB threw a curveball and put Chipper Jones on the ballot.

While lots of people love Bryce Harper, a lot of people hate him as well.  Plus this is Chipper Jones' final season in the Majors and a lot of people want him on the roster as a "farewell" to baseball.

I think that both guys will end up on the roster, if not voted, then as an injury-replacement.  But who do you think will win the fan vote.  A new "chosen one" with a lot of fans and enemies, or a multiple time all-star in Chipper?

Remember the question is WILL Harper win, not SHOULD he...

Will Bryce Harper Beat Chipper?

Calling All Beliebers!

Dear Justin Bieber fans,

I'm sure you have heard of baseball before.  It's the one where they throw a white ball and a guy tries to hit it with a baseball bat.  Pretty simple stuff.

Well we think, to keep the legend of Bieber strong, that all you Beliebers out there can help out the legacy of Justin by helping us vote for a baseball player who loves Bieber!  Bryce Harper!  We continue:

There is a professional league in the United States called Major League Baseball.  Each year the league selects the best players on each team to be All-Stars.  If hot singers had an all-star team then Bieber would clearly be the captain and maybe One-Direction would be the "infield" and Selena Gomez would be the manager.  Hopefully that gives you an idea of how it works.

Major League Baseball has already chosen all of the players for the team, but they are letting the fans vote for one more player to make the team.  This is where we call on all Beliebers...and here is why:

One choice is a guy named Chipper Jones who is 40 years old (ew, grody, what is he my grandfather).  The other choice is 19 year old (1 year older than the Biebs) Bryce Harper, a dreamy young superstar who writes in a journal and has a puppy dog named Swag (awwwwwwwww).

One of the fun things about baseball is that each player picks a song that will play on the loudspeaker as they walk up to the plate to try to get a hit.  Chipper Jones' song is 'Crazy Train' which came out a million years before you were born in 1980 and is sung by a guy who bites the head off of bats (ewwwwwwww).

Well guess what Bryce Harper's walk-up song is?  Boyfriend!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  A Bieber Classic!!!!!!!!!!!!!






So CALLING ALL BELIEBERS!  Baseball fans need your help.  We need to get this young heartthrob to be an All-Star.  He deserves it!  He is soooooo sexxxxyyyy!!!!  A guy who loves the Biebs and has his song as his personal theme song.  Help puppy Swag out!  And keep out the old man who probably thinks Bieber is "lame" or whatever other dumb language old people use.

All you have to do is go to the Voting Site and click on Bryce Harper to send the right person to the All-Star game!  We thank you, and Bieber probably thanks you!

Ian Desmond Makes All Star Team

A while back Tony LaRussa said that he loved the way that Ian Desmond played.  That was a heck of a compliment coming from a multi-World Series winning manager.  Well LaRussa gave Desmond a little more of a compliment by adding him to the National League roster of the All-Star Team.

Desmond's power stats as a shortstop, leading the NL in RBI's (43) and Doubles (23) and 2nd in homers (13) looked like All-Star numbers.  But he struggled last year and his number kind of quietly added up this season, puting him right on the edge of being selected or not selected.  But with the Nationals in first place, it helps.

Desmond has come into his own this season.  The manager started him off in the wrong position in the batting order, but now in the 5th slot Desmond is making a huge contribution for the first place Washington Nationals.  Not only does he have a lot of RBI's but many of them are in key situations (8 GW RBIs) that turn games around for the Nats.

Desmond's career homerun season was back in 2010 when he hit 10.  Ian is already at 13 long balls  and the season isn't even halfway over.  I had a favorite player who's homerun numbers jumped alot too.  His name was Mark McGwire.  I'm not saying that Dezzy is "enhancing" but in this baseball culture I hope they have tested him already because I don't want to be disappointed.

The starting shortstop selected by fans, aka the Cardinals fans stuffing the ballot box, was Rafael Furcal.  Starlin Castro was the other shortstop selected by LaRussa as a reserve.  Guys like Jose Reyes & Jimmy Rollins were left out.  Desmond was deserving, and I think LaRussa was the only manager that would have selected him.

It's ashame that the fans vote (All-Star voting is so stupid) and a non-nationally known player like Ian Desmond often would get overlooked.  Thank you Tony LaRussa for looking at the baseball player instead of the name.  See you in Kansas City Dezzy....

All-Star Selection Show

Coming up on Sunday afternoon, about a half an hour before the Nationals take on the Atlanta Braves, TBS will be broadcasting a special All-Star Selection Show to reveal the players who have been chosen to be on the All-Star team.

The show is a 1 hour special and at the end they will announce the "Final Vote" thing where fans will vote in one player for each roster.

From TBS:  Host Matt Winer will be joined in the TBS studio during the Selection Show by analysts Dennis Eckersley, Cal Ripken Jr. and David Wells to introduce the teams and provide analysis on the selections.

So let's take a final look at the Nationals and their All-Star chances:

The Pitchers:

Strasburg:  Right now there is only one player on the Nationals who appears to be a lock selection to the team. That player is Stephen Strasburg, and while he most likely won't be the starter, he will probably be the #2 pitcher on the National League roster.  Prediction:  IN

Gio:  Gio Gonzalez is the next National who will probably get a consideration to make the team, but his ERA has dropped all the way down to 13th in the NL.  A few weeks ago he was looking like a lock, but now things are a bit different.  Gio is still #5 in strikeouts and is tied with 3 other guys for 2nd with 10 wins.  Prediction:  IN

Clip:  Alot of fans and the local media have brought up Tyler Clippard as a possibility to represent the NL citing that he has been there before, but not being a closer for the entire season really hurts his case.  Clip is 13/13 on saves in the closer role, he blew one save as a setup man, and he also has 10 holds on the season.  He is in the top 10 in saves but the other guys have more, on more attempts.  Prediction:  OUT


The Postition Players:


Desmond:  Ian Desmond is the only player on the team that has any chance at being chosen based on his current production.  Among NL shortstops he is #4 in average, #2 in homers, and leading in both doubles and RBIs.  LaRussa has said in the past that he likes the way Desmond plays, but with the Nats already having 1-2 pitchers on the roster, Dezzy may get left out.  Especially considering the #3 shortstop (avg) is Raphael Furcal, who played for LaRussa last year.  Prediction:  OUT


Bryce Harper:  Tony LaRussa has mentioned that the All-Star game is not a "real" game.  It is more of a sideshow for entertainment purposes.  That is why he said he might consider throwing Chipper Jones on the roster despite his lack of production.  While this would work in favor of Tony selecting Harper, I don't really think that will happen.  Instead Harper will end up being added as a guy on the final fan vote ballot, most likely making the team that way.  Prediction:  OUT but added later.

So tune in at 1pm and find out who is in and who is out before watching the Nats try to win the series against the Braves.

Nationals Fans I'm Proud Of You

This post is a response to this article (the post makes more sense if you read it).  The author talks about being disappointed that Nats fans aren't stuffing ballot-boxes with undeserving players.  It is meant to be in good fun.

I'm proud, Nationals fans.

Proud of you.

Here we sit, only a month away from this year's All-Star game and when I look at the current votes, no Nationals players are above fifth at their respective position.

I'd nod my head in approval if it didn't make me favorite random tweets.


Unfortunately, there is still time to send your favorite (notice I said favorite and not deserving) Nationals players to the National League starting roster for this year's festivities in KC.


Results are here, and it is completely indicative of the individual performances of these specific players on a first place team.


Adam LaRoche is the closest to "earning" a starting spot.  His .258 batting average makes him the 8th best hitting first baseman in the National League.  He does lead 1B with RBI's though.  Deservingly so, Joey Votto is running away with the selection, batting 100 points higher than LaRoche.  But hey, you should vote for LaRoche, despite the stats...Not.


After LaRoche, no Nats player cracks the top 5 at his position.  Once again, makes perfect sense.  None of the players individual performances have really been worthy of a starting position in the All-Star game.  I am proud of Nats fans for being baseball fans, and not stuffing the ballot with votes for Michael Morse who has played in like 8 games.

Remember, you're not limited to just one vote.  Go vote up to 25 times...For players that deserve to be All-Star starters.  So get clicking and help flood KC with some great individual baseball players next month!

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The Nationals are a very good team.  On any given night one particular player can step up and help lead the team to victory.  What I just stated is the reason the Nats are in first.  They are a team.  They are a combination of players who work together well and who step up when they are needed.

However, when looking at individual performances, and considering the voting is for the STARTING positions in the All-Star game, the Nats are lucky to have guys in the top 10.  I hate it when guys like Yao Ming make starting rosters after playing 0 games.  Don't be a homer and stuff the ballot.  Be a baseball fan and send the right guys to the All-Star game.

If you want to read more of my ranting against all-star voting, the dumbest thing in pro sports, you can read here.

All that being said, I just voted in Bryce Harper 25 times...