Debate premise: MLB All-Star voting is a joke

[thisnumbersdisconnected]

The more I watch the progress of MLB All-Star voting, the more convinced I am the fans are, essentially, idiots.

For example, in the American League, they're voting the Orioles' Matt Wieters into as the starting catcher, and he's not even in the top 10 offensive or defensive categories for the AL.

In the National League, they're likely going to vote the Mets' Dave Wright in as the starting 3B, and he's sixth in offensive states, eighth in defensive stats.

That's just two examples, though I'll give the fans credit, they've got the best shortstop in the NL on top -- the Rockies' Troy Tulowizki -- and the Tigers' Miguel Cabrera in the top slot at first.

For the most part though, it's a contest to see what team can get the most fans to vote for their entire starting lineup. Given the All-Star game determines home field advantage in the World Series, it is the only such contest in any major sport that actually means something. But that doesn't seem to affect how the fans vote. They'd rather stuff the ballot box than give their team a chance, should they win the LCS, to have home field advantage during the Series.

Open for discussion. Let it fly.

 

[Bro. Curtis]

Most fans look at pictures and headlines. They see who's been on T.V. endorsing the local restaurants and car dealerships. They see who's dating their favorite movie star.

You are right. Most fans don't slog through stats.

 

[Alcott]

This subject is nothing new. Most serious fans have known since Bowie Kuhn became commissioner in 1969 and instigated fan balloting for the all-star game that it's based on voting for players for the team a fan supports, or the ones whose names have the most publicity. Yesterday was the 20th anniversary of the day O.J. Simpson took police on a long pursuit-- long enough that media coverage of the incident had people quickly drawing up signs of support for him to hold up on overpasses they knew he was going to pass. And sales of Ford Broncos doubled over the next few weeks. That's an example of what media coverage does to the public's thinking, even if they don't realize it. Ford never had so much free advertising to boost sales, and neither does Derek Jeter for all-star voting. I say this without knowing how the voting is going right now, nor what Jeter's stats are... but it would surprise me if he is not in the lead or closely challenging for the AL SS position, no matter how he is doing this year.

As to the more recent part of this, that the all-star game winner's league's pennant winner gets home field advantage in the World Series... since we do have interleague play, and apparently it is not going away, I think it should be determined the same way other sports do it, and the way baseball does it within each league championship-- of the 2 WS teams, the one with the best record gets the 4 games to 3 advantage; if tied in that way, then head-to-head, then records against common opponents.....

 

[InTheLight]

What? You think voting for All Stars on the MLB.com site, then hitting your browser's refresh button and voting again, hit refresh, vote again, repeat 18 more times and then doing it tomorrow 20 times, and the next day 20 times, and the next day.... you think that's a joke? Why, good sir, what are you thinking?

 

[thisnumbersdisconnected]

What? You think voting for All Stars on the MLB.com site, then hitting your browser's refresh button and voting again, hit refresh, vote again, repeat 18 more times and then doing it tomorrow 20 times, and the next day 20 times, and the next day.... you think that's a joke? Why, good sir, what are you thinking?

I don't know ... maybe that MLB doesn't mind that its voting process for the All-Star squads is a joke?

Or at least thought of as such?

You tell me ... :laugh: