Baseball Guru
06-29-2001, 05:42 PM
Circus surrounds All-Star selections
Pat Gallagher, MLB Editor
Hatboro, PA (Sports Network) - The All-Star Game is still two weeks away, yet controversy is starting to surround the festivities as we speak.
On the American League side of the ball, New York Yankees ace Roger Clemens, a certain choice for the team, has said he would prefer to take the three days off in order to rest for the second half of the season. In the NL, a juicier story is about to unfold as Mets' manager Bobby Valentine is faced with the decision of filling out his roster.
Florida Marlins' outfielder Cliff Floyd, the team's best player and most deserving selection, publicly ripped Valentine earlier in this season, saying he was a "stupid manager." Valentine fired back and said he might consider Floyd's comments the "tiebreaker" when he sets his All-Star roster.
Florida outfielder Cliff Floyd may have a hard time making this year's National League All-Star team after calling Bobby Valentine a "stupid manager." Valentine will coach this season's squad and will have the final say on who is selected.
Can't we all just get along? The All-Star Game is supposed to be an honor and should be looked upon as such. To a man, the Marlins will tell you that Floyd is the most deserving representative on their club. It's hard to argue when you look at the leftfielder's statistics, which include a .338 average, 20 home runs and 63 RBI. However, Valentine, by league rules, has to select only one player from each team and could very well skip over Floyd by choosing catcher Charles Johnson.
Outside of Mike Piazza, who will earn the start by a landslide, the catching position is scarce in the Senior Circuit. Mike Lieberthal, Piazza's caddie in each of the past two Mid-Summer Classics, is out for the season with a knee injury. Pittsburgh Pirates' catcher Jason Kendall, a deserving choice in years past, is not having a typical season and will likely be squeezed out of a spot by teammate Brian Giles, who continues to mash the ball in a lineup as weak as prison coffee. Plus, does the team with the worst record in the Senior Circuit deserve more than one All-Star representative?
Johnson, therefore, seems a logical pick, which would more than likely hurt Floyd's chances. Even if Valentine does select Floyd, the slugging outfielder figures he'd be hard-pressed to get into the game.
"He's managing the team, so I'd probably have to wave to my parents from the dugout, because I probably wouldn't get the chance to play," Floyd told the Miami Herald. "I know I wouldn't play. If he has to have me, trust me, he won't put me in."
Getting into the game is something Clemens doesn't want to have to worry about. The "Rocket" is the logical choice to start the contest at Seattle's Safeco Field, especially with two-time reigning Cy Young Award winner Pedro Martinez on the disabled list because of a sore right shoulder.
Clemens is slated to make his final start of the first half on Wednesday at Baltimore, putting him on target to be Joe Torre's starter. The Yankees' skipper will definitely want his ace on the team and is hopeful that he will attend the festivities if selected.
"I think he will go if he is picked," Torre told the New York Post. "Again, as I said, ‘It's his decision.'"
I hope Clemens does decide to go. First of all, he should want to attend the game and represent the three-time defending champions. Secondly, Clemens, at this point, is a strong candidate to become an unprecedented six-time winner of the Cy Young Award and is a certain first-ballot Hall of Famer who has done a lot for baseball. Third and foremost, the All-Star Game is about the fans and promoting the sport. With that in mind, the best players, barring injury, should perform for the million of fans watching on television and the 47,000- plus who paid top dollar to attend the gala.
I'm sure part of the righthander's reservations stem from the fact that he will have to answer more questions about the feud that has developed between him and Piazza. There's no doubt it will be brought up, because the media loves controversy and would like nothing more than a juicy quote to be followed by clips of last year's separate incidents at Yankee Stadium.
Clemens has to put this behind him. I've never felt that he hit Piazza in the head on purpose. He may have been trying to brush him back, but I don't think Clemens would intentionally hit another player in the head and put his career in danger. The bat-throwing incident was uncalled for, cowardly even, but he paid the price and now it's time to move on.
It would be a shame if Clemens spit in the face of the fans and decided to stay home. Personally, I think he should be fined a large amount and even suspended if he skips the festivities for any reason other than an injury. Baseball needs to set a precedent that it will not tolerate this type of behavior under any circumstance. Too often, the fans are the ones who are forgotten about and the ultimate losers when a guy like Clemens turns his back on an event designed to promote harmony.
I've always enjoyed the All-Star Game, personally. I think it's a wonderful chance for the players to interact with each other off the field and be rewarded for their accomplishments on it. I've never agreed with the thought process that each team should have at least one representative, though. In my mind, the best 30 players should participate in the festivities, whether that means 10 players from one team or no players from another club.
That's why it pains me to see Valentine acting indignant toward Floyd. Yes, the National League has a lot of talented outfielders and it won't be easy to select the top six or seven, especially if Ken Griffey Jr. is voted in by the fans. Assuming Griffey maintains one of starting spots, along with Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa, the remainder of the outfield should be selected from Floyd, Giles, Luis Gonzalez, Lance Berkman, Larry Walker, Moises Alou and Vladimir Guerrero. Numbers-wise, Floyd stacks up this year and deserves to be in the Pacific Northwest on July 10.
We're grown men, fellas. Start acting like it and treat this game with the respect it deserves.
------------------
"Man may penetrate the outer reaches of the universe, he may solve the very secret of eternity itself, but for me, the ultimate human experience is to witness the flawless execution of a hit-and-run."
LETS GO METS!!!
HELP BE AN ADDICT AND CLICK ON AN AD!!
Pat Gallagher, MLB Editor
Hatboro, PA (Sports Network) - The All-Star Game is still two weeks away, yet controversy is starting to surround the festivities as we speak.
On the American League side of the ball, New York Yankees ace Roger Clemens, a certain choice for the team, has said he would prefer to take the three days off in order to rest for the second half of the season. In the NL, a juicier story is about to unfold as Mets' manager Bobby Valentine is faced with the decision of filling out his roster.
Florida Marlins' outfielder Cliff Floyd, the team's best player and most deserving selection, publicly ripped Valentine earlier in this season, saying he was a "stupid manager." Valentine fired back and said he might consider Floyd's comments the "tiebreaker" when he sets his All-Star roster.
Florida outfielder Cliff Floyd may have a hard time making this year's National League All-Star team after calling Bobby Valentine a "stupid manager." Valentine will coach this season's squad and will have the final say on who is selected.
Can't we all just get along? The All-Star Game is supposed to be an honor and should be looked upon as such. To a man, the Marlins will tell you that Floyd is the most deserving representative on their club. It's hard to argue when you look at the leftfielder's statistics, which include a .338 average, 20 home runs and 63 RBI. However, Valentine, by league rules, has to select only one player from each team and could very well skip over Floyd by choosing catcher Charles Johnson.
Outside of Mike Piazza, who will earn the start by a landslide, the catching position is scarce in the Senior Circuit. Mike Lieberthal, Piazza's caddie in each of the past two Mid-Summer Classics, is out for the season with a knee injury. Pittsburgh Pirates' catcher Jason Kendall, a deserving choice in years past, is not having a typical season and will likely be squeezed out of a spot by teammate Brian Giles, who continues to mash the ball in a lineup as weak as prison coffee. Plus, does the team with the worst record in the Senior Circuit deserve more than one All-Star representative?
Johnson, therefore, seems a logical pick, which would more than likely hurt Floyd's chances. Even if Valentine does select Floyd, the slugging outfielder figures he'd be hard-pressed to get into the game.
"He's managing the team, so I'd probably have to wave to my parents from the dugout, because I probably wouldn't get the chance to play," Floyd told the Miami Herald. "I know I wouldn't play. If he has to have me, trust me, he won't put me in."
Getting into the game is something Clemens doesn't want to have to worry about. The "Rocket" is the logical choice to start the contest at Seattle's Safeco Field, especially with two-time reigning Cy Young Award winner Pedro Martinez on the disabled list because of a sore right shoulder.
Clemens is slated to make his final start of the first half on Wednesday at Baltimore, putting him on target to be Joe Torre's starter. The Yankees' skipper will definitely want his ace on the team and is hopeful that he will attend the festivities if selected.
"I think he will go if he is picked," Torre told the New York Post. "Again, as I said, ‘It's his decision.'"
I hope Clemens does decide to go. First of all, he should want to attend the game and represent the three-time defending champions. Secondly, Clemens, at this point, is a strong candidate to become an unprecedented six-time winner of the Cy Young Award and is a certain first-ballot Hall of Famer who has done a lot for baseball. Third and foremost, the All-Star Game is about the fans and promoting the sport. With that in mind, the best players, barring injury, should perform for the million of fans watching on television and the 47,000- plus who paid top dollar to attend the gala.
I'm sure part of the righthander's reservations stem from the fact that he will have to answer more questions about the feud that has developed between him and Piazza. There's no doubt it will be brought up, because the media loves controversy and would like nothing more than a juicy quote to be followed by clips of last year's separate incidents at Yankee Stadium.
Clemens has to put this behind him. I've never felt that he hit Piazza in the head on purpose. He may have been trying to brush him back, but I don't think Clemens would intentionally hit another player in the head and put his career in danger. The bat-throwing incident was uncalled for, cowardly even, but he paid the price and now it's time to move on.
It would be a shame if Clemens spit in the face of the fans and decided to stay home. Personally, I think he should be fined a large amount and even suspended if he skips the festivities for any reason other than an injury. Baseball needs to set a precedent that it will not tolerate this type of behavior under any circumstance. Too often, the fans are the ones who are forgotten about and the ultimate losers when a guy like Clemens turns his back on an event designed to promote harmony.
I've always enjoyed the All-Star Game, personally. I think it's a wonderful chance for the players to interact with each other off the field and be rewarded for their accomplishments on it. I've never agreed with the thought process that each team should have at least one representative, though. In my mind, the best 30 players should participate in the festivities, whether that means 10 players from one team or no players from another club.
That's why it pains me to see Valentine acting indignant toward Floyd. Yes, the National League has a lot of talented outfielders and it won't be easy to select the top six or seven, especially if Ken Griffey Jr. is voted in by the fans. Assuming Griffey maintains one of starting spots, along with Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa, the remainder of the outfield should be selected from Floyd, Giles, Luis Gonzalez, Lance Berkman, Larry Walker, Moises Alou and Vladimir Guerrero. Numbers-wise, Floyd stacks up this year and deserves to be in the Pacific Northwest on July 10.
We're grown men, fellas. Start acting like it and treat this game with the respect it deserves.
------------------
"Man may penetrate the outer reaches of the universe, he may solve the very secret of eternity itself, but for me, the ultimate human experience is to witness the flawless execution of a hit-and-run."
LETS GO METS!!!
HELP BE AN ADDICT AND CLICK ON AN AD!!