Monday, July 7, 2008

Stop with the Yankee hating Sportsnation

A few weeks ago Sports Illustrated had two separate player polls about who was considered the most overrated player in baseball and which player you would most want to start a team with. I can't remember the exact placement of both Derek Jeter and Arod in each poll but I know both were in the top three in each poll.

Ironic isn't it that players who see how hard every other player works on a daily basis would be so jealous as to call someone an overrated player and then say they would want their team built around them. But I am not just posting based on a month old poll that proved its own insignificance with its results.

I am writing this because I happened to see the ESPN SportsNation poll about the All-Star game rosters and figured I would vote for the sake of voting.

The question came up of who least deserved to be starting for the AL team. As I punched in my vote for David Ortiz (I know he was playing better after his a atrocious start but he got hurt and his numbers weren't that great) I fully expected Derek Jeter to top the list by a wide margin due to him having a down year and the fact that he is Derek Jeter. But to my surprise I saw Arod as the far and away leader by almost 40 percentage points as of 3 p.m.

Every once in a while I need to vote in one of these polls to remind myself why I don't vote in them and why I change the channel when Sports Center tries to use them to prove a point.

Arod currently leads all AL third baseman in batting average, home runs and stolen bases. He is third in RBIs and that is after missing 20 games. Evan Longoria may supplant him soon but he is not on the same level as Arod yet and someone like Mike Lowell never will be. To think he is not the best third baseman in the AL is absurd, never mind that he should still be garnering consideration as the best player in the game and perhaps of all-time.

And Longoria and Lowell are the only two guys are the only ones remotely close to backing up Arod. Which brings me to another point, that the players shouldn't be allowed to vote for any all-stars, because Joe Crede has no business being ahead of either of those guys. Also, Jason Varitek being chosen is a travesty. I know A.J. Pierzynski is a jerk but the players should be selected on talent and performance not likability.

A lot of this applies to Derek Jeter too. Micheal Young should be starting the game at short

I know that polls like this mean nothing and I usually just let idiots be ignorant, but sometimes I find it necessary to try and fight back the stupidity the sports world can bring out in some people.

2 comments:

Dennis said...

People hate A-Rod for the same reason they hate Kobe Bryant. He is rich, good-looking, one of the best athletes on the planet, and has a life the average schmo can only dream of.

If you think about though, having so many Red Sox and Yankees starting is almost a bad thing. In the later innings, when home field for the World Series is decided, it will be players from the likes of KC, Cincy, and Seattle who make the big plays.

Joakim Soria pitching to Nate McClouth could determine who starts the fall classic on the road. Absurd!

Dan said...

The All-Star game counting for home field in the World Series is something that brings out an almost unreasonable rage in me. It's an exhibition game! The players don't care no matter what you do. Any advantage a team earns for the playoffs should result from its record, period. Gol!