Torre Says Manny Shouldn't Be an All-Star
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Manny Ramirez might give his manager a stern talking to, after Torre came out and said his player shouldn't be an All-Star. Okay, maybe not.
Manny Ramirez is scheduled to come off of his 50-game suspension for using a banned substance on July 3, which his a little over a week before baseball's All-Star game. Which means, even though he hasn't played the first half of the season, Manny would be eligible to participate -- if he ends up getting voted in by the fans.
Dodgers' manager Joe Torre, however, doesn't think that Ramirez deserves the honor. It has nothing to do with the suspension; Torre just feels that the All-Star game should be a reward for players that have had a stellar start to the season, which Ramirez clearly hasn't.
"No, I don't [think Manny should be an All-Star], and if you ask Manny, he'd give you the same answer," said Torre. "I understand a lot of it is a popularity contest and you want to give the manager the best players, but to me, the significance of the All-Star Game is to reward players who had a good first half.
"They don't always do that. But I always feel it's great to have young players [given] a chance to make the club. Look at [Evan] Longoria, and rightly so.
"Manny's popularity is why he's gotten votes. Realistically, he didn't have, except for reputation, a right to be an All-Star. It probably isn't the right thing for him this year, from the baseball aspect, I've got to think."
The All-Star game is absolutely a popularity contest, and it's an exhibition that's aimed at the fans: that's why they're the ones that vote in the starters. If the fans decide that they've missed Manny so much during the first half of the season that they want to welcome him back from suspension by awarding him a trip to the All-Star game, then there isn't anything wrong with that.
Ramirez has a ways to go, as he currently sits fourth in the voting behind Ryan Braun, Alfonso Soriano, and Carlos Beltran.
