July 03, 2005
All-Star Teams
The first round of rosters is out. Here's the AL players and the NL players. In looking at the AL starters, I'm most surprised by Mark Teixeira starting at first base; not that he doesn't deserve it, but usually there's such a battle in the AL between great first basemen. One of the big reasons for the fall off in offense this year is the lack of depth among American League first basemen.
I'm thrilled to see Bobby Abreu and David Eckstein make the All-Star team. It's good to see the fans finally recognize Abreu's accomplishments. And David, of course, shares my name and my height. It's good to see him back at the top of his game.
About the only starter I don't think should be there is Carlos Beltran He's just not having a very good year, and unlike Scott Rolen, his career hasn't been so great that you give him a pass.
Otherwise, the teams look very strong. Kenny Rogers was chosen to be on the pitching staff; I won't be surprised if something prevents him from going.
Yeah, but in what world is David Eckstein a star?
I agree with the rest of your comments, however.
Apparently, you haven't had an opportunity to have seen Eckstein play very much. Numbers only tell part of the story, and in Eckstein's case, a very small part. He does so many of the little things, offensively and defensively, that don't show up in the proverbial boxscore. But until you watch him, and watch him a lot, you won't begin to fully grasp his value to his team and the accumulated impact he has on both teammates and opponents over the course of season.
