Phew! I'm Back!

Mercy me!  It's hard to believe that I hadn't blogged in over a month!  May was utterly crazy with 3 family birthdays, my daughter's 8th-grade graduation, my son's hectic and unpredictable baseball schedule, and house guests.  Now that life has settled down a little and my husband and I have returned from our vacation in Italy (sans kids - it was just terrible!), I can finally take a breath and focus on my blog.


A lot happened in Major League Baseball during my hiatus - the Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw no-hit the Rockies, Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn passed away, and my husband and I went to Nationals Park to watch the Nats gets their butts kicked by Yu Darvish and the Texas Rangers.  But hey, my Nationals are in first place in the NL East, so there's that.


One thing I've neglected to do this season, which I usually do in May, is to submit my All-Star ballot.  Since it's better to do it late than not do it at all, I went ahead and voted earlier today (it's Primary Day here in Frederick, so why not vote?).  Some of my usual players are there (Miggy, Canó, Yadier) and some are new (Blackmon, Prado, Perez).  Here are the players who got my vote and the reasoning behind my selections:


AMERICAN LEAGUE
First base:  Sorry, Orioles fans; the Tigers' Miguel Cabrera always gets my vote.  Until he decides to have a crappy year or switch to DH, he will always get my vote over Chris Davis.


Second base:  I could have voted for José Altuve, but just like with first base, Robinson Canó always gets my vote.  He is just bad-ass, especially since he's no longer a Yankee.


Shortstop:  Alexei Ramirez of the Chicago White Sox gets my vote this year.  Not voting for Derek Jeter should come as no surprise to you if you've read my blog in the past.


Third base:  I really wanted to vote for Manny Machado, but since he was out for the beginning of the season, I had to go with the Rangers' Adrian Beltre.  He's batting .309 so far this season, so there.


Designated Hitter:  As much as I hate the DH, I forced myself to vote so I would have a full ballot.  No, I did not vote for "Big Papi" or for the Tigers' Victor Martinez - the Orioles' Nelson Cruz got my vote, because he has proven that you can come back from a drug suspension and still kick butt.  Not that I think he should have taken PEDs in the first place, but if MLB is going to give him a second chance, he has certainly made good lemonade out of his lemons.  Plus I had to vote for an Oriole.


Outfield:  This is the hardest category by far.  I wanted to vote for six players, but I had to cut it down to Alex Gordon of the Royals and the Blue Jays' Melky Cabrera and José Bautista.  That left out Nick Markakis and Adam Jones of the O's and Mike Trout of the Angels.   Sorry guys; I can't vote for EVERYONE!


NATIONAL LEAGUE
First base:  I voted for Adam LaRoche because he can play a mean first base and he's leading the Nationals in batting.  He'll probably be named as a reserve player, but at least I can say I voted for a Nationals player.


Second base:  I had to vote for the Pirates' Neil Walker even though I love Anthony Rendón of the Nationals, because Walker is just having a better year and Rendón has been playing at third base lately.  Chase Utley is having a good season too, but I don't vote for Phillies players, so he's out.


Shortstop:  Troy Tulowitzki of the Colorado Rockies, hands down!


Third base:  I chose Martín Prado of the Arizona Diamondbacks because Chipper Jones and Mike Schmidt are retired.


Catcher:  Sigh!  Jonathan Lucroy of the Milwaukee Brewers is having a great season, but I had to go with my Puerto Rican heart and vote for the Cardinals' Yadier Molina.  He's kind of trashy, but he's the best catcher in the game today.


Outfield:  I left out the three "P"s who are playing well - Angel Pagán, Yasiel Puig, and Hunter Pence - and voted for three players who are playing better:  Andrew McCutchen of the Pirates, Charlie Blackmon of the Rockies, and Carlos Gomez of the Brewers. 


So there you have it - now I have to wait and see how many of the players I voted for end up making the All-Star team.  So much of it is a popularity contest, but I like to think that I actually put some thought into my voting.  Enjoy the last 3 weeks of the first half of the season, and don't forget to watch some World Cup soccer too!

"Gettin' Jiggy" with Miggy :-)

Opening Day is finally here, my friends!  Actually, the season began last night with the San Diego Padres hosting the Los Angeles Dodgers in a game that was blown by Brian Wilson (you know, the hairy guy who has been struggling for the past couple of years).  The Padres scored 3 runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to beat the Dodgers 3-1.

Before the season gets too far underway, I want to address two topics that I've been asked to write about and express my opinion (yes, someone out there is actually reading this blog regularly and wants my expert opinion on a few things!).  First is the $292 million contract that Miguel Cabrera signed with the Detroit Tigers through 2023, and second is my predictions for the 2014 season.

As many of you know, I am a big fan of Miguel Cabrera, and seeing him play in Cleveland last summer was a highlight for me.  The 2012 Triple Crown winner and 2013 MVP is one of those players that only come around once in a lifetime - that kind of player that you tell your grandkids about and whose baseball cards will be worth a lot of money someday.  But Miggy is also getting bigger (now reportedly up to 260 pounds), slower, and more prone to injury (last season he missed several games with back issues).  Ten years is a LONG time for anyone to commit to a player, especially one who is already over 30 years old.  It makes me think of the long-term contract that Alex Rodriguez signed with the Yankees a while back - I forget how that one turned out!  Then there's Albert Pujols - how did he do last year again?  The amount of money the Tigers want to pay Miggy doesn't bother me since baseball players are overpaid anyway; it's the number of years in the contract that I think is excessive.  Yes, he can prolong his career as a designated hitter, but 10 more years?  Really?  A little much, if you ask me.

Now as far as my predictions for this season, this may come as a shock to you, but I don't think I'm going to make any.  I know, it's kind of a cop-out, but with 162 games in a season, anything can happen.  Yes, I would love to say that the Nationals will win the NL East and the Pirates will reach the playoffs again, but so much can happen between now and September.  Look at the Atlanta Braves, who played so well last year and are now starting their season with half of their players on the Disabled List.  And how about the Toronto Blue Jays, who were supposed to be the be-all end-all last season - will they fare any batter than last year?  And without Mariano Rivera, will the Yankees suck this season?  Well they got 4 key players during the offseason - Jacoby Ellsbury, Carlos Beltrán, Brian McCann, and Masahiro Tanaka; but they only look good on paper at this point.  I could pull out all sorts of rankings and statistics and SABR-metrics numbers to support my predictions, but all I can do is tell you which team I would LIKE to see in the playoffs - not necessarily the teams that the bettors in Vegas are picking.  And really, after seeing our NCAA basketball brackets ruined after the first round of March Madness, can statistics really tell us everything?  So here are the teams I like and my un-scientific reasons for liking them.

AL EAST:  I'm going to root for the Baltimore Orioles.  They were a mess in the off-season and didn't get their act together until early March, when they signed a bunch of last-minute players and made some impromptu trades.  Yes, Manny Machado is starting the season on the DL, but we all know that one guy does not a team make, so why not root for the team that played so well during Spring Training?

AL CENTRAL:  I want to see the Kansas City Royals play in the postseason.  Really, I do.  They went 86-76 last year, and if it hadn't been for the 12-game losing streak they had, they would have contended.  I'm picking the Royals and I'm not changing my mind.  Sorry, Tigers and Indians!

AL WEST:  This is one division about which I never really cared.  I guess I'll pick the low-budget Oakland A's even though the Mariners now have Robinson Canó and the Angels have hottie Mike Trout.  They have great pitchers and very good defensive players, so they should do well.

NL EAST:  I don't know if this is jinxing my team, but I'm going to go ahead and pick the Nationals.  The Braves annoy me, the Mets are a mess, the Marlins have no one except for José Fernandez, and the Phillies might as well turn their clubhouse into a nursing home.  The Nationals have a solid pitching rotation (even with Doug Fister starting the season on the DL), guys who can hit, and a feisty new manager.  And we're going to 5 games this season, so they better play well!

NL CENTRAL:  How can you not root for the Pittsburgh Pirates?  Those of us who are sick of the Cardinals have embraced the Pirates and their never-give-up attitude.  Plus they're opening the season against the Cubs at home, so what more of a confidence boost does a team need?

NL WEST:  I am determined to not pick the Dodgers (since everyone else is), so I'm going to go with the San Diego Padres.  I don't think they will win their division outright, but I believe they can get a wild-card spot and make the playoffs with their decent pitching.  Now if they could only get rid of those ugly camo uniforms that they wear on Sundays during home games!

As you can see, my picks are purely based on my shallow opinions and do not carry any statistical weight whatsoever.  It took me exactly 20 minutes to come up with my selections - this way if I totally blow it, I won't feel like a total failure who spent way too much time analyzing data.

All I know is that it's finally time to play ball.  Time for seventh-inning stretches, racing presidents (and sausages), and injury reports (short ones, hopefully).  Enjoy the season, and keep checking in for my thoughts, insights, and of course, my unfiltered opinions.  Let's go Nats! :-)

Baseball 101? I'll Teach It!

Spring Training is in full force, my friends – a time for tweaking your batting stance, working on your curveball, and writing a research paper.  The latter is what 19-year-old Josh Hart of the Baltimore Orioles had to do earlier this week.  Hart, an outfielder who was selected 37th overall in last summer’s amateur draft, was introduced to Hall of Famer Frank Robinson during a Spring Training practice, and Hart did not know who Robinson was.  So Orioles’ manager Buck Showalter told Hart to write a one-page paper on Robinson and have it on Showalter’s desk the next day.  Hart complied, and is now vastly knowledgeable in all things Frank.

With this story fresh in my mind, I decided to do my own little study to see if kids approximately the same age as Josh Hart had any knowledge of who Frank Robinson is.  I asked several students at Governor Thomas Johnson High School, and was disappointed to see that most of them had no clue.  18-year-old Jacob, a very smart Senior who wants to attend Duke University to study engineering, said “The name sounds familiar, but I don’t think I know who he is.”  Mickey, 17, asked “What class does he teach?”  The closest was one of our military academy hopefuls, who said "He's what that movie '42' was about."  To the defense of my students, some of the kids I questioned admit to not following baseball too closely, and they’re not being paid crazy amounts of money to wear a uniform and play 162 games a year.

So how important is it for current Major League baseball players to know the history of the game and the names of the greats?  I think if you’re going to have a job with such a high-paying salary, you should have an idea of who came before you, stood on the same field as you, and had a locker in your clubhouse that could even be the locker that you’re currently using (especially if you play in one of the older ball parks, like Fenway Park, Wrigley Field, or Dodgers Stadium).  These millionaires need to feel humbled by the greats who played before them.  Guys like Bryce Harper and Mike Trout need to appreciate the leaping catches that Kirby Puckett made in center field.  Sluggers like Miguel Cabrera and Michael Cuddyer should feel small next to Pete Rose and Joe DiMaggio.  Jacoby Ellsbury and Eric Young should take base-stealing pointers from Rickey Henderson or Lou Brock.

Here is what I think Major League Baseball should do:  They should have the annual player draft in Cooperstown, NY, so that prospective players and their families can tour the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum and get a lesson in baseball history.  Most of these guys haven’t been to the Hall, so they haven’t seen the majestic room full of inductees’ plaques, the museum with the Babe Ruth room, and the movies and interactive displays that take you from the game’s beginnings to the record-breakers of the modern era.  Cooperstown is in the middle of nowhere, so your typical draft candidate probably hasn’t made the trip there before, but if he has the potential of being signed by a Major League team and can learn a thing or two about the game’s history, you bet he’ll take the trip to New York!

You don't like that idea?  Then how about Major League Baseball send me to visit all 30 teams so I can give the players a history lesson?  I can have Power Points and handouts and trivia questions and everything!  I like that idea better!

I know a lot of the current young players were born in the 90s, a decade full of PEDs and not much excitement.  They probably looked up to guys like Barry Bonds and Mark McGuire, and maybe even great players like Greg Maddux, Wade Boggs, and Ken Griffey, Jr.  But just like high school students have to learn about what happened in history 200 years ago, current baseball players should have some basic appreciation for the men who played before them.  They don’t need to rattle off the names of all the baseball commissioners (not even I can do that without some deep thinking and a check on Wikipedia), but they should have a general knowledge of the players from the past – Cobb, Ruth, DiMaggio, Gehrig, Clemente, Koufax, Seaver, Aaron, and Robinson (both Frank and Jackie). 

The Off-Season in Review (with my comments, of course!)

Football season is over and the Olympics only go for two weeks – what comes next?  Why baseball season is just around the corner, of course, and for those of us who are tired of these record-cold temperatures, we’re hoping that the start of a new baseball season brings with it some warmer weather.

So once you’re done rooting for Lolo Jones, Bode Miller and Shaun White, it’s time to get geared up for the 2014 baseball season.  Before you don your Orioles shirt, Nationals cap, or Yankee pinstripes (ugh!), you may want to catch up on what went on during the off-season, after the Boston Red Sox won the World Series.  Well here’s a recap of what transpired since November in a nutshell (start your stopwatch – this should only take two minutes to read):

·        Detroit's Miguel Cabrera earned his second consecutive Most Valuable Player Award in the American League, took Players' Choice top honors and added a Silver Slugger as well. 

·        The Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw won his second National League Cy Young Award in three years, and José Fernandez of the Marlins received the well-deserved reward of NL Rookie of the Year award.  (Remember him?  He’s that Cuban kid who spent time in immigration jail before successfully defecting by coming over on a makeshift boat that hit rough waters and a bunch of people fell overboard including his family.  And he can really pitch!)

·        Free agents:  Robinson Canó went to the Mariners, Jacoby Ellsbury is now a Yankee, Shin-Soo Choo signed with the Rangers, and Japanese pitching star Masahiro Tanaka went to the Yankees.  Who didn’t see that one coming?  Oh, the Yankees also signed outfielder Carlos Beltrán and catcher Brian McCann; they’re clearly trying to buy their way to another World Series.  Whatever!

·        Trades: The Rangers acquired slugging first baseman Prince Fielder from the Tigers for second baseman Ian Kinsler, a doozy of a deal featuring All-Star talent and big bucks. The Cardinals followed by sending third baseman David Freese to the Angels for Peter Bourjos.

·        New managers:  Bryan Price in Cincinnati, Matt Williams in Washington (it should have been Sandy Alomar, Jr.), Brad Ausmus in Detroit, Lloyd McClendon in Seattle, and Rick Rentería with the Cubs -- and don't forget Ryne Sandberg in Philadelphia, a late-season addition.

·        Oh, and in case you didn’t realize this, the Orioles lost their closer, Jim Johnson, to the Oakland A’s.  I felt really bad about that one – despite Johnson’s blown saves last season, he was a good pitcher and will be hard to replace.

·        What about my Nationals?  They acquired starting pitcher Doug Fister from the Tigers and were able to avoid arbitration with pretty much every player who was eligible for it.  They also announced “Jayson Werth Garden Gnome Day,” which is pretty exciting.

·        Notable quote:  Curtis Granderson went across town from the Yankees to the Mets, saying “True New Yorkers are Mets fans.”  That one made me smile, since I started out as a Mets fan back in the 80s.  Too bad the Mets will suck again this season.

·        Three of the all-time great managers were honored with their election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame -- Bobby Cox, Tony La Russa and Joe Torre, all heading to Cooperstown in July.

·        In an election that again was preceded by considerable debate, the BBWAA elected three first-timers on the Hall of Fame ballot: pitchers Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine, and hitting star Frank Thomas.

·        Lucrative deals:  Lefty Clayton Kershaw agreed to the richest deal ever for a pitcher, signing a seven-year, $215 million contract through 2020.  The Tigers then signed AL Cy Young winner Max Scherzer to a one-year, $15.5 million deal, and the Rays signed David Price  to a one-year pact worth $14 million.

So there you have it – now you know what went on during the “Hot Stove” season and you can pretend like you know what you’re talking about when necessary.  Stay warm, enjoy the Olympics, and remember that Opening Day is only about seven weeks away!  

The Playoffs Are Here! The Playoffs Are Here!

The 2013 MLB regular season is over, and while it was a bit disappointing for some teams (the Orioles, Nationals, and Yankees), it was even more disappointing for others (the Blue Jays and Phillies come to mind).  But now it's time for the post-season - when intensity is up a few notches, players ignore injuries and play their hearts out, and fans get caught up in the hoopla and excitement.  But if you're not a die-hard fan, it might be a little hard to keep track of which teams are playing in which round.  Don't worry; I'm here to help you figure things out.

The first official post-season game is Tuesday night, when the Pittsburgh Pirates will be hosting the Cincinnati Reds for a one-game Wild Card contest.  The winner of that game will then face the Cardinals in St. Louis for a best-of-five series.  This is called the NLDS (National League Division Series).  At the same time, the Los Angeles Dodgers will be visiting the Atlanta Braves for the second NLDS.  The winners of those two series will then move on to the best-of-seven NLCS (National League Championship Series), so that narrows the National League from 4 teams before the NLDS to 1 team after the NLCS.  This team goes on to the World Series as the sole representative of the National League.  Got it?  I hope so, because I don't know how else to explain it.  

The same thing happens in the American League, so here it goes.  The one-game Wild Card contest is on Wednesday between the Tampa Bay Rays and Cleveland Indians (in Cleveland).  The winner of that game goes on to the ALDS (American League Division Series) against the Red Sox in Boston.  On the other NLDS, Oakland will be hosting the Detroit Tigers.  After that best-of-five series, the two teams who come out on top go on to the ALCS (Americal League Championship Series) and the winner of that will go on to the World Series.

Are there any surprises here?  Well the Red Sox went from last to first in their division, the Cleveland Indians played like they didn't want to go to the playoffs for a while, and the Dodgers came out of nowhere.  And how about those Pirates?  They haven't been to the post-season in like 20 years or something.  So it's nice to see some fresh faces - no Yankees, no Phillies, and no Giants. Instead, we have Longoria, Kimbrell, McCutchen, and two Molinas along with last year's Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera and badass Justin Verlander.  It will be exciting, and I will try to watch as much of it as I can!

2013 MLB Postseason Schedule**

** subject to change

NL Wild Card

Game	Matchup	Date	Time (ET)	TV
NL Wild Card	Cincinnati @ Pittsburgh	Tue, Oct 1	8:00 PM	TBS

AL Wild Card

Game	Matchup	Date	Time (ET)	TV
AL Wild Card	Tampa Bay @ Cleveland	Wed, Oct 2	8:00 PM	TBS

NLDS

Game	Matchup	Date	Time (ET)	TV
Game 1	NL Wild Card @ St. Louis	Thu, Oct 3	5:00 PM	TBS
Game 2	NL Wild Card @ St. Louis	Fri, Oct 4	1:00 PM	MLBN
Game 3	St. Louis @ NL Wild Card	Sun, Oct 6	TBD	TBS
Game 4*	St. Louis @ NL Wild Card	Mon, Oct 7	TBD	TBS/MLBN
Game 5*	NL Wild Card @ St. Louis	Wed, Oct 9	TBD	TBS

NLDS

Game	Matchup	Date	Time (ET)	TV
Game 1	LA Dodgers @ Atlanta	Thu, Oct 3	8:30 PM	TBS
Game 2	LA Dodgers @ Atlanta	Fri, Oct 4	6:00 PM	TBS
Game 3	Atlanta @ LA Dodgers	Sun, Oct 6	TBD	TBS
Game 4*	Atlanta @ LA Dodgers	Mon, Oct 7	TBD	TBS/MLBN
Game 5*	LA Dodgers @ Atlanta	Wed, Oct 9	TBD	TBS

ALDS

Game	Matchup	Date	Time (ET)	TV
Game 1	AL Wild Card @ Boston	Fri, Oct 4	3:00 PM	TBS
Game 2	AL Wild Card @ Boston	Sat, Oct 5	5:30 PM	TBS
Game 3	Boston @ AL Wild Card	Mon, Oct 7	TBD	TBS/MLBN
Game 4*	Boston @ AL Wild Card	Tue, Oct 8	TBD	TBS
Game 5*	AL Wild Card @ Boston	Thu, Oct 10	TBD	TBS

Game	Matchup	Date	Time (ET)	TV
Game 1	Detroit @ Oakland	Fri, Oct 4	9:30 PM	TBS
Game 2	Detroit @ Oakland	Sat, Oct 5	9:00 PM	TBS
Game 3	Oakland @ Detroit	Mon, Oct 7	TBD	TBS/MLBN
Game 4*	Oakland @ Detroit	Tue, Oct 8	TBD	TBS
Game 5*	Detroit @ Oakland	Thu, Oct 10	TBD	TBS

It's Not Over Yet!

There may only be one week left in baseball’s regular season, but things are just starting to heat up.  Wild Card slots have to be determined, batting races are wrapping up, and teams with losing records are already looking forward to next season (like the poor Houston Astros, with their 51-105 record).

So if you read this blog just to be nice and you’re not sure what’s going on, let me fill you in on which teams are moving on to the post-season so you have a clue as to what the people on the Metro or at the water cooler are talking about when they reference players like Puig, Miggy, and Yadier.  Here is your quick tutorial to the post-season.  

First of all, as of today (Monday, September 23), not all playoff spots have been filled.  There are still Wild Card slots up for grabs, and the AL Central champion hasn’t been determined yet.  But that’s what makes this last week so exciting, so please pay attention.

In the American League East, the Boston Red Sox have clinched their division.  Many of the players have scraggly beards, which must be what makes them play well (since they won the World Series in 2004 with scraggly guys like Manny Ramirez, Johnny Damon, and Pedro Martinez).  They were in last place early in the season but can possibly end the season with 100 wins.

In the American League Central, the Detroit Tigers are 5 games in front of the Cleveland Indians, but unless they lose every game and the Indians win the next five, they pretty much have the division title to themselves.  As much as I would like to see Cleveland win it, the Tigers would certainly make the playoffs more exciting with players like Miguel Cabrera (this is where the “Miggy” reference comes in), Justin Verlander, and Matt Scherzer.  Plus that poor city needs some excitement.

In the American League West, the Oakland A’s have clinched their division.  I hope they get eliminated early in the playoffs so they don’t have to play any games in the west coast time zone and I can get my regular amount of sleep.  Yes, Oakland is a very good team, but they need to understand that I need my sleep!

Regarding the AL Wild Card, there are four teams in the running for the two available spots - Tampa Bay, Cleveland, Texas, and Kansas City.  The Orioles aren’t far behind, but I’m afraid that mathematically they’re probably not going to make it.  The two Wild Card teams will face each other in a one-game elimination, so that will leave four teams in the American League to play the American League Divisional Series (ALDS).  That will then leave two teams that will face each other to crown the American League Champion that goes on to the World Series.  (Did you notice I didn't mention the Yankees?  They're not going to the playoff this year - ha ha!)

Now for the National League… The Atlanta Braves have clinched the NL East after pretty much dominating for the entire season.  The team that led the league in Disabled List transactions hopes to overcome their opponents and make it to the World Series.  I hope they don’t make it, because that “tomahawk chop” that their fans do during games is downright obnoxious.  I'm banning it when I become Commissioner.

In the National League Central, things aren’t so clear.  The St. Louis Cardinals have clinched a playoff spot, but not necessarily as the Division champs.  This is because both the Cincinnati Reds and the Pittsburgh Pirates are 2 games out of first place, and they still have 3 games to play against each other this coming weekend.  This division is going to come down to the wire at the last possible minute, and that's the excitement I love.

In the National League West, the Dodgers clinched their division what seems like months ago, and they’re not letting that stop them from wanting to win the last few games of the season.  I like the Dodgers, but again, they’re in the wrong time zone, and that Yasiel Puig guy is kind of an enigma.  I’m curious to see how he will handle the pressures of the post-season.

Regarding the Wild Card slots in the National League, the two will probably go to the Reds or Pirates, unless one of them ends up clinching the division and then the remaining spot will go to the Cardinals.  The Washington Nationals are not mathematically out of it yet, but they would have to win their last 7 games and the Reds and Pirates would have to collapse.  I’m afraid my Nats will not be going to the post-season this year.  L

So what are my predictions?  I think it will be a Dodgers-Red Sox World Series, though I hope the Pirates make it to the post-season somehow.  There is still a LOT of baseball to be played before then though, so stay tuned for updates.  All I know is that If the World Series ends up being between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Oakland A’s and they play in the evenings so the players don’t have to contend with shadows on the field, I definitely won’t be getting much sleep!

Time for me to Vote!

It's that time of year again, when www.mlb.com gives baseball fans the opportunity to vote online for their All-Star Game picks (do they even HAVE paper ballots anymore?).  As always, I take my right to vote very seriously, doing my research and trying not to vote for someone just because he's cute or nice or has a good-sounding name (like Coco Crisp or Rod Barajas). I also try to pick players from different teams, though by looking at my ballot you would think I was a die-hard Tigers or Cardinals fan. Oh, and no Phillies players - imagine that!  So here are my choices this year - hopefully you will agree with most of them (and please comment if you do or don't!):

AMERICAN LEAGUE
First base - Paul Konerko of the Chicago White Sox.  I could have voted for Fielder or Pujols, but why not vote for the guy with the .356 batting average?  He also has more home runs than Fielder and Pujols (7). so he gets my vote.
Second base - Robinson Canó (the only Yankee who ever gets my vote).  I voted for Robinson last year, and once again he deserves it, since he's currently batting a respectable .302.  Dustin Pedroia of the Red Sox is batting .310, but I like Canó better.  Sometimes it's not just about the batting average!
Shortstop - This was a toss-up between Elvis Andrus and Asdrubal Cabrera.  I voted for the Indians' Cabrera like I did last year, because he's batting .325 and I have a history of voting for guys whose last name is Cabrera.  No Jeters; just Cabreras.
Third base - another Cabrera - Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers.  Like HELL was I going to vote for A-Rod; "Miggy" got my vote because he's awesome.  Last year I voted for him at first base, and this year he's just as deserving at third.  His .311 average doesn't hurt either!
Designated hitter - I wanted to vote for David Ortiz, because everyone likes "Big Papi."  But instead, I voted for Andy Dirks of the Tigers.  Who?  Yes, he's a real person, and he's batting .370.  Better than Ortiz, better than Raúl Ibañez of the Yankees, but not likely to get picked because no one knows who he is.
Catcher - Joe Mauer of the Twins easily got my vote.  Not only is he batting an OK .275, but he has 2 stolen bases so far this season, which is admirable for a catcher.
Outfield (pick 3) - The Rangers' Josh Hamilton (duh!), Austin Jackson (my third Tiger), and Adam Jones of the Orioles.  Hamilton is having a crazy-great season, Jackson is batting .331, and Jones is my token Oriole (and deservedly so).

NATIONAL LEAGUE
First base - Adam LaRoche is the only Nationals player who got my vote.  He probably won't get to start (Joey Votto will), but with his .339 batting average, 7 home runs, and 1000 career hits, he deserves a start (even with his lack of personality)
Second base - The Marlins' Omar Infante gets my vote, since he's batting .336 with 6 home runs and has to put up with Ozzie Guillen every day. 
Shortstop - Rafael Furcal of the Cardinals is batting .370 - how could I NOT vote for him?  He's one of 3 Cardinals I chose.
Third base - I did NOT pick the Nationals' Ryan Zimmerman - just because you've been an All-Star before doesn't mean you automatically get my vote.  I had to pick the Mets' David Wright (sorry, Chipper!), because he's batting .402.  I'm pretty certain he will get the start.
Catcher - I had to go with the Puerto Rican, the Cardinals' Yadier Molina.  Despite looking like a thug with those ugly neck tattoos, Molina is a great catcher who is currently batting .301 with 4 home runs.
Outfield (pick 3) - Carlos Beltrán (another Puerto Rican Cardinal), Andrew McCutchen of the Pirates, and Matt Kemp of the Dodgers.  Beltrán is kicking ass this year with 13 home runs, McCutchen got my vote because he's so good against the Nationals, and Kemp - well, he's batting .359 with 12 home runs.

So there you have it, friends!  I hope you don't disagree with me too much - let me know what you think, and I will let you know how I did once the starting lineups are announced in late June.  In the meantime, make sure to check out some of the games between the Orioles and Nationals this weekend - they like to call it "The Beltway Series," and with both teams in first place in their divisions, they should prove to be exciting!