All-Star Snoozefest

It appeared that Justin Upton may have taken slight offense to being excluded from Prince Fielder's Home Run Derby squad that will be representing the National League next week at Chase Field.  So much so that when he smoked a mammoth home run to left-center field in the 3rd inning, Fielder turned his back to Upton as he rounded first base.  With baseball's new rule implemented this year that designates a captain for each team for the Derby, who then gets to choose his 3 participants.  Much like Bruce Bochy did with the All-Star roster, Fielder chose his teammate Rickie Weeks, and two of his "buddies," Matt Kemp and Mike Stanton.  Although Upton admitted to having no hard feelings and being more than happy to be hitting homers in situations and games that actually matter, it had to irk him being passed over, after basically openly campaigning for the opportunity a few days ago.  Fielder said that he would have liked to have had a D-backs representative in the Derby but he said that the players who he chose were his friends and he knows them well.  Apparently Prince thought this year's game was taking place at Miller Park  It will be interesting to see if this situation leads to a tinkering of the rules for the future to try and eliminate some of the bias.  I suppose Prince thought fans in Arizona would like the opportunity to see a few players that represent the cellar-dwellers of the National League showcase their skills on All-Star weekend.  The MLB All-Star game is starting to become more and more of a joke when you consider that Yankees ace C.C. Sabathia, who leads the A.L. in wins with 12, was snubbed as well in favor of guys you've never heard of named Glo Gonzalez, Brandon League, and Chris Perez.  Who you might ask?  Exactly my point.  Standball supporters in the Valley had to wait this many years for the All-Star game and this is the best product the MLB could put out on the field?  Wake me up when the lockouts end.

Ian Kennedy feels the All-Star snub

D-backs pitcher Ian Kennedy

The rosters for the MLB All-Star game on July 12th at Chase Field have been finalized and much to the surprise of D-backs players and fans alike, only one member of this year's squad was on the list.  Justin Upton was a no-brainer to make the National League roster after his stellar first half of the season in leading Arizona to surprise contention in the NL West.  What really rubbed some the wrong way was the fact that Ian Kennedy, the man who many consider the main reason for Arizona's successes this season, was curiously omitted.  The most unsettling part of the process is the fact that Giants manager Bruce Bochy, who will be managing the National League, chose 3 of his own pitcher's over Kennedy, even though the D-backs right hander had more innings pitched and a better ERA than both Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain.  Obviously Bochy has every right to favor his own players who have indeed pitched well, and he undoubtedly wants to reward them for leading his club to a World Series title last year, but he has had the opportunity to witness the 26 year old right hander dominate his own club twice this season, with a front row dugout seat.  Unfortunately, the D-backs ace expeditiously went out and had his worst outing of the season Sunday against Oakland which could ultimately end up sealing his All-Star fate.  However, Kennedy still does have a chance to make the squad under a couple of different circumstances, though it shouldn't take an online fan poll or a pitcher withdrawing from the game last minute for him to receive his just due.  He rightfully deserves to be pitching for the National League at the mid-summer classic whether it was taking place in his home ballpark or not.  Perhaps baseball should employ the same rules as the NBA, where all coaches in each conference are given the chance to vote which players are deserving.  That way we can eliminate what appears to be nothing more than an obvious case of hometown bias and favoritism.

Justin Upton becoming a superstar

Expectations can be overwhelming and sometimes unforgiving.  They can also turn out to be ingenious.  Justin Upton is starting to make believers of the latter.  The Arizona Diamondbacks #1 overall pick from the 2005 draft is developing into a bonafide superstar right in front of our eyes.  Upton capped an unbelievable weekend series against the Chicago White Sox by going 13-23 at the plate, with three doubles, five RBI, two stolen bases, and his first career walk-off home run Friday night.  The 5-tool right fielder entered the big leagues with more potential than any prospect in recent memory, and it appears that everything is finally clicking for him this season.  With the All-Star game coming to Chase Field in July, "J-Up" is certainly making a case for a spot on the N.L. squad after compiling a .302 batting average with 12 homeruns, 38 RBI, and 13 stolen bases to date.  Couple that with the fact that the Diamondbacks currently sit just .5 games behind the World Series champion San Francisco Giants for first place in the NL West and credit is being given where it is justly due.  While kudos also go out to Kevin Towers, Kirk Gibson, Ian Kennedy and J.J. Putz for the D-backs re-emergence, it is great to see Upton not only embrace the leadership role, but also begin to show that all of the buzz and hype surrounding him was indeed warranted.  Upton's older brother, B.J., was selected 2nd overall by the Tampa Bay Rays in 2002.  Baseball runs in the family genes as the Upton brothers were the only brothers ever to be selected #1 and #2 in the draft.  The excitement being generated by the D-backs is starting to gradually bring the fans back out to Chase Field, as attendance has steadily increased over the first quarter of the season.  Fans finally have something to be excited about with baseball again, and hopefully Justin Upton can continue his dominating display on the diamond for years to come.  A return to past glory is just what this organization, fanbase, and the city of Phoenix needs so desperately.