MLB All Star Game

According to a release by the official MLB Twitter, Los Angeles Dodgers rookie sensation Yasiel Puig has been omitted from the 2013 National League All-Star team.

The 2013 Major League Baseball All-Star Game rosters were announced Saturday night, and there are a handful of studs who will stand out on the big stage.

With the stakes high as the winner gets home-field advantage in the 2013 World Series, these world-class players will be giving it their all during the July 16 event despite all of the fanfare and entertainment. 

Merriam-Webster defines all-star as “composed wholly or chiefly of stars or of outstanding performers or participants.”  On July 16, the stars and outstanding performers from the 30 Major League Baseball teams will assemble at Citi Field in New York to showcase their talents in a battle for World Series home-field advantage.  

Over the weekend, MLB.com released the most recent tallies for MLB All-Star fan voting. Many positions look to be locked up, but a number of players are still making their cases for why they should get the nod.

There are a lot of players worthy of being selected to the 2013 MLB All-Star Game, but not all of them will make it.

Thirty-three players make the AL All-Star team, and 33 players make the NL All-Star team. That means that a mere 66 players make the initial team, which is extremely tiny when you consider that 750 players are currently on active MLB rosters.

Major League Baseball All-Star voting always makes for good debate.

That's because everybody's definition of an All-Star is a little different.

Some like to see the players who've done best in the current season, regardless of their career history. Others prefer to pick the top players in the sport, even if their production has slipped a bit this year.

And, of course, someone always gets snubbed.

When your favorite team stinks, it leads to a heated discussion over who should be the "best of the worst" and be the representative for the Major League Baseball All-Star Game.

The rule requiring that one player from every team must be in the event has lead to healthy debate and getting somebody like Ron Coomer to rub elbows with people who deserve to be there.

What exactly is an All-Star?

After seeing the latest All-Star Update (NL/AL) and talking with experts such as Danny Knobler, I decided to take a closer look at this year’s possible selections.

Its election time again.  Philadelphians know what that means. 

Vote early.  Vote often.

This is not about city council, though.  Nor is it about blue and red states. 

It certainly has nothing to do with the mayor’s office.

The constituency is located in Ashburn Alley.  The candidates wear white with cherry pinstripes.     

Balloting is underway for this year’s MLB All Star game. 

Major League Baseball has started its annual All-Star voting campaign for the July 10 event in Kansas City. Over the years, I have been strongly opposed to having the voting start so early.

However, the voting for the starters is more of a popularity contest where Yankees fans would probably vote for Derek Jeter 25 times if he were hitting .200.