Opinion

We all remember how it ended.

There was the flatly refused contract offer after the 2003 season. There were the protracted flirtations between the Red Sox and Alex Rodriguez. And there was a frustrated phone call to sports talk radio from Nomar Garciaparra’s honeymoon, of all places.

For those of you who haven't heard, the 2009 San Francisco Giants are built on pitching and for the most part, their pitching has been nothing but dominant.

Both the starting rotation and bullpen have been rock-solid all season long, but not without their fare share of weak spots.

One of those weak spots was recently replaced when rookie pitcher Ryan Sadowski took over the fifth spot in the rotation from a struggling Jonathan Sanchez.

"Manny was of a mind, 'Just let me take batting practice.'  I encouraged him to play games.  If he's going to miss 50 games, then he's going to have to do something."  Joe Torre stated this in a recent interview with Sports Illustrated's Dan Patrick.

Yes, Manny should continue to play and practice baseball.  With him missing 50 games, that is a lot of time to get out of shape.

Why should Manny get to return before his 50-game suspension?

As is the case every season, the official announcement of the rosters for the All-Star game has created some controversy.

The fans and players votes have been tallied and some glaring omissions need to be mentioned.

So without further adieu, let's take a look at the five biggest All-Star game snubs of 2009.

With the all star rosters announced, I’m going to break it down position by position for the A.L and give you my take on whether the fans got it right, or if I have a problem with it.

American League All-Stars

I can feel the indignant outrage already exploding across barber shops and sports bars across all of Minnesota.

"Why isn't Kevin Slowey on the All Star Team?"

"Don't they know he has ten wins?"

As it stands, the Detroit Tigers sit atop the American League Central Division with a modest two-game lead.  Yet, looks can be deceiving when you look at the AL Central.  

This is definitely the worst division in the majors, with no team standing far above the others.  At this point, the Tigers, Minnesota Twins and Chicago White Sox are the three teams that will contend for the division championship.  

As I sat at my computer anxiously awaiting Charlie Manuel's decisions on this year's National League pitching staff, I wondered whether or not the Phillies' skipper thought Josh Johnson would make the team. 

Would Javier Vazquez sneak in?  Who would he choose as the last relief pitcher?  One wonder that I did not think I had to consider was whether or not Yovani Gallardo, Milwaukee's ace, would be on this year's team. 

Isn't it amazing how sports shape our perceptions of people?

Remember just two years ago when Barry Bonds was chasing the all-time home run record? Who gave him the most grief on the road?

Dodger fans.

The same Dodger fans who have turned their head to the fact that their guy actually was caught for PEDs. The same Dodger fans who doesn't believe that Bonds could have taken steroids unknowingly doesn't think or doesn't care what Manny Ramirez does, because he's their guy now.

If the fans of Philadelphia expect a repeat this fall, or for that matter a solid playoff run, the starting pitching must be addressed. 

The struggles of Jimmy Rollins, Raul Ibanez being on the DL, inconsistent hitting across the board, home ballpark struggles, championship hangover, or any other excuse you want to chalk up, all are minuscule in comparison to the conspicuous truth—the Phillies need another starting pitcher.  

Let's discuss starting pitching first.