The opinions below are not those of 619Sports.Net. I am not a journalist beholden to any illusions of professional integrity. I am, however, a political scientist with a slight aversion to seeing ‘the Wave’ performed at sporting events.
When asked if she had voted for the 2010 MLB All-Star Game, California gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman said:
And there you have it.
Someone who wants to be governor can’t even muster the courage to cast a vote for an All-Star Game, let alone a national election vote for 28 years, and she thinks we should support her political aspirations? Laughable! The gall of today’s billionaires! If you can’t vote for any of the Padres to get into the All-Star Game, how can you represent their interests in Sacramento? How can…
…I can’t do this. It’s not right.
This quote by Meg Whitman has been taken out of context and twisted in such a way that it suits my ridiculously frivolous agenda. The truth is difficult to divulge…
I am the Meg Whitman of San Diego Padres fans*. I didn’t vote for the 2010 All-Star Game.
I know…it’s horrible…but let me explain.
Didn't vote? Then stop crying!
I’ve always been of the opinion that if you fail to vote in the elections, whether they are local, state, or national, you then forfeit your right to give commentary on the political landscape. Didn’t like Bush 43’s neoconservative post-9/11 foreign policy? Too bad…SHUT IT! Fundamentally disagree with Obama’s domestic shift toward socialism via healthcare reform? Go vote, or again…SHUT IT!!!
As these are my beliefs regarding civic duty, shouldn’t they be consistent across all facets of my life? Allow me to answer in the affirmative. I did not vote for the 2010 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. I have not voted since I electronically participated in the 2007 efforts to award the Padres’ Chris Young the final All-Star spot; which incidentally worked out great for the American League, as CY made the team and was hung with the loss**.
I really couldn’t tell you the last time I punched a paper All-Star ballot; and to that point, where were the ushers handing them out this season? With a voting record so “Whitman-esque” I’ve forfeited any right to comment on the dubious snubs incurred by our first place ball club, so regretfully, I shall refrain.
But had I voted, casting the bare minimum of one vote (see: ticket to complain), I would have been quite similar to my fellow Padres fans, indignant at yet another example of small market San Diego being ignored. But once my mind properly re-calibrated its fury, I might have said the following:
- The PENitentiary needs rest. Sure I’d want to see one more member of our indomitable ‘Pen invited to Anaheim, but they are in need of R&R more than any other members of our roster.
- Mat Latos is on an inning limit. Haha, National League! No All-Star Game for Latos equals a few more bullets in young Latos’ chamber. He’s coming for you, National League…and Hell’s coming with him!
(You might say I’m starting to rationalize these snubs so I can more adequately deal with the shame. To which I might say…I didn’t vote…so technically, per my voting/commentary policy, I haven’t said anything. What I don’t say is about to get better.)
- While Charlie Manuel is clearly a nitwit, I’ll add him to my Christmas card list and thank him for resting our bullpen. Maybe it gives the Padres that little bump they need to close out Game 7 of the World Series in Yankee Stadium***.
We all want recognition, whether it’s for ourselves or for the players we spend an inordinate amount of time supporting. But at the end of the day, no one remembers the All-Star Game. It’s the one All-Star exhibition in all of professional sports that I religiously watch yet can barely recount any of the results****.
So as much as commissioner Bud Selig tries to hype this event, the All-Star Game just doesn’t matter on the level he desires. Maybe it will matter to the Padres, in that it will further galvanize the “us against the world” approach. We can only hope.
For this fan, the 2010 All-Star Game provides another opportunity to process three hours of information only to then unceremoniously dump it while I ponder how similar I am to Meg Whitman. I look forward to an uncomfortable and conflicted Tuesday. Go NL!
* Without the bank account or the exorbitant need to etch myself in history by holding California political office after the greatest Hollywood action hero of the 20th century.
** In battles involving the Junior Circuit I pull for Boston, as my hatred of the Yankees is so overwhelming…but boy do I hate seeing fans of the New England Patriots celebrating via their baseball team. I regret that my votes for Chris Young aided and abetted the Northeast’s championship haul. You’re welcome for that home field advantage back in 2007, Boston!!!
*** I didn’t just say that…did I?
****Remember in 1983 when Atlee Hammaker gave up a grand slam to Fred Lynn at Old Comiskey Park? How ’bout Bo Jackson leading off the ‘89 classic with a home run off Rick Reuschel? That’s about all I can recall…oh wait…there was CY blowing it in 2007, and Josh Hamilton’s HR Derby exhibition in 2008. That’s a lot of memory gaps between 1983 and 2009…thus proving the All-Star Game is either an unmemorable event or I am suffering from repeated blunt head trauma, a prospect which is entirely possible.
Mike @ Avenging Jack Murphy.
Check out more of the Avenger in Chief’s hilarious rants on his website, Avenging Jack Murphy.
Craig Elsten -
Chainsaw -
