Selig will use the election to justify it, as if there was nothing that he could do.

For what it’s worth, if Manny does get elected, I think he should play. Hopefully it will help keep the steroid situation in the forefront in order to spread the blame equally among everyone involved in the steroid era

Linky

There’s no rule preventing him from being voted in, and, as NL fans, we should want the best possible team for our league so that we can get home field advantage in the Series. If that means voting in Manny, then so be it. I don’t much like the idea of a guy who missed most of the first half of the season being voted in, but I also don’t like the idea of the ASG being any more than a fun exhibition game.

(On the flip side, I’m not entirely convinced that he’s going to be the best choice, given that he will have only been back for a few weeks at the ASG break.)

although,of course, MUCH less serious.

Manny will have served for his crime by doing the time. If the fans choose to elect him, he should play. If MLB doesn’t like it, maybe they should change the way All Stars are selected.

I don’t want to see Manny there, but mainly because I think the All Star team should be made up of the guys who have had the best season. And missing 50 games, Manny’s not in that bunch.

But for Bud to say, “oh well I know you’re voted in, but I’m not going to allow you to play.” And then at the same time ARod will be starting in the AL? It’s just crap.

Let Manny play in the ASG and let home field advantage in the World Series be determined by the pennant winner with the best W-L record.

Seriously?? You bash him and ridicule his steroid use, yet you want to elect him to the All-star game? This doesn’t have anything to do with Selig; this is about the ineptness of the voting fanbase, particularly the Dodgers..

… and not be involved in the WS home field at all. There aren’t really “leagues” any more, either; the lines have been blurred by interleague play and the game isn’t really played like a regular game, with players shuttling in and out.

Years ago, there was a real league rivalry and players played to win. Now, the “leagues” (there aren’t even league presidents any more) are more like the NFC and AFC.

No matter how sticky the moral dilemma, I think we can be confident of one thing: Bud won’t give it even a moment’s thought.

… and so therefore he shouldn’t be in. The guy broke the rules, he hasn’t played, and now by allowing him to play we’re going to say he had a first of the season that justifies an all-star berth? Makes no sense.

My two cents…for what they’re worth. :)

The campaign to elect him is premised on the notion of voting for him because of the steroid issue and the subsequent controversy that it would cause vis a vis the system of ASG voting…Since when to we celebrate anarchicist tendencies?

As for the performance argument…Manny’s positive test means that his impressive numbers this year have to be viewed as “steroid numbers.” Voting for Manny based on performance then is to condone production created via those means; in effect voters will be creating a system where there is a league-sanctioned reward for risking steroid use….how do they suppose that will impact the league’s efforts to stamp out the endemic problem?

I would imagine that a lot of people around the country are voting for him because they find the idea of causing trouble to be amusing. (Probably the same kind of people who revel in celebrating the dregs of society on Jerry Springer-type shows).

And of course many people have a (legitimate) feeling that the AS voting system is a screwed up popularity contest. I agree that it is, but I don’t see how blowing up the whole thing solves anything. If you want a better system, you help foster an ethic among voters to vote for the player who’s performance that season (legally obtained) is most outstanding, instead of just voting for the guy whose laundry colors you admire. Is that an uphill climb? Of course. But it’s not impossible.

As for the point that the ASG shouldn’t matter and instead be an exhibition. I agree. But right now it does matter. Given that, it seems to me that we should treat it as such, no?

Anyway, the world won’t end if Manny is elected…but I do think it’ll be a really bad precedent (different from, say ARod, because in the latters case there is no official ruling on his drug use).

That way when Bud bans him, he sets the precedent that no steroid users can play in the ASG.

If you test positive in the NFL you’re not allowed to do the Pro-Bowl or get the big “player of the year” awards.

All those have contract escalators, so they’re a big deal to the player. Taking games away is fine, but hit them with things that really matter to the player and IMHO its apt to work better.