Our lone All Star Game Representative

by ak123 on Jul 5, 2009 12:52 PM CDT Comment 65 comments

Well the National League All Star Game representatives have been chosen and Ted Lilly is our lone representative on the team (and only starting pitcher from NL Central I believe).

Personally, I think he has earned this selection and probably could have been on the team the last two years as well. Jason Marquis also got selected on the team this year.

Unless we're part of the fan-voting for the final player (Derrek Lee could pop up on there), Ted Lilly is our only man. Do you guys think any other of our pitchers should have made the roster? What do you all think about the team in general? I actually think the NL team seems a little weak this year actually.

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of SB Nation or Al Yellon, managing editor (unless it's a FanPost posted by Al). FanPost opinions are valued expressions of opinion by passionate and knowledgeable baseball fans.

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Final Representatives

REYNOLDS
KEMP
VICTORINO
SANDOVAL
GUZMAN

I think Theriot could have been listed instead of Guzman but that’s just a personal opinion.

I think the managers made it clear they didn’t want Cubs on the team (not that they’ve earned it this year). Then again, fans also made it clear. I don’t think anyone on the team but Soriano made it on the top 5 voting for any position.

by ak123 on Jul 5, 2009 1:14 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Maybe our GM Jimbo has a comment on this?

"I'm not much of a chemistry guy, you know. Chemistry to me is a pinch-hit double with the bases loaded"--Jim Frey, Chicago Tribune, 1985.

by zevkalman on Jul 5, 2009 1:18 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I really

don’t care. The ASG isn’t all that important.

I'm a Cubs FANATIC. They are my team, through thick and thin. [ibid] This is the kind of fan I am.

by drewishdrewid on Jul 5, 2009 1:19 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

True

But I personally enjoy seeing my favorite Cubs players competing against players we don’t normally watch. It was extremely cool seeing them play at Yankee Stadium.

by ak123 on Jul 5, 2009 1:23 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Right.

Because home field advantage in the World Series is irrelevant.

"The riches of the game are in the thrills, not the money." --Ernie Banks

by dtpollitt on Jul 5, 2009 1:56 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

that's

an aberration and should be removed from consideration. But I don’t think ANY one Cub can make that happen.

I'm a Cubs FANATIC. They are my team, through thick and thin. [ibid] This is the kind of fan I am.

by drewishdrewid on Jul 5, 2009 4:25 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

agreed

giving home field advanatge to the ream representing the league that wins the ASG is one of the stupidest ideas ever. It has not made the players play harder, sadly most players see this game as an exhibition not as a chance to prove your league is better. First free agency and later interleague play have effectively killed the ASG rivalry that used to be so strong. Too bad, it used to be the best of the all star games hands down, now it is becoming like the other all star games. Too bad.

A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject.
--Winston Churchill

by lookingdeadred on Jul 6, 2009 8:14 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm glad Lilly made it but

i dont like the rule that a player from every team makes the all star team. A player shouldnt be left off the roster just becuase someone else made the team just becuase he had to be his teams lone rep

by Aramis Ramirez on Jul 5, 2009 1:47 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Agree

Who would you have replaced on the team?

by ak123 on Jul 5, 2009 2:01 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

couldnt find any1

for the first time in a couple years i couldnt really find any1 who doesnt deserve to be on the team. Most of the guys who are lone reps r having great years. why though did Tim Wakefield make it, i understand he has 10 wins but a 4.30 era i dont really think he deserves to make it. I think Kevin Millwood deserved it, Also how is Miguel Cabrera not on the final vote instead of Pena

by Aramis Ramirez on Jul 5, 2009 2:19 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

But also think

If they didn’t have the rule, Lilly might not have been selected and he’s been very deserving for 3 years.

by ak123 on Jul 5, 2009 2:01 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Agree

That said, Ted Lilly deserves to be on the team. The only Cub that deserves to be on the team. Which speaks VOLUMES on this wondrous $135 million roster.

$136 million payroll for a .500 style ballclub. Good work Jim.

by BLou on Jul 5, 2009 2:05 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

We get it.

Please talk about something else.

"Pounding sand since 1982...."

by cubswynn on Jul 5, 2009 2:33 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

LOL!

A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject.
--Winston Churchill

by lookingdeadred on Jul 6, 2009 8:14 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I like that rule

the game is a celebration of the entire league and the game itself and I think its nice that all teams are represented, most years you can find at least one guy legitimately deserving of it

Okay, just so I understand it... in your wildest fantasy, you are in hell. And you are co-running a bed and breakfast with the devil.

by bren on Jul 5, 2009 9:27 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think the time off this season

is good for our team. Last season it was good to see the due respect given with how we were playing.

baseball is a game of outs......pop out, ground out, line out, pitch out, strike out, fly out, and Fox and Bud's favorite black out

by Cubbie-Tim on Jul 5, 2009 2:08 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

For everyone but DLee

I don’t to see him miss playing any day at this rate.

by ak123 on Jul 5, 2009 2:19 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

So, who would have expected

when Jim Hendry’s big off-season led to big contracts for Ted Lilly and Jason Marquis, that they would both be All-Stars the final year of Marquis’ contract?

For all the criticism Jim has gotten this year, those two signings have been good ones, especially compared to the guy most people were clamoring for – Barry Zito.

Randy Wells - You continue to astound me.

by DGU on Jul 5, 2009 2:37 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Yup - as was the DeRosa signing...

Hendry went 3/4 on those big contracts. Soriano was the only one that looks bad now.

by SouthernCub on Jul 5, 2009 2:40 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Still doesn't look bad to me

Without soriano we might not have had 2 Octobers….

by ak123 on Jul 5, 2009 2:42 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

And may not have gotten Lilly and others to sign here...

That said, Soriano has been well worth it to this point. But the concern is the next five years on the deal.

by SouthernCub on Jul 5, 2009 3:04 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I don't understand this at all

Without Soriano we would have had 18 million a year to spend on a better player that maybe could have gotten the Cubs beyond the first round of the playoffs.

by Luis on Jul 5, 2009 4:01 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Or not

Maybe we spent it on a pitcher? Maybe the money doesn’t get spent at all.

The only thing we can attribute the money thus far is that it was used on a player that got us to October twice.

by ak123 on Jul 5, 2009 4:16 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

We have to wait until the contract is over to evaluate it fully.

If the contract ended after this year and Soriano continued to struggle for the rest of the season I’d say it was an OK deal anyway — the Cubs would have got about what they paid for (not to say that he would have signed a 3-year, $40-mil offer). The big question is what happens for the next 5 years, in which he’ll be paid more and at this stage in his career is very likely to deliver less. If he produces for the next 5 years like he did in the two before this one, and if the economy gets back on track and inflates salaries around baseball, it will look pretty good. I’m not very confident of those things happening, though. I think it will turn out to be, a move that helped the 2007 and 2008 Cubs at the expense of the 2009-2014 Cubs.

by aldimond on Jul 5, 2009 4:34 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

(I apologize for the punctuation foul in the last paragraph there.)

by aldimond on Jul 5, 2009 4:35 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

What better player were you going to buy?

Randy Wells - You continue to astound me.

by DGU on Jul 5, 2009 4:25 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Exactly the question I was going to ask

by Wreckard on Jul 5, 2009 8:57 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

fantasy baseball fever

pretend to catch it!

I'm a Cubs FANATIC. They are my team, through thick and thin. [ibid] This is the kind of fan I am.

by drewishdrewid on Jul 5, 2009 9:10 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Since he hasn't answered, let's look at what the possibilities would have been

In 2006 we could have signed the following alternatives:

Drew, J.D.
Guillen, Jose
Lee, Carlos
Pierre, Juan
Sheffield, Gary
Stewart, Shannon
Williams, Bernie

Other than Drew, that’s a lot of yuck.

So let’s say we said forget playing to win in 2007, let’s not sign anyone and play Matt Murton every day in left and then sign someone for 2008. Here were the options there:

Aaron Rowand
Andruw Jones
Jose Guillen
Torii Hunter
and of course
Barry Bonds

Please, please tell me who from either list would have been a better option to Soriano over the past 2 years. Please.

by Wreckard on Jul 5, 2009 10:44 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

they're going to argue

Carlos Lee is not a lot of yuck.

I'm a Cubs FANATIC. They are my team, through thick and thin. [ibid] This is the kind of fan I am.

by drewishdrewid on Jul 5, 2009 10:48 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Well, I'm not convinced Lee was ever actually available

He didn’t seem particularly interested in playing anywhere but Houston.

That said, his value has been carefully protected in Houston with that tiny left field to patrol. In Wrigley he would’ve been beyond overexposed in left. Anyone who would hate on Soriano’s defense and then suggests Lee is a viable replacement is daft.

by Wreckard on Jul 5, 2009 11:00 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

This is exactly what I've come to understand.

Carlos Lee saw an ideal work/life balance situation in Houston and didn’t seriously consider any other bidders.

I've committed to tweeting about the Cubs for the rest of the season. (Does that sound as ridiculous as I think it does?) Anyway, if you're on Twitter, you can follow me here.

by dat cubfan daver on Jul 6, 2009 10:12 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'd also add

Soriano’s WAR 2007 + 2008: 8.6
Lee’s WAR 2007 + 2008: 6.6

by Wreckard on Jul 5, 2009 11:02 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I've always liked J.D. Drew.

And if the Cubs had signed Drew, would they have ever gone after Fukudome? If I’m not mistaken, Kosuke is Drew minus the consistency. I guess they still would’ve needed a left fielder, though.

I've committed to tweeting about the Cubs for the rest of the season. (Does that sound as ridiculous as I think it does?) Anyway, if you're on Twitter, you can follow me here.

by dat cubfan daver on Jul 6, 2009 10:16 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Minus the consistency and the power...

Drew has hit for a lot more power than Fukudome.

Drew has been a consistent 20-25 HR per season guy, along with the .280 average and .390 OBP. He’s Fukudome plus about 100 OPS points.

by SouthernCub on Jul 6, 2009 10:44 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, that too.

I just recall reading that Drew represents a comparable of Dome’s best-case-scenario upside. I doubt Kosuke will ever bring that kind of power, but if he could attain Drew’s OBP numbers (along with his fair share of XBHs), Dome could still turn out to be a valuable player.

I've committed to tweeting about the Cubs for the rest of the season. (Does that sound as ridiculous as I think it does?) Anyway, if you're on Twitter, you can follow me here.

by dat cubfan daver on Jul 6, 2009 11:07 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I agree...

You can do a good bit worse than JD Drew and still be a valuable player. If Fukudome could be a .280/.390/.430 player consistently (rather than the peaks and valleys player we’ve gotten to this point), he’d be a pretty valuable player.

Fukudome’s biggest “problem” is that people set the bar too high, assuming he’d be this big power threat.

by SouthernCub on Jul 6, 2009 11:24 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

No one earned it

Lilly included. He’s had a nice year, but I think he’s only going because of the one per team rule.

In any case, good that an ASG spot isn’t being handed to one of our underachievers on the basis of reputation alone. And doubly-good that almost the whole roster will get to use the break to rest up and to heal.

by Orval Overall on Jul 5, 2009 2:42 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I really thought Soriano was going to make it.

I’m glad he didn’t.

"Live and be happy, beloved children of my heart, and never forget that until the day comes when God will deign to reveal the future to man, all human wisdom is contained in these words: wait and hope!" - The Count of Monte Cristo

by Bricks and Ivy on Jul 5, 2009 2:48 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Congrats to Ted.

His next outing should be Saturday. That’ll make it easy for him to get an inning of work on what would probably be a usual day for him to throw anyway.

"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra

by Al on Jul 5, 2009 4:57 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Who do you think will start?

Lincecum unless he’s hungover again?

by ak123 on Jul 5, 2009 5:04 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Hung over?

What do you base that on?

"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra

by Al on Jul 5, 2009 5:34 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Don't you remember?

It was all over the media last year that he partied too much during his first All Star Game weekend. He had “flu like symptoms” and couldn’t play the game. Atleast in NY media it was heavily implied.

by ak123 on Jul 5, 2009 5:46 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Oh.

Well, love that rumor and innuendo from the NY media, don’t you?

"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra

by Al on Jul 5, 2009 8:02 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yup

They did the same thing when we played the Mets last year at Wrigley.

They said Theriot had flu like symptoms and was scratched from the lineup. They then went on to say he was seen the night before with David Wright and the radio guy joked that “Ryan couldn’t handle a night out with NY’ers”.

by ak123 on Jul 5, 2009 8:38 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Kind of glad

we didn’t anybody other than Ted in. The guys could use some extra rest. I mean, isn’t that what the All Star BREAK is for?

Favorite player of all time: Ryne Sandberg.

by CUBSfaninYANKEEcountry on Jul 5, 2009 8:23 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Hey hey

Where in NY are ya?

I grew up in Rockland County and now live in Stamford CT.

by ak123 on Jul 5, 2009 8:39 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Rockland County

That’s where New City is located, correct? I have a friend that lives in New City, New York. Nice place. I’m in Queens.

Favorite player of all time: Ryne Sandberg.

by CUBSfaninYANKEEcountry on Jul 5, 2009 8:46 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I lived in New City

Are we the same age? I’m 25. Maybe we know the same person.

by ak123 on Jul 5, 2009 9:23 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Nah, you're a little older than me.

I’m 19.

Favorite player of all time: Ryne Sandberg.

by CUBSfaninYANKEEcountry on Jul 5, 2009 9:36 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Oh ok

I actually figured you were going to say you were 45.

by ak123 on Jul 5, 2009 9:46 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

LOL...

…Nah, I’m just a little younger than 45 lol.

Favorite player of all time: Ryne Sandberg.

by CUBSfaninYANKEEcountry on Jul 5, 2009 10:00 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I can never read the age scope on here

I honestly feel like I’m the youngest. People really date themselves on here. Then sometimes they act like they’re only 12 years old. Really difficult.

by ak123 on Jul 5, 2009 11:06 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Oh I definitely know how you feel.

Well, if it makes you feel any better, you now know you’re not the youngest lol.

Favorite player of all time: Ryne Sandberg.

by CUBSfaninYANKEEcountry on Jul 5, 2009 11:26 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think I'm the youngest

at 16. Or at least one of the youngest.

But hey, glad to confirm that Cubs fans are EVERYWHERE.

Planning to go to the New Yankee Stadium soon? Were you at the Cubs-Yankees exhibition games?

Aqui viene el Toro Venezolano, Carlos Zambrano, a batear...el lanzamiento...A LO PROFUNDOOO...NOO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NOO...DIGALE QUE NO A ESA PELOTA!! GANAN LOS CACHORROS DE CHICAGO!!

by azul_cachorro on Jul 15, 2009 3:38 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I got an idea!

Let’s make a list of all Amazing things Ted Lilly can do!

I haz comedy show in August. You come seez it please?: Hot Beans Delivers

by digitalbenjamin on Jul 6, 2009 10:57 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Maybe we could restrict it to all the amazing things he'll do in the ASG.

I've committed to tweeting about the Cubs for the rest of the season. (Does that sound as ridiculous as I think it does?) Anyway, if you're on Twitter, you can follow me here.

by dat cubfan daver on Jul 6, 2009 11:08 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Ted Lilly will strike out 6 batters in his 1 inning of work

(yes, the catcher will drop the 3rd strike for 3 batters)

I haz comedy show in August. You come seez it please?: Hot Beans Delivers

by digitalbenjamin on Jul 6, 2009 11:12 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

by dat cubfan daver on Jul 6, 2009 11:17 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I heard BCB's ex-girlfriend was...

Twinkietown perhaps. Daver did always like those curvy gals.

I haz comedy show in August. You come seez it please?: Hot Beans Delivers

by digitalbenjamin on Jul 6, 2009 11:28 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

that's just daver

being daver.

I'm a Cubs FANATIC. They are my team, through thick and thin. [ibid] This is the kind of fan I am.

by drewishdrewid on Jul 6, 2009 11:17 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Don't hate the Daver, hate the game!

I've committed to tweeting about the Cubs for the rest of the season. (Does that sound as ridiculous as I think it does?) Anyway, if you're on Twitter, you can follow me here.

by dat cubfan daver on Jul 6, 2009 11:24 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs