MLB Teams Campaign For Players For Final All-Star Game Spots

The '09 MLB All-Star Game Sprint Final Vote allows fans to vote up until tomorrow afternoon on the final players to join both the AL and NL rosters for the game, and the Giants are "mining Venezuela for votes" on behalf of 3B Pablo Sandoval, who currently leads the NL balloting, according to Henry Schulman of the S.F. CHRONICLE. The Giants "taped a video of Sandoval explaining what it would mean to represent his town and country at the All-Star Game and made it available to media sites throughout Venezuela." The team also "e-mailed an image of the 'Vote Pablo' logo in Spanish to one newspaper, which plans to feature it in a full-page ad." Giants Senior Dir of Media Relations Jim Moorehead: "Pablo's done all he could on the field. We just tried to figure out what we could do locally with the fans, and nationally and internationally, so we're reaching out to Venezuela" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 7/8). Giants Senior VP/Communications Staci Slaughter said the team yesterday received a "ton of inquiries from the Venezuelan media" (MLB.com, 7/7). Giants players Monday took the field for batting practice "with a 'Vote Pablo' sticker affixed" to their uniforms, and manager Bruce Bochy "wore the ubiquitous sticker under the bill of his cap" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 7/7).

VOTE ONLINE, PLEASE: S.F. Chronicle columnist Gwen Knapp noted the Giants have placed computer booths around AT&T Park to encourage fans to vote for Sandoval. However, the team has a "little bit of a conflict." Knapp: "The people that are handling the text messages is Sprint. As we know, (the Giants are) not connected with Sprint, they are connected with AT&T. So they really want people to use their computers and not text messaging" ("Chronicle Live," CSN Bay Area, 7/7).

Phillies Pushing For Victorino To Be Added To All-Star Team

VICTORINO MARCH: In Philadelphia, Sam Donnellon reports the Phillies are "e-mailing season ticketholders, posting on Facebook and Twittering too" on behalf of CF Shane Victorino, as the "unlimited voting opportunity for the final spot assures a gaudy vote total, a chance to claim more interest in the process than there really is." Victorino is from Hawaii, and Phillies ballgirls in Hawaiian shirts "hit the city streets yesterday too, handing out flyers and Web site instructions" for voting. Phillies broadcaster Tom McCarthy also handed out fliers in Philadelphia yesterday afternoon. The Cira Centre also "will light up through tomorrow with Shane's number 8." Meanwhile, three Phillies fans "as part of a radio station promotion" yesterday were in the press box at Citizens Bank Park "casting ballot after ballot" for Victorino. The fans are "trying to outdo each other," and they will have been there "for a total of 52 hours when voting ends" tomorrow (PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS, 7/8).

SHOWING SUPPORT: MLB.com's Steve Gilbert reported the D-Backs "rolled out Arizona's heavy hitters" for 3B Mark Reynolds, with U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) "giving his endorsement on the team's broadcast and putting out a Twitter message of his own urging to his some 950,000 followers asking them to vote for Reynolds." Reynolds' hometown of Virginia Beach, Virginia, also declared yesterday "Vote for Mark Reynolds Day" (MLB.com, 7/7). Meanwhile, in St. Petersburg, Marc Topkin reports the Rays are "wearing T-shirts, putting up billboards [and] setting up laptops at the stadium" on behalf of 1B Carlos Pena. Rays players also are "wearing white Vote Los T-shirts with his photo during batting practice." Rays President Matt Silverman: "It's a full-force campaign to get Carlos on that club." Topkin notes there also is "talk on Boston fan message boards about voting for Pena (who grew up in the area) in reciprocation for Rays manager Joe Maddon selecting" Red Sox P Tim Wakefield for the AL All-Star team (ST. PETERSBURG TIMES, 7/8).