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Leagues and Governing Bodies

MLB Sets New All-Star Voting Record, Avoids Uproar Over Royals Players

This was the first year that voting for the MLB All-Star Game "was done entirely online, and a total of 620 million votes were cast, far surpassing the record of 391 million votes" in '12, according to Doug Miller of MLB.com. After a "spirited, months-long fan campaign to see the defending AL champion -- and current AL Central leader -- Royals well-represented in Cincinnati, the diamond will have plenty of K.C. representation." In fact, the four Royals voted to the All-Star team -- C Salvador Perez, SS Alcides Escobar, CF Lorenzo Cain and LF Alex Gordon -- "is a club record," surpassing the '79 squad that "had three players elected by the fans." Meanwhile, Blue Jays 3B Josh Donaldson's vote total of 14,090,188 is "the most in a single season in MLB history," surpassing Rangers LF Josh Hamilton's '12 "all-time single-season record of 11,073,744 tallies" (MLB.com, 7/6). In Toronto, Richard Griffin noted Blue Jays fans "for the third time in five seasons ... have pushed one of their own players over the top as the leading all-star vote-getter in computer voting." Royals 3B Mike Moustakas "had a lead of more than two million votes" with three weeks left in the voting period. But Donaldson "collected 2.7 million votes" in the final full week of balloting (TORONTO STAR, 7/6). The GLOBE & MAIL's Robert MacLeod noted Donaldson is the second Blue Jays player who has "led the way in fan voting," as RF Jose Bautista did so "twice in the past four years," most recently in '14. Hockey broadcaster Don Cherry "used his Hockey Night in Canada pulpit to stump for Donaldson in mid-June" (GLOBE & MAIL, 7/6).

ROYAL RELIEF: CBSSPORTS.com's Matt Snyder wrote the "major takeaway" from this year's All-Star voting is that there is "enough variety here when the players are only going to see the field for three or four innings that there's no reason for public outcry." The process "can't be viewed as a mockery and instead this is just a moment to congratulate the fine citizens of Kansas City for supporting their team in voting better than other cities (and surrounding areas, of course)." Four players is "the right amount of Royal" after national and regional pushback "resulted in things evening out" (CBSSPORTS.com, 7/5). In Las Vegas, Ed Graney wrote the voting system "didn’t prove to be a joke," although he is "not sure if it worked to perfection." At least there "wasn’t any lake of fire burning with brimstone." The All-Star voting process "can be fixed," and it "needs to be." MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred "has some work to do," but this "isn’t a disaster" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 7/6). In K.C., Sam Mellinger wrote, "Somehow, the process worked." After a month of "worry and complaints about Royals fans turning All-Star voting into their own cheap toy, the process worked." Still, MLB "should change the way this is done." The league "should bring back in-stadium voting, and lower the limit for each email address." But if the league "does alter the way the All-Star teams are chosen, it won’t be under a cloud of embarrassment from" Royals 2B Omar Infante being voted in. MLB "can claim victory here" (K.C. STAR, 7/6).

CALLS FOR CHANGE: In Boston, Bob Ryan wrote the All-Star Game is "not a game if pitchers throw one inning," or if managers "try to get everyone on a bloated roster into the game." If the game is "going to count" in determining home-field advantage in the World Series, the managers should "channel their inner Connie Mack and go for it." That "might get peoples’ attention." But right now "very few people care about the All-Star Game," and "they shouldn't" (BOSTON GLOBE, 7/6). In N.Y., Tyler Kepner wrote maybe the answer is "not to eliminate the link" between the All-Star Game and home-field advantage, but rather for the players and managers "to take the game more seriously." Managers "could strategize a little more." MLB's All-Star Game compared with its NFL, NBA and NHL counterparts "most closely resembles the competition in an actual game." The scores "are familiar," and while MLB "cannot help using silly caps ... at least the players still wear their regular uniforms for the game" (N.Y. TIMES, 7/5).

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