MLB yesterday said that 420 million votes have been cast by fans for the All-Star Game at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, "exceeding the record" of 391 million set in '12, according to Tyler Kepner of the N.Y. TIMES. MLB President of Business & Media Bob Bowman said, "Look at the number of votes -- how can I view that as anything but great news? The fans are engaged. This is one time they can really interact and tell us what to do, so you can understand why they take it seriously." Kepner notes the Royals have dominated the AL voting, and in the latest balloting updates released yesterday, Royals players "occupied seven of the nine spots on the team." The "only exceptions" are Tigers 1B Miguel Cabrera, who overtook the Royals 1B Eric Hosmer this week, and Angels CF Mike Trout. Following the release of the latest results, the Indians "posted several Twitter messages citing the statistics" of 2B Jason Kipnis, who entered yesterday hitting .345. One post read, “No more complaining, Tribe fans. Vote. Tell your friends, family, their family, their family. Only way it changes.” Kipnis was "fourth among AL second basemen, with less than half" of the total of Royals 2B Omar Infante. Bowman said, "What you’re seeing is other teams saying: ‘Hmm, we’d better get to work. We’d better help our players'" (N.Y. TIMES, 6/23). In Chicago, John Grochowski writes MLB "badly wants to send the message that this is the fans’ game." Putting players fans want to see in the lineups "matters more than honoring the best half-season players." Fans should "get to see their favorites," but nonetheless, if there is "one number that should be pared back, it’s seven Royals starters" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 6/23).
TIME TO FILL IN THE VOID: ESPN Radio’s Freddie Coleman noted MLB teams “are launching an all-out push to make sure their players … get a chance to be named to the All-Star Game." He said, “Hey Major League Baseball, how about taking a page out of this book? This is supposed to be your time. NBA Finals were great, Stanley Cup Final was terrific. But now basketball and hockey are off into the sunset, won’t talk about them until November. The NFL isn’t really going to get going until another month-and-a-half, possibly two when the regular season is right around the corner. This is supposed to be your time. ... Why not market yourself better?” (“The Freddie Coleman Show,” ESPN Radio, 6/19).
