The Dodgers have the best record in the NL, and P Kenley Jansen “took dead aim at the voters in the hometown precincts” because the team has no elected starters in the All-Star Game, according to Bill Shaikin of the L.A. TIMES. Jansen: “I’ll say it loud and clear again. It’s the Dodger fans’ fault.” Shaikin notes the Dodgers are “on pace to lead the major leagues in attendance for the fifth consecutive season, but All-Star voting no longer is done at the ballpark” -- it is “all online now.” The Dodgers “have not had an elected starter" since RF Yasiel Puig in ’14. Shaikin writes Dodgers fans might not "care about the game" since MLB "doesn’t seem to care about letting the Dodgers host the game," which last happened in '80. Shaikin: "Maybe fans don’t care about voting for players the team can’t seem to arrange for all to see on television, a blackout deep into its fourth season" (L.A. TIMES, 7/3). NBCSPORTS.com's Bill Baer wrote Jansen’s blame "is misplaced." The blame "should be on DirectTV and Charter Communications" over the carriage dispute. If fans are "unable to watch the Dodgers, their interest in the team dissipates." And that explains why the Dodgers "don’t have a player starting" for the NL (NBCSPORTS.com, 7/2).
