No more Nomar

It seems like every year come mid-baseball season, there is some controversy regarding fan voting for all-stars in Major League Baseball. This year is no exception.\nAt weeks end, such undeserving players as Tino Martinez of the Yankees, Manny Ramirez of the Red Sox, Scott Rolen with St. Louis and Mike Piazza and Carlos Beltran of the Mets were all leading in fan votes for their respective positions. This just isn't right, and something must be done.\nFor those of you who aren't aware, the starters in the All-Star game are determined by fan voting, whether it be online or by sending in a ballot -- which can be found at ballparks and other various baseball-related establishments. Inevitably, there are always players voted in who have missed a significant part of the season due to injury (see Rolen), or some who just aren't having the All-Star caliber season that they usually do (see Beltran). In turn, these undeserving players take the starting spot from players who are having magnificent years. \nForemost among these victimized players is Derrek Lee of the Chicago Cubs. Lee is approaching God-like status at the plate this year, and should unquestionably be the National League's All-Star starter at first base. However, Lee is currently second in votes, trailing Cardinal first baseman Albert Pujols. Don't get me wrong, Pujols is having an outstanding year himself, and would undoubtedly be the starter any other year. In fact, Pujols is so good, he doesn't even appear to be human. I recently heard a rumor that Pujols was created by the U.S. Military in a top-secret Air Force Base in Roswell, N.M., by fusing molecules of Plutonium and Uranium. He was then released on an unsuspecting baseball populous in 2001, where he has since gone on to wreak untold havoc and awe-inspiring damage. \nA rumor like that has got to be true. Regardless, Lee is chief among those wronged by the perils of fan voting. \nThere are several things discouraging about fan voting. First, any dolt with a computer can vote up to 25 times, and this same dolt could vote endlessly with mail-in ballots. In theory, this would allow some crazed, over-zealous Cubs fan to vote for Nomar Garciaparra a 1,000 times. In fact, up until last week, Garciaparra was indeed the leading vote getter for National League shortstops, despite being injured since April 20. \nThe concept of voting for an injured player that you wouldn't get to see play anyway is mind-boggling -- it's like writing in Harry Truman for President in every election, despite knowing that he's been dead for 33 years. \nPerhaps Major League Baseball should create an All-Injured Game to appease these incorrigible fans. For example, this year you could probably get a decent game going, with such names as Garciaparra, Barry Bonds, Eric Gagne, Curt Schilling and the entire Chicago Cubs roster on the disabled list. Throw in heavyset slugger Cecil Fielder and the evil spirit of former Cincinnati Reds owner Marge Schott just for fun, and I think you'd have a fairly interesting game. \nAnother side-effect of fan voting that is particularly unfortunate is the fact that smaller market teams like the Brewers, Marlins, Tigers and others have their superstars nearly forgotten, as teams like the Yankees, Red Sox and Cubs dominate voting. \nFor example, Carlos Lee of the Milwaukee Brewers is currently 15th in National League outfield voting, despite the imposing numbers he has put up so far this year. Undeserving large market players in front of him include Larry Walker of the Cardinals at sixth and Corey Patterson of the Cubs at 12th. \nTo correct the egregious problems of fan voting, I suggest that a short quiz be added to the front of the fan ballots. In order to vote, you must pass a quiz that would feature questions like:\nWho is more deserving of being on an all-star team -- Player 1, who has missed nearly the entire season due to a horrific groin injury, or Player 2, who has a batting average of .300 and has played the entire year?\nIf you picked Player 1, there's a special game for you to watch, where a double play combo of Garciaparra and Schott reigns supreme, and the titanically swollen right knee of Bonds roams left field. \nIf you picked Player 2, you would now be eligible to vote for the starters of the All-Star game, and hopefully help to right some of these All-Star wrongs.