I've never been in favor of letting the fans choose the starting eight position players for the All-Star Game. Every year, it seems, there are worthy players left off the team because of one circumstance or another.
This year's victim should not be Jim Thome. Even measured by Thome standards, the first baseman is having a year unmatched by anyone else at his position, despite fighting through nagging injuries all season, and he should be rewarded with a spot in the mid-season classic.
His situation, however, is not without precedent in this town. I remember the 1980 game well because one player who should have been there was acknowledged by the one voted in by the fans.
At the mid-season break that year, Phillies' second baseman Manny Trillo was leading the National League with a .320 batting average. Unfortunately, the fans voted in the popular Davey Lopes, who had some good years with the Los Angeles Dodgers but was hitting something like .240 that year.
Lopes played the minimum three innings and was interviewed in the clubhouse between frames. He had the class to tell a national television audience that he should not have been selected and that Trillo deserved the honor more than him.
More recently, Doug Glanville had a career year in 1999 when he hit .325 and collected 204 hits. The center fielder was pretty consistent that season and was among the league leaders in both categories at the time of the break.
Always diplomatic, Glanville said all the right things when questioned about the All-Star Game.
"I understand how the system works, and it's unfortunate that I won't get to go this time," he said.
I think that a three-day rest would probably be good for Thome, but as one who understands and still holds valuable the traditions of the game, the big guy wants to be there, even though he won't say so publicly. If he's not selected, count on Thome saying something diplomatic.
I may have spoken too soon after Paul Abbott pitched one good game after the Phillies signed him. I don't think he's the solution for the starting rotation, although manager Larry Bowa appears to be sticking with him for now.
I'm beginning to think that general manager Ed Wade should seriously consider trading for a proven starter. Bringing up Gavin Floyd is not an option. Floyd is having some success at Reading, but a Double-A pitcher will not be able to withstand the pressure of a pennant race.
Getting back to trades, one rumor that I like is the Montreal Expos' Livan Hernandez. I don't know what he would cost, but I think that Wade should explore this possibility with a little more enthusiasm than he's shown in past seasons as the trading deadline approached.
I also think that Bowa is toeing the company line in public but is probably badgering Wade behind the scenes to get him a pitcher.
I've often said that expectations are based on players duplicating previous success. That's not happening with the pitchers this year, with the exception of Eric Milton, but some will argue that it's the offense that's letting down the hurlers. It's a little bit of both, and I think the pitching will improve if or when this team breaks out offensively.
It's the waiting game that I can't stand. There is a lot of talent on this team. When several players get hot at the same time, it becomes contagious, and the contributions tend to spread from one guy to the next.
This is the sort of thing that makes baseball exciting to watch. It's also what I remember most about the division championship teams that the Phillies fielded from the mid-1970s through the early '80s.
Finally, the current homestand will bring the team up to the mid-season break, and three of the four series are within the Eastern Division. The Phillies really need to pick up some ground now. Most of the rest of July is also within the division, so we should know by the end of the month if this team is for real or not.
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