Via Newsday -
Three weeks from today, the best players in the American and National leagues will line up along the baselines at Yankee Stadium for the 79th All-Star Game. At least two and as many as six will be Yankees.
Johnny Damon wants to be one of them.
“I’m ready to go out and prove myself as one of the better guys in the game,” the left fielder said Sunday. “There’s been so many All-Star Games where I felt like I deserved to go. I feel like I’ve missed a couple and going toward the end of my career, three times sounds better than two.”
It appears that Manny Ramirez, Josh Hamilton, and Ichiro Suzuki will be voted to the team.
Ramirez and Hamilton deserve to be on the team. Ichiro? I suppose, based on past performance, he has a case. After those three, Milton Bradley, Grady Sizemore, and J.D. Drew deserve to be on the team as well.
Then, it gets interesting. It’s a battle between Jack Cust, B.J. Upton, Nick Markakis, and Carlos Quentin – along with Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui – to maybe make the team as another reserve outfielder.
If Brian Roberts and Bobby Crosby make the team, maybe that takes Nick Markakis and Jack Cust out of the picture? And, if Joe Crede is chosen to back-up A-Rod at third (and he should be!) then maybe that takes Carlos Quentin out of the mix?
Damon’s biggest speed bumps may be B.J. Upton and Hideki Matsui.
From a Yankees fan perspective, if it came down between Damon and Matsui, who would you rather see on the All-Star team?
6 Responses to “Damon Wants To Be An All-Star”
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June 24th, 2008 at 9:07 am
matsui all the way…I don’t like damon really
June 24th, 2008 at 9:07 am
Is Ortiz going to be back by then? If not, couldn’t Matsui take his place as the starting DH? Francona gets a say on the subs too, right? I bet he’ll lean towards Damon.
June 24th, 2008 at 9:17 am
I think Matsui will be on the team as the DH. No other DH is having the season he is having.
June 24th, 2008 at 10:54 am
IIRC, there’s no rule that says the DH on the AS team has to be someone who was a DH during the season. There’s no reason that a guy like Giambi cannot be taken and start the game at DH.
June 24th, 2008 at 11:51 am
Its going to be up in the air because I am pretty sure Ortiz will sit and not play. They said over the weekend he was seven to ten days from picking up a bat – I can’t see how he returns till after the break, at that rate. He has to go through dry swings, hitting off a tee, soft toss, regular batting practice and a rehab assignment.
I don’t think managers have as much influence as they used to, as the league consults on everyone who isn’t a starter. I do think Damon deserves it more than Matsui though.
June 25th, 2008 at 9:21 am
You can NOT allow Matsui to play the OF. He is a better hitter then JD, but when you consider defense and speed, JD is the better choice. However, neither deserve to make it in the OF.
Giambi should certainly get consideration for DH.
He’s 4th in the league in OPS.