Paul Konerko’s Personality May Have Cost Him An All-Star Appearance
All-Star selections came out today and to many people’s surprise, Paul Konerko was not on the list of American League players. In my opinion, this is the biggest snub this year as far as All-Star players go. A player that has a .317 average, 21 HR and 62 RBIs and is not represented at the mid-summer classic is a crime if you ask me. With all his amazing stats, there is one big reason why I believe Konerko was not initially chosen to be in the All-Star game in Arizona.
The obvious reason is that he was not voted in by the fans, which is ridiculous in itself. As long as Konerko does not play for the New York Yankees or the Boston Red Sox, he will not be the leading vote getter among the fans. I understand that the All-Star game is for the fans, so MLB gives them the option to choose who they want to see as the starters. The problem I have with this is that they make the game worth something in baseball. The winner gets home field advantage in the World Series. I just think that baseball cannot have it both ways. If they want to make the game all about the fans then take away all the meaning for the game. If they want the game to be meaningful in October, let the coaches decide who gets in initially.
With that being said, I also believe that Konerko’s personality is what keeps him away from the first cuts. His entire career, Konerko has never been the type of player to make news for his actions outside the diamond, or even a player to act bigger than he is on the diamond. Konerko was the guy that when the White Sox came to him and said they were making him captain, he did not want the big “C” on his jersey. He is as humble as they come in the majors, and I think that is why he does not get noticed like he should. If Konerko was the type of player that was on the cover of the video games, or was in all of the big commercials, he would get the attention from the average fan. Even though he is in a big market like Chicago, because he is such a quiet player, he gets lost.
Konerko is on the final ballot for the fans to get one more chance to bring him to Arizona for the big game. I believe that of the five players that are on the ballot, Konerko is the most deserving. Victor Martinez is the only one that I believe can give Konerko the most trouble, but with the way Chicago has been able to get their final ballot players to the All-Star game in the past, I believe Konerko will win by some large numbers. When Scott Podsednik and A.J Pierzynski were on the final player ballot in 2005 and 2006, the fans really stepped up and were able to get their White Sox players to the mid-summer classic. Of those past players, I believe that the 2011 Paul Konerko is the most deserving and I hope the fans make the right decision and send Konerko where he belongs: another All-Star game.
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They fans do the deciding by votes, IF they vote Yankees it’s up to them!!
Maybe, and this is just a thought, Konerko wasn’t pleasing the fans with his attitude.