Linecum on the starting lineup and not Brad Hawpe?

[El Supremo]

Damn Pacific coast bias.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Ichiro Suzuki, rf
Derek Jeter, ss
Joe Mauer, c
Mark Teixeira, 1b
Jason Bay, lf
Josh Hamilton, cf
Evan Longoria, 3b
Aaron Hill, 2b
Roy Halladay, p

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Hanley Ramirez, ss
Chase Utley, 2b
Albert Pujols, 1b
Ryan Braun, rf
Raul Ibanez, lf
David Wright, 3b
Shane Victorino, cf
Yadier Molina, c
Tim Lincecum, p

:wtf:

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090713&content_id=5857906&vkey=allstar2009&fext=.jsp

[Upton]

1. Hawpe doesn't belong in the starting lineup

I believe he finished 18th in the voting....the people don't want to see him.

[El Supremo]

3. Hawpe finished 4th in the peer voting.

That's why it was announced that he was a starter, replacing Carlos Beltran.

So why does a starter not get to start?

[Upton]

4. Hawpe was selected as a reserve

not voted in, therefore Charlie Manuel can do with him what he likes.

[El Supremo]

5. Gotta go to Tracy Ringolsby to get the right answer

Victorino Gets OF Start
July 13, 2009 | 10:16 am 2
By Tracy Ringolsby

Contrary to what was written, Brad Hawpe is not the in NL starting lineup. It had been written that because he received the most votes from players he would be the replacement for an injured outfielder.

Not so.

NL manager Charlie Manual gets to pick the replacement, and he chose his own center fielder, Shane Victorino, to replace Carlos Beltran of the Mets.

It makes sense. Victorino is a center fielder. If he had taken Hawpe instead, he would have had to decide on who to play center out of the trio of Hawpe, a right-fielder, and left fielders Ryan Bruan and Raul Ibanez, the two outfielders remaining that the fans voted to the starting lineup.

Does this make sense?

http://www.insidetherockies.com/2009/07/13/victorino-gets-of-start/

I think Manual is doing a little pay back for what the Rockies did to him in the 2007 NLDS.

[hughee99]

6. Because Beltran is a CF and Hawpe isn't.

If Ibanez had been unable to play, Hawpe would be starting.

[madinmaryland]

2. It's probably all those ballot-box stuffing Frisco Kids

that are skewing this to a west coast bias.

:shrug:

[JonLP24]

7. Well Lincecum deserves to be the starting pitcher

Brad Hawpe deserves to be the starting RF but really it is a tossup between him and Braun based on stats. Who is the better fielder? I say all this as a Rockies fan.