Jason Varitek ... All-Star? Really? No.

I don't know what it's like to be voted into the All-Star game as a starter by the fans. So, perhaps it is unrealistic for me to think Jason Varitek should skip out on the game because of his lack of production this year. But, given that Varitek is hitting .244 (last among AL C's who qualify on the stats at espn.com) and is only ahead of two AL C's (Toby Hall and Jose Molina) with more than 100 AB's. The AL is loaded at the catcher position, with the list headed by Twins catcher Joe Mauer (who has a .391 batting average and more RBI's and runs than Varitek), A.J. Pierzynski (.326), Victor Martinez (.307, 11 HR's, 56 RBI's), Ivan Rodriguez (.306), and Ramon Hernandez (.274, 15, 59) who leads AL catchers in HR and RBI's. Throw in Kenji Johjima (.294, 10, 41) and Jorge Posada (.292, 11, 45) and you realize that the only "qualified" AL catcher who has been worse offensively this year than Varitek is Oakland Athletic Jason Kendall. Not only does Varitek not deserve to start the All-Star game, he doesn't deserve to represent the AL.

I've said for years that fans voting for the starters is a horrible idea. The problem isn't really that the fans get to decide the players that start. The problem is that the players they vote in automatically make the team. Go ahead, let the fans pick the starters, but make them come from the players who deserve to make the squad. If you lead the fan voting, you will start as long as you are selected for the team based on merit. This year, Jason Varitek wouldn't qualify, so the next person in line in fan voting at catcher would get the start. That is a way to keep the fans involved but keep them from making idiot decisions that keep deserving players (Francisco Liriano) off the squad. Liriano was outdone for the final spot on the AL team by the "punch A.J." campaign that resulted in a seventh White Sox player making the trip to Pittsburgh. A.J. is deserving, but Liriano has been almost untouchable on his way to a 9-1 record with a 1.99 ERA. The problem is that A.J. shouldn't have been on the last chance ballot (there shouldn't be a last chance ballot, but that's another argument entirely) because he should have had Varitek's spot on the roster!

The managers in the game can control how much everyone plays. The best players should get the most time in the game, not the players the fans vote for as the starters. Is it fair to Joe Mauer that he plays for the Twins? How many Twins games have been televised on ESPN this year? This isn't a major shot at ESPN, they show games that get good ratings. However, MLB needs to recognize what is happening and realize that there are enough stars who are having really good seasons (Pujols, Thome, Ortiz, Ichiro, Berkman, Konerko, A-Rod, Manny, Dunn) that you don't need all the "fan favorites," whatever that means. Add in Vernon Wells, Troy Glaus, Jose Reyes, Edgar Renteria, Scott Rolen, David Wright, Miguel Cabrera, etc. ... you don't need Jason Varitek when you can play Mauer, Pierzynski, Rodriguez, Hernandez, etc. Plus, there are guys like Gary Matthews Jr. who are having career years and should have a chance to play in the game ... it might be their only shot at a spot in the mid-summer classic.

And, while I'm on the subject of the All-Star game, baseball needs to implement a couple changes so they can make sure everyone gets to play, especially the position players. The biggest change is that players can re-enter the game after being removed, although you would have to sit out at least 3 innings before you were eligible to be re-inserted. Given free reign, managers could, hypothetically, send the same batter up every AB. If he gets on base, you pinch run for him with someone and then substitute him for the next batter. If he gets out, just sub him out and sub him back in. I would also allow pitchers to re-enter the game, which might prevent scenarios like Mike Mussina not pitching in the All-Star game at Camden Yards when he was the only Orioles representative. That was almost as bad a situation as Bud Selig calling the game a tie ... there's no tieing in baseball!