The Sporting Views
The Michigan Daily-Wednesday, June 18; 1980-Page 11
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By DREW SHARP
Some people debate that this process is nothing more than a farce. Others
state that it is essential to maintaining a high fan interest. The recipient of this
heated conversation is the annual baseball All-Star team balloting.
Since its inception in 1970( over 130 million people have particiapted in this
election. It is the second most popular method of choice, trailing only the one in
which weselect the occupant to the Oval Office.
During its eleven year existence, the All-Star balloting has come under much
scrutiny. Some observers feel that the voting is too one-sided. It gives the
advantage to the players who are constantly in the media spotlight.
Players from major. markets such as: New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia
and Boston receive much more national exposure than players from Seattle, St.
Louis or Atlanta. This puts them two steps in front of the others when voting time
comes around.
Another discrepancy centers on the problem of ballot box stuffing. It is
standard procedure for major league clubs to promote the hometown product.
Fans are frequently encouraged through the course of a game to vote for the home
team players on the ballot.
Whether the player is batting in the sub .200 range does not matter to the club.
It helps the image of the team to have a number of their players selected to the All-
Star team.
Again, this works to the benefit of players in major markets. The thousands of
Seattle area fans voting for Mariner players cannot compete with the millions of
New Yorks who vote for their Yankee favorites.
Media advantage
It is obvious now that if a player wants to be elected to the All-Star team,
he must subject himself to media over-kill. He must constantly make national
headlines in order to attract fan interest.
An example of this would be the 1976 All-Star game in Philadelphia. Detroit
Tiger outfielder Ron LeFlore was voted to starting American League team in only
his second full year in the majors.
The reasons LeFlore got the starting call was because he had gained national
acclaim for his 30-game hitting streak earlier that season and a book was being
released which chronicled his rise from the prison cells to the major leagues.
When it was announced that a movie would be made about the rise of LeFlore,
he became hot property and was soon recognzied throughout the country, thus
making him eligible for All-Star consideration.
Morris, Tigers beat
Milwaukee, 3-0
Fans'All-Star ballots . .
... an unnecessary evil
With this year's balloting a week away from its conclusion, it appears that this
pattern will not be changed. When the American and National Leagues tangle once
again in Los Angeles on July 8, the AL starting team will consist of some players
who are not deserving of the title this season.
The way it should be
In the American League, Boston catcher Carlton Fisk has a 13il,000 vote lead
over Kansas City's Darrell Porter for the starting spot behind the plate. Fisk is
perennially the All-Star catcher and is usually deserving, but this season Porter
and Detroit's young Lance Parrish have proven to be the top receivers in the
league.
California's Rod Carew has a comfortable margin over Boston's Carl
Yastrzemski for the first base role. Carew is usually the fans' choice to start and is
one of the few players who is consistently deserving of thehonor.
Carew's teammate second baseman Bobby Grich is only slightly ahead of
Kansas City's Frank White. However, the true All-Star second bagger is
entrenched in third place. Milwaukee's Paul Molitor, the league's leading hitter,
should be in the starting field at Los Angeles but unfortunately will not get the
chance.
New York's teeny-bopper idol, Bucky Dent has a slim lead over California's
diminutive Freddie Patek for the shortstop position. Milwaukee's Robin Yount and
the Tigers' Alan Trammell certainly have better season credentials than the.
others but are too far down the ladder to pose any serious threat.
Kansas City's George Brett is way ahead in the third base race and deservedly
so.
The first three outfielders in the standings are not strangers to the territory.
Boston's Fred Lynn had been voted onto the starting team for the last four years
and this season should be no different. His teammate, Jim Rice is second'and the
Yankees Mr. October, Reggie Jackson holds down the third spot.
Jackson is deserving of the nomination with his 15 homers good enough for
second place in the junior circuit. But Lynn and Rice are having sub-par seasons
up to now and should not be starters.
Milwaukee's Ben Oglivie, the league leader in four-baggers, Baltimore's Al
Bumbry, fourth in hitting, and Minnesota's Ken Landreaux would all serve as
better representatives than the two Red Sox.
This is another example of why the selection of the All-Star team should be in
the hands of the players and managers. When the fans vote, it turns the spectacle
into nothing but a freak show and in the end, it's the fans themselves who are being
ripped off.
By MARK MIHANOVIC
SpecialtoTheDaily
DETROIT - The Detroit Tigers rode
a five-hit shutout pitching performance
by Jack Morris to a 3-0 victory over
Milwaukee last night at Tiger Stadium,
before 24,942 Bengal loyals, none of
whom were perched off-limits bleacher
section.
Detroit pushed across the only run it
needed in the bottom of the first inning.
Jim Lentine led off the inning with a
slow bouncer down the third base line
which the Brewers' Don Money booted
for an error. Tiger shortstop Alan
Trammell then ripped a Mike Caldwell
delivery down the left field line, Ben
Oglivie's throw to third coming too late
to nail Lentine and allowing Trammell
to move to second.
Steve Kemp followed with a high fly
ball to short right. The Brewers' Mark
Brouhard made the catch and then
curiously threw to second base,
allowing Lentine to score easily with
Kemp's 33rd run-batted-in of the
season.
However, Lance Parrish struck out
swinging and Trammell was pegged out
trying to steal third to put out the
Bengal fire.
The Tigers gave Caldwell (6-3 with
the loss) very little trouble over the
next six frames, as the Milwaukee
southpaw allowed only one hit in each of
the third, fourth and fifth innings.
But insurance for Detroit came with
two outs in the eighth. Lentine looked at
a 3-2 pitch for ball four, and Trammell,
who entered the game at a cool .330,
nailed the next delivery into the left
field seats, for his third homer of the
1980 campaign and a 3-0 Bengal advan-
tage.
Morris pitched masterfully for the
Tigers. He ran into relative difficulty
with two outs in the top of the third
when Milwaukee second baseman Jim
Gantner spanked a grounder, under
Detroit first baseman John Wocken-
fuss' dive, frsa base hit.
Money then bounced one over
Trammell's head into'left field, putting
runners on first and third. But Morris
retired .332 hitter Cecil Cooper on a
weak foul pop to catcher Lance
Parrish, and the inning was over.
In the ninth, Oglivie lined a one-out
single to right but Gorman Thomas'
hard grounder to third baseman Tom
Brookens set up an easy, game-ending
double play.
Detroit's win sends them on a two-
week road trip at one game under .500
at 28-29 and nine-and-a-half games
behind the front-running New York
Yankees, but ahead of Toronto, the new
last-place residents in the AL East.
Williams
toss earns
By K. ANTHONY GLINKE
According to women's track coach
Red Simmons, the throw came under
the worst conditions of the season.
Ironically, it was javelin impressario
Debbie Williams' best throw of the
season. The mighty effort of 160'8" that
occurred at the Becky Boone relays
was so good, in fact, that it qualified
Williams for a berth at the Olympic
trials in Eugene, Oregon. -
While the United States has officially
boycotted the Moscow Summer Olym-
pics, the possibility of an alternate
Olympics has loomed larger and thus
the trials are going on as scheduled to
accommodate these possible alternate
games.
Currently Williams is residing with
her sister in the San Francisco area and
training for a warmup meet, the A.A.U.
Nationals. The trial will be held in early
July.
' javelin
U.S. berth
Realistically, Coach Simmons
doesn't see Williams as a strong
prospect for Olympic gold. While her
throw at the Boone relays was enough
for a first in the 22 team field, Simmons
acknowledged that she needs one of 170-
175 feet to qualify in Oregon.
However, with a little luck and a
strong arm, Simmons says Williams'
chances of making one of the many
national and international traveling
teams are fairly good.
While Williams is toning up for the
trials, two of her teammates have been
boning their long distance skills. Lynn
Fudala and Lisa Larsen who recently
captured the 15-mile Dexter-Ann Arbor
women's crown finished 1-2 in the Glass
City Marathon held in Ohio. Fudala's
time of 2.59:49 was also good for a new
record. It was the first Marathon in
which she had ever participated.
AFRAID OF SNAKESSPIDERS, RATS1
07THER ANIMALS AND INSECTS?I
Possibility of participation in research project for pay
and/or free treatment.
Women only, between ages of 18 and 35.
Call U of M Psychology Clinic
763-0115