Vote Wright in '08!!

By Jack Flynn
Posted Tuesday, July 8, 2008

It’s fitting that this column is being written just days after our country celebrated its independence, because the ability to choose your representatives has always been a cherished hallmark of life in the United States of America.

That’s why, in this important election season, I am endorsing David Wright in the Final Vote for a spot on the 2008 National League All Star team. I hope that you will join me in casting your vote for Wright before the polls close on Thursday afternoon. We have a chance to make this year’s All Star Game a memorable one, and we can do so by ensuring that David Wright takes the field for the National League team.

Because when I think of All Stars, I think of those baseball players who stand head and shoulders above their peers. David Wright is one of those players.

When I think of All Stars, I don’t think of a flash in the pan, whose name will become the answer to a trivia question five years after he makes his appearance. Do you remember who started the 1990 All Star Game for the National League? Nobody does!

No, an All-Star should be an indispensable part of the team he plays for, the type of player that commands the respect of his opponents even when he not playing his best baseball. David Wright is one of those players.

Now I know some of you are saying, “Wait a minute, Jack! We read your blog every day! Earlier this week, you endorsed the Philadelphia Phillies’ Pat Burrell for the final spot on the All Star team. What are you, some kind of flip-flopper?”

Yes, I voted for Burrell this week. But I never meant to! The layout of the ballot was confusing and I thought I was actually voting for David Wright. I was stunned to learn otherwise. It should be clear to anyone that I would’ve never knowingly voted for Pat Burrell. Pat Burrell doesn’t represent my interests. He has been openly antagonistic to my interests – the New York Mets – for many years now. I will be demanding a recount if Pat Burrell wins this election!

Wright is running against three other talented individuals in his quest to become a National League All Star in 2008. Each player is having a good season and, in another baseball season, would all be considered worthy members of any National League All Star team.

I respect them, and I respect their accomplishments, but none of them deserve to play in the All Star Game ahead of David Wright.

One of those players, Corey Hart of the Milwaukee Brewers, is leading in the polls with less than 36 hours to go. Corey Hart is a good baseball player, but do we really want a man named after a 1980s Canadian pop star to represent the National League on the grandest stage for America’s Pastime? I say this to Corey Hart – I wear my sunglasses at night too, and I will never surrender in my fight to get David Wright to the All Star Game!

There are two other candidates in this election – Carlos Lee of the Houston Astros and Aaron Rowand of the San Francisco Giants. Not only does David Wright have a higher OPS than both players, but neither Lee nor Rowand have been able to lead their teams to winning records. Why should we choose them to appear in the All Star game? Don’t we want winners like David Wright instead?

You’ve already heard a lot about why David Wright’s opponents do not deserve to be in the All Star Game. But let’s take a moment to remind ourselves why David Wright absolutely deserves to be there. Wright leads all National League third baseman in RBIs and is second in home runs, total bases and OPS. He even is tops among NL third sackers in stolen bases, an element to Wright’s game that none of his peers can match.

Chipper Jones has already been chosen to start at third base for the National League All Stars, so Wright would be making his appearance later in the game if he is elected. This makes him all the more valuable, as a dangerous pinch hitter against a left handed pitcher. Wright is tattooing lefties this season, sporting a .418/.520/.747 line against southpaws.

The American League All Stars just happen to feature four left-handers on their staff – Cliff Lee, Joe Saunders, George Sherrill and some kid named Scott Kazmir. Who would you rather see at the plate for the National League against a left-handed reliever with home field advantage in the World Series on the line? The choice should be clear – David Wright!

Perhaps not the least of all, David Wright is the New York Mets’ last hope to avoid crippling embarrassment on the national stage. What would it say about the state of the Mets if their only “all star” was Billy Wagner, a man who has already blown six saves this season? This team has suffered enough indignities this season – it would be truly un-American to allow the All Star Game to go on with no player wearing a Met uniform other than Wagner.

We cannot change the past. Some say that the people have spoken, and they have already chosen Aramis Ramirez to be the backup third basemen on the National League All Star team. But we have a chance today, my fellow baseball fans.

We have the chance to right a terrible wrong. Aramis Ramirez is a good player, but he is no more of an All-Star than David Wright. If Aramis Ramirez is going to play on Tuesday night, do we not have an obligation to make sure David Wright does as well? I know you will do the right thing, Mets fans. It’s not too late …

Vote Wright in ’08!!

 

Jack Flynn thinks you should go back and read this column again, but this time you should do so in your best grandstanding politician’s voice. It’s better that way. Then you should visit his blog, Productive Outs and Crackerjack, because it is chock full of cleverness.