ALL-STAR VOTING

ALL-STAR REVIEW

…:..:..:Eastern Hemisphere:..:..:…

CATCHER

Gerald Schultz [FRANKFURT force] – 20 votes

Eric Mayo [GREAT BRITAIN red coats] – 18 votes

Jesse Newcomer [SEOUL storm] – 5 votes

Victor Vargas [SOUTH AFRICA lions] – 5 votes

Fat Sal Lascala [ICELAND icecats] – 1 vote

John Murar – [DUBLIN irish] – 1 vote

Gerald Schultz will be the starting catcher for the Eastern Hemisphere this year. Gerald is batting a miserable .244 and has only managed 36 rbis, even though he has hit 29 home runs. This is Gerald’s sixth all-star game in as many years since he came into the WBL back in 2004. Eric Mayo came very close to the starting spot, only coming up 2 votes short of Schultz and his first all-star appearance. Victor Vargas was elected the backup catcher instead of Mayo or Newcomer. Victor is batting .264 with 13 home runs and 28 rbis. This is Vargas’ fifth consecutive year on the all-star roster, as he has been able to make it since being a true rookie in 2005. The eastern catchers don’t quite match-up as well as the western catchers do.

FIRST BASE

Joe Slugga [GREAT BRITAIN red coats] – 28 votes

Shawn Baig [SEOUL storm] – 21 votes

Matt Patterson [SOUTH AFRICA lions] – 4 votes

Kyle Wolper [DUBLIN irish] – 2 votes

Babblios Ordonez [ICELAND icecats] – 1 vote

Mike Smirnoff [FRANKFURT force] – 0 votes

Joe Slugga will be the starting first basemen for the Eastern Hemisphere this year. For six straight years, since entering the league along with Gerald Schultz back in 2004, Joe has been on the all-star team, including his rookie season. Joe is hitting .306 with 40 home runs and 86 rbis. Respectable runner-up Shawn Baig will be backing Slugga up this year and should give the Eastern All-Stars a big boost off the bench in the late innings. Shawn is batting .345 with 55 home runs and 100 rbis already. The multi-versatile player is going to his third straight all-star game as the main utility man for the east. Matt Patterson was selected by the eastern coach to be another reserve for the team. It will be Matt’s seventh all-star appearance in as many years. Even though he received no votes, Mike Smirnoff will be on the bench for the team this year. The Eastern Hemisphere is very stacked at the first base position.

SECOND BASE

Richard Amato [GREAT BRITAIN red coats] – 22 votes

Jalen Montgomery [FRANKFURT force] – 12 votes

Jerome Spann [SEOUL storm] – 4 votes

David May [SOUTH AFRICA lions] – 4 votes

Jerry Owens [DUBLIN irish] – 2 votes

Daniel Phoely [ICELAND icecats] – 0 votes

Richard Amato will be the starting second basemen for the Eastern Hemisphere this all-star game. A .293 average along with 30 home runs and 53 rbis makes this rookie of the year candidate look even better with his all-star appearance. Amato looks to be quite the player and one to look out for in the near future. Richard was the only true second basemen to make the team and will most likely be replaced by Shawn Baig due to the backup at the first base position. Jalen Montgomery of the Frankfurt Force is the first snub so far in what will be a long list of unlucky players who go ripped off a chance to be in the all-star game.

THIRD BASE

Tony Kobbs [FRANKFURT force] – 21 votes

James Sirbeepalot Jr. [GREAT BRITAIN red coats] – 17 votes

Samuel Polley[SOUTH AFRICA lions] – 5 votes

Kaitin Redcloud [SEOUL storm] – 3 votes

Jerry Kenikanako [ICELAND icecats] – 1 vote

Duke Wallace [DUBLIN irish] – 0 votes

Tony Kobbs will be the starting third basemen for the Eastern Hemisphere this year. Tony is batting a solid .300 and has 47 home runs and 73 rbis only halfway through the season. It is Tony’s second straight all-star appearance in his short career. James Sirbeepalot Jr. will be backing Tony up at third base with his even better .307 average, but he was only able to come up with 30 home runs and 65 rbis in the first half of the season. It is James’ third all-star appearance in his career and his first for the east. Tony and James should be very good for the East All-Stars as they will share the duties at third base in the game.

SHORTSTOP

Vin Distasio [GREAT BRITAIN red coats] – 27 votes

Josh Andrews [FRANKFURT force] – 16 votes

Quint Newcomer [SEOUL storm] – 9 votes

Dave Smith [SOUTH AFRICA lions] – 4 votes

Frank Rodriguez [ICELAND icecats] – 2 votes

Jon Wiggins [DUBLIN irish] – 1 vote

Vin Distasio will start at shortstop for the Eastern Hemisphere. 33 home runs and 65 rbis as a rookie is a big statement towards his run to the Rookie of the Year bid. Not to mention he’s kept a very good .317 batting average. This is Vin’s first all-star game in his first season in the WBL. Josh Andrews finished with a respectable 16 votes in second place, but was very unfortunate in that he wasn’t selected to be the backup for Distasio. Newcomer also had a solid 9 votes, but like Andrews, Quint will be watching the game from home this year. What kept Josh out of the all-star spot was his dreadful .219 batting average.

LEFT FIELD

Scott Travers [GREAT BRITAIN red coats] – 22 votes

Kurtis Rands [SEOUL storm] – 7 votes

Niel West [ICELAND icecats] – 5 votes

Jason Hernandez [FRANKFURT force] – 4 votes

Tim Johnson [SOUTH AFRICA lions] – 3 votes

Aaron Beasley [DUBLIN irish] – 2 votes

Scott Travers will make his first all-star appearance this season and start in left field for the Eastern Hemisphere. Scott has a .295 batting average so far this year, with 8 home runs and 26 rbis batting second for the Red Coats. Kurtis Rands will back up Travers in Left Field as he was selected by the coach with his 6 home runs and 23 rbis to go along with a .281 batting average. Although the talent is very slim in left field, the east is very lucky to have such talented players in the all-star game. After Travers and Rands, the Left Fielders are few and far between.

CENTER FIELD

James Conway [SEOUL storm] – 24 votes

Ken Griff [GREAT BRITAIN red coats] – 20 votes

Marc Southworth [ICELAND icecats] – 20 votes

Joe Kenny [DUBLIN irish] – 3 votes

Aaron McDonald [FRANKFURT force] – 1 vote

Mike Bazinet [SOUTH AFRICA lions] – 1 vote

In what appears to be another cheating scandal, James Conway will not be starting, nor even playing in the all-star game. The Eastern Hemisphere starting Center Fielder will be Ken Griff, who tied with 20 votes in second place with Southworth. Ken is batting .287 with 40 home runs and 63 rbis. Which is far better than James Conway’s numbers. After starting off the year with terrible performances, Marc Southworth was able to pull it out and make the reserve team. Marc has hit 24 home runs with 55 rbis this season, but his .233 batting average held him back quite a bit. It will be very interesting to see how the commissioner handles this scandal, if it was one, which it certainly appears to be.

RIGHT FIELD

Sam Baig [SEOUL storm] – 26 votes

Shawn Walker [GREAT BRITAIN red coats] – 14 votes

Mick Domas [ICELAND icecats] – 2 votes

Kevin McGlynn [SOUTH AFRICA lions] – 2 votes

Jerome Valdez [DUBLIN irish] – 1 vote

Richie Maple [FRANKFURT force] – 0 votes

Sam Baig will be the starting right fielder this season for the all-star game. This will be Sam’s fifth all-star game appearance in a row. A .284 batting average with 30 home runs and 53 rbis, puts Baig among the best in the Eastern Hemisphere. Shawn Walker finished in a respectable second place finish with a .248 batting average and 45 home runs with 72 rbis. Shawn will backup Sam this year in his sixth consecutive Eastern All-Stars appearance. This was obviously a two man race in which the others were left behind and out to dry.

RELIEVER / CLOSER

Smith N. Wesson [FRANKFURT force] – 22 votes

Vin Distasio II [GREAT BRITAIN red coats] – 9 votes

Carson Wheeler [SOUTH AFRICA lions] – 6 votes

Troy Vaughn [ICELAND icecats] – 5 votes

Dirk Halladay [FRANKFURT force] – 4 votes

Robert Persuad [ICELAND icecats] – 2 votes

Smith N. Wesson will get his much deserved all-star appearance as the featured man in the bullpen. Wesson is 5-3 with 9 saves so far this year and a 1.95 ERA. This is Smith’s first all-star appearance in his three years in the league. Carson Wheeler will most likely be the setup man for the all-star game. Also making his first appearance, Carson has put up a 3-2 record, with 5 saves and an ERA of just 3.12. Troy Vaughn will be considered a snub with the low ERA he put up, but he was unable to produce in the saves department with only 2 through the year. Enrique Gonzalez was definitely snubbed from the all-star ballot as he had 10 saves for the Red Coats this year. It’s going to be very tough for the East as they will only have two true relievers on the roster.

STARTER

Chad Slugga [GREAT BRITAIN red coats] – 17 votes

Marc Southworth II [FRANKFURT force] – 16 votes

Ernest P. Worrell [SEOUL storm] – 9 votes

Robert Kurz [SOUTH AFRICA lions] – 4 votes

Max Baez [DUBLIN irish] – 2 votes

Greg Mojonnier [GREAT BRITAIN red coats] – 2 votes

Andy Quigly [FRANKFURT force] – 2 votes

Ken Griff Jr. [GREAT BRITAIN red coats] – 2 votes

Ty Quigly [FRANKFURT force] – 2 votes

Ronnie Brick [ICELAND icecats] – 1 vote

In a very tight race, the voters have selected Chad Slugga as their starting pitcher for the 2009 all-star game. 10-1 this year, Chad has been able to keep a low ERA of 2.81 and had 141 strikeouts this year. This is Chad’s forth straight appearance to the all-star game in as many years in the league. Southworth II finished second in the voting and will be on the all-star roster as well. Marc went 9-2 with an ERA of 1.98 and 85 strikeouts. Ernest P. Worrell will also be playing in the game as he was selected by the coaches after his 9-1, 1.84 ERA, and 37 strikeouts this year. The other starting pitchers include Dustin Parmelee, Ken Griff, Jr., Greg Mojonnier, and Zach Kobbs. Max Baez was snubbed from the all-star game just because he was on a lousy team. The poor guy put up a 4-6 record, but managed to have a 2.21 ERA and 41 strikeouts. Which is well deserving of a spot on the all-star roster. The entire Red Coat rotation will be in the prestigious game, which is quite rare for a team to do.

PROBABLE LINEUP CARD

Richard Amato 2B
Vin Distasio
Joe Slugga 1B
Gerald Schultz C
Tony Kobbs 3B
Sam Baig RF
Ken Griff CF
Scott Travers LF
Chad Slugga P

…:..:..:Western Hemisphere:..:..:…

CATCHER

Dan Wade [CARACAS cougars] – 21 votes

J.D. Boom [CANCUN riptide] – 20 votes

Alex Zito [ST. LOUIS stallions] – 13 votes

Sam Hill [MONTREAL menace] – 10 votes

Larry Jones [ANTARCTICA chill] – 3 votes

AJ Blake Jr. [SANTO DOMINGO rush] – 2 votes

J.D. Boom will be the starting catcher for the Western Hemisphere this year. Dan Wade was also considered to be among the likes of Conway in that he certainly did not deserve the trip to the game. Boom is batting a miserable .242 but has managed to hit 43 home runs and 69 rbis this season. This will be Boom’s forth all-star game in his career. Sam Hill was selected as the first backup to J.D. for the west. Sam is batting .274 with 24 home runs and 66 rbis. This is Sam’s third straight all-star appearance in the same amount of years he’s been in the league. Alex Zito was also selected to the team, but he won’t be playing at catcher unless both Boom and Hill are forced out of the game due to possible injuries.

FIRST BASE

Jason Rhiner [ANTARCTICA chill] – 21 votes

Dice Jackson [MONTREAL menace] – 19 votes

Blake Roberts [SANTO DOMINGO rush] – 15 votes

Bucs None [CANCUN riptide] – 6 votes

Glenn Wiggins [ST. LOUIS stallions] – 6 votes

Ken Fingers [CARACAS cougars] – 2 votes

Jason Rhiner will be the starting first basemen for the west this year, as it will be his forth appearance at the all-star game. Jason is batting a terrible .213, but has managed to put up 37 home runs and 52 rbis for the worst team in the west. Dice Jackson finished in a close second, but will not be heading towards the big game. Blake Roberts will back Jason up and possibly even play a little second base if needed. This will be Roberts’ seventh straight all-star appearance since joining the league in 2003. Blake is batting .249 with 43 home runs and 67 rbis for the Rush.

SECOND BASE

Shammond Guzman [CARACAS cougars] – 31 votes

Adam Brown [MONTREAL menace] – 5 votes

Woodrow James [ST. LOUIS stallions] – 4 votes

Trey Wiliams [CANCUN riptide] – 3 votes

Greg Kowalcyzk [ANTARCTICA chill] – 3 votes

Quinten Vidro [SANTO DOMINGO rush] – 2 votes

This was a very lop-sided vote as the most popular second basemen in the league, Shammond Guzman, won by more than enough. As the starting second basemen for the west, Guzman comes in with 38 home runs and 67 rbis, which hopefully negate that .220 batting average. This will be Shammond’s sixth straight all-star appearance since joining in 2004. Many people feel that Adam Brown was snubbed of an all-star roster spot after he put up a .352 average with 5 home runs and 36 rbis. It is clear to say that fans like players that can hit home runs, not hit for average, when they are choosing an all-star.

THIRD BASE

Rueben Weisfeld [CANCUN riptide] – 16 votes

Tony Pryor [SANTO DOMINGO rush] – 14 votes

Chris Heqaiunu [ST. LOUIS stallions] – 9 votes

Brooks Simmons [MONTREAL menace] – 8 votes

Emanuel Toombs [CARACAS cougars] – 7 votes

Brock Weathers [ANTARCTICA chill] – 5 votes

In what appears to be a pointless all-star ballot, none of these candidates made the roster. Rueben Weisfeld won the vote, but it looks as if A Nx will be moving from center field to third basemen so he can start the game. Reuben batted .233 with 5 home run and 26 rbis. It’s quite tough that there is very limited talent at the third base position. A Nx is batting .332 with 50 home runs and 96 rbis, which is far better than that of Weisfeld. It will be A Nx’s fifth straight well-deserved all-star appearance. Tony Pryor finished second in the voting with 0 home runs this year and 9 rbis, while batting .258. Alex Zito was selected to be the backup third basemen, normally a catcher, as it will be his third all-star appearance in his career. Alex hit .260 on the season with 41 home runs and 72 rbis. It has been quite a disappointing year for the third basemen in the West, as the main two have moved to play other positions.

SHORTSTOP

Smitty Springfield [CARACAS cougars] – 26 votes

Kal Jordan [MONTREAL menace] – 15 votes

Aaron Naiditch [CANCUN riptide] – 5 votes

Andy La Roche [SANTO DOMINGO rush] – 5 votes

Orlando Hunter [ANTARCTICA chill] – 3 votes

Jerek Deter [ST. LOUIS stallions] – 3 votes

Smitty Springfield will be the starting shortstop for the Western Hemisphere in 2009. With 36 home runs and 56 rbis, Smitty is among the tops in the entire league. Not to mention his .312 batting average, which takes him to his forth straight all-star appearance. It’s tough to believe that second place vote getter, Kal Jordan, didn’t make the team with a .421 batting average. Although Springfield truly deserved the starting spot, Jordan was snubbed from the team. Quite unbelievable as Jordan is the only player to keep his average above .400 and 60 points higher than the next player.

LEFT FIELD

Ace Shap [CANCUN riptide] – 26 votes

Kip Wesley [ST. LOUIS stallions] – 18 votes

Andrew Biggs [MONTREAL menace] – 15 votes

Jay Soester [ANTARCTICA chill] – 2 votes

Miguel Castillo [CARACAS cougars] – 0 votes

Jonathon James [SANTO DOMINGO rush] – 0 votes

In what seems to be a limited outfield out west, Ace Shap will be starting at left field for the Western Hemisphere in 2009. Although he has not played too well this season, Shap was able to put up 7 home runs and 27 rbis while maintaining a .226 batting average. This will be Ace’s first appearance in the all-star game. Backing up Shap will be Kip Wesley of St. Louis. Kip has 25 home runs and 57 rbis to go along with a subpar .243 average. This will be Kip’s forth all-star appearance in his career. The third string left fielder will be Andrew Biggs. Biggs has batted a very solid .273 with 9 home runs and 29 rbis so far this season. It will be Andrew’s third straight all-star game.

CENTER FIELD

A Nx [MONTREAL menace] – 26 votes

Jermaine Guzman [CARACAS cougars] – 14 votes

Sideeq Shabazz [CANCUN riptide] – 5 votes

Pierce Feltini [ST. LOUIS stallions] – 5 votes

Jon Vish [ANTARCTICA chill] – 5 votes

Brian Lawley Jr. [SANTO DOMINGO rush] – 1 vote

A Nx will not be the starting center fielder for the Western Hemisphere this year. Rather, Jermaine Guzman will take the spot over as Nx will be the starter at third base for the west. Jermaine is having the best year in his career. With 46 home runs and 77 rbis while keeping a .367 average halfway through the season, Guzman definitely deserves the starting gig in center in his fourth all-star game in a row. Surprisingly, Brian Lawley Jr. will be backing Jermaine up. 4 home runs and 30 rbis while keeping a mediocre .256 average. This will be Lawley Jr.’s first trip to the all-star game in his four year career.

RIGHT FIELD

Gregg Torlone [SANTO DOMINGO rush] – 26 votes

Dillon Shooper [MONTREAL menace] – 8 votes

Dante Trinh [ANTARCTICA chill] – 4 votes

Dave Lewis [CANCUN riptide] – 3 votes

Matt Priesmeyer [ST. LOUIS stallions] – 3 votes

Da Bomb [CARACAS cougars] – 2 votes

Gregg Torlone will be starting at right field for the Western Hemisphere this all-star game. Gregg managed to hit 8 home runs with 35 rbis with the Rush so far this season, while keeping a perfect .300 average. This will be Gregg’s third all-star game in his career. Unfortunately, none of the other hopefuls on this list made the team, so it looks as if the West will have to pull either Wesley or Biggs from left field and stick them in right to replace Gregg to maximize everybody’s playing time.

RELIEVER / CLOSER

Tom Kenny [ST. LOUIS stallions] – 16 votes

Mick Domas Jr. [SANTO DOMINGO rush] – 11 votes

TJ Farrell [CARACAS cougars] – 9 votes

Jake Thomas [CARACAS cougars] – 7 votes

Mike Jameson Jr. [CARACAS cougars] – 5 votes

Nelson Pake [SANTO DOMINGO rush] – 4 votes

Thomas Kenny will be the featured reliever in the western bullpen. A 1.86 ERA and 47 strikeouts put this reliever among the best in the business. This will be Kenny’s fourth all-star game in his six year career. Mike Jameson Jr. received the middle reliever / setup role as his 1.33 ERA was well liked by the western coach. This will be Jameson Jr.’s first all-star appearance in his short, three year career. Astoundingly, neither Domas Jr., Farrell, or Thomas managed to make the team as the all put up very respectable numbers. Strikeout, who was not on this list, received a roster spot with his 7-0 record, 12 saves, and 3.86 ERA first half performance. It will be Iamgona’s second straight all-star appearance.

STARTER

Jeremy Shirley [MONTREAL menace] – 12 votes

Brian Lawley [SANTO DOMINGO rush] – 10 votes

Francisco Rodriguez [CANCUN riptide] – 9 votes

Corey Whitney [ST. LOUIS stallions] – 7 votes

Mujuri Shipal [MONTREAL menace] – 7 votes

Nolan Ryan [MONTREAL menace] – 5 votes

Seneca Wallace [ANTARCTICA chill] – 4 votes

Josh Poole [CARACAS cougars] – 4 votes

Carmelo Jackson [MONTREAL menace] – 3 votes

AJ Blake [SANTO DOMINGO rush] – 3 votes

In another very tight race, the voters have selected Jeremy Shirley as their starting pitcher for the 2009 all-star game. Sadly, it appears that Shirley won’t be able to play in the game because of his manager’s request to rest him. In his place, Brian Lawley will make the start for the west. 9-1 with a 1.76 ERA is quite an impressive season so far for Lawley, as he has led the Rush towards a playoff run halfway through the season. This will be Brian’s third all-star game appearance in his seven year career. Due to not getting the run support for the wins, the second place vote getter, Francisco Rodriguez, will not be going to the all-star game. That is yet another all-star snub, which is one of many. Instead, the west has chosen Mujuri Shipal, Carmelo Jackson, Nolan Ryan, Manny Martinez, Kyle Smith, and Josh Poole to relieve Lawley this year. As you may see, just as the Red Coats have done, Caracas was able to put all four of their starters into the all-star game. It’s an amazing feat at that.

PROBABLE LINEUP CARD

Shammond Guzman 2B
J.D. Boom C
A Nx 3B
Jermaine Guzman CF
Smitty Springfield SS
Jason Rhiner 1B
Gregg Torlone RF
Ace Shap LF
Brian Lawley P

BREAKDOWN

On paper, the east looks better throughout. Although it isn’t lopsided, the Eastern Hemisphere looks to be favored in this one as the spread is going there way by 2 runs. Look for a game with a score like 5-4 or 4-3. It’s going to be a very close game, it won’t be a home run derby, nor a pitchers duel. But, it should be very entertaining to watch.

East – 5 vs. West – 4

Win – Marc Southworth II

Loss – Mujuri Shipal

Save – Smith N Wesson

POG – Vin Distasio