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N.L. manager Manuel just following the crowd
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National League manager Charlie Manuel, of the Philadelphia Phillies, speaks
during a news conference announcing the lineups for the All-Star baseball game
Monday, July 13, 2009, in St. Louis. The All-Star game is set to be played Tuesday
in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
“To the victor go the spoils.’’
F. Scott Fitzgerald had it right almost 100 years ago when he came up with that line in a poem. Although some of the credit should go to our 7th President Andrew Jackson, who used the word “belong” rather than “go.’’ following his successful campaign.
Chances are Charlie Manuel, manager of the World Champion Philadelphia Phillies, wasn’t thinking of either of them when he filled in the final opening for the National League roster for tomorrow’s All-Star Game in St,. Louis. He was just thinking of a way to express his appreciation to one of the guys who helped get him there in the first place, just as virtually all his All-Star managerial predecessors have done through the years
That’s why Jayson Werth will be in there at some point tonight, even though Giants’ third baseman Pablo Sandoval is hitting 70 points higher and has just one less RBI. Werth, in fact, could be part of an all-Phillies’ outfield, along with starters Raul Ibanez and Shane Victorino. While Ibanez was voted in as a starter, Victorino, the “Flyin’ Hawaiian’’ who won the fans’ “Final Vote” over the Giants’ Pablo Sandoval for the 33rd man is getting the starting nod strictly because he’s the only legit centerfielder on the N.L.,
That probably won’t appease everybody. Neither will be seeing Ryan Howard selected as one of four N.L. first baseman, one of five all-star Phillies along with the three starting outfielders and starting second baseman Chase Utley.. That’s the same Ryan Howard whom Rockies’ manager Clint Hurdle left off the team last year despite having 84 RBIs at the break. Not that Howard, with 22 homers and 67 RBIs through Sunday, wasn’t worthy of having a chance to play an All-Star Game in his hometown.
But folks in San Francisco (Sandoval), Washington (Adam Dunn) and L.A. (Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier), Arizona (Mark Reynolds) and Cincinnati (Brandon Phillips) don’t want to hear that. They feel their guys have been slighted by a manager who’s selecting HIS guys over theirs.
Well, guess what? Manuel’s just following the crowd. That’s what everybody does in his position. It’s the reward for winning the pennant. You get to manage the all-stars the following season. You get to fill out the roster once the starters and second stringers have been selected by the fans and players respectively. And when it comes down to making those tough decisions, fairness and spreading the wealth among more teams won’t be the bottom line.
Getting as many of your own players on the team will be.
Joe Torre, who’s serving as one of Manuel’s coaches tonight, knows the drill. That’s why he’s not complaining that Charlie took Howard and Werth—and almost certainly would’ve taken Victorino had Sandoval won the Final Vote—over Kemp and Ethier. .Because Torre used to do the same thing—infuriate the rest of the American League by filling out his all-star roster with Yankees.
And if the rest don’t like it, here’s a simple solution. Do something about it. Win the pennant yourself and you’ll have the opportunity to make those decisions Manuel and Tampa’s Joe Maddon have made the past week. You’ll get to so-to-speak play “God”, where you can choose to let everyone share the experience or say “Thank You” in your own unique way to your own players, many of whom will receive tangible monetary rewards based on bonus clauses in their contracts for making the All-Star team.
The guess here is you'll do the exact same thing as Manuel and Torre and so many before them. When in doubt, stick with your own kind, because you know you wouldn’t be here without them
In other words, Fitzgerald sure knew what he was talking about.
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