Phillies Lead NL Voting and Suspended Manny Still in Hunt
June 1st 2009 21:29
When Phillies manager Charlie Manual fills out his lineup card for the All-Star Game on July 14 he is going to be writing some familiar names in the batting order. Second baseman Chase Utley is leading Dodgers' Orlando Hudson by 625,000 votes so is close to clinching the starting spot. Jimmy Rollins has gained ground after moving into second place in the shortstop voting behind Marlins' Hanley Ramirez. He is less than 20,000 votes from taking the lead, and newcomer to the Phillies' Raul Ibanez leaped from sixth to second in the outfield voting. He is batting .332 with 17 homers and 46 RBIs.
The NL-East leading Phillies might dominate the National League roster, but the story is the emergence of suspended Dodgers outfielder Manny Ramirez in the voting. Ramirez has been suspended 50 games for violating the league's drug abuse policy and isn't expected to return until July 3 but is fifth among outfielders, trailing Cubs' Alfonso Soriano by just over 200,000 for the final starting spot. Commissioner Bud Selig will have to make a decision if Ramirez gets voted onto the All-Star roster. Selig should implement a rule that states if a player misses a significant amount of time (possibly more than 40 games) then the player is not eligible to participate in the mid-summer classic. This event is suppose to reward players who had a good first half and not players that missed the majority of the season.
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