I don’t want to take credit for some of this since I recieved it in a side email but thought I would share some of the thoughts by others about last night’s all-star game.ÂÂ
Could Phil Garner have done a worse job at managing the club late in the game? The NL is now 0-9-1 in the last 10 all-star games, but could very easily have won last night’s game with a little knowledge. Garner could have played to win last night’s game while still playing the “get more guys into the game” philosophy.
Point #1: Who is the best 3b in the league? Many would say Scott Rolen! Where was he in the 9th inning when the ground ball was hit past Miguel Cabrera? On the bench! Not saying Rolen would have made the play on the single, but who has the better shot: Rolen or Cabrera?
Point #2: Who is the best CF in the league? OK, besides Griffey? Perhaps Andruw Jones! Could Jones have made the play on Young’s triple that won the game? Would he have had a better shot at the ball than Beltran who played the whole game and looked to completely misplay the ball, allowing it to roll to the wall for a triple?
Point #3: Who would you rather face Rivera in the 9th: Freddy Sanchez or Nomar Garciaparra? I would venture to say that Nomar has faced Rivera a few more times in his career than Sanchez. Now I don’t know Nomar’s stats against Mariano, for all I know he could be 0 for 50, but at least he would have seen Rivera a few more times than Sanchez.