Shane Victorino - 2009 MLB All-Star!

[musubi]

The Flyin' Hawaiian -- he's IN!

NEW YORK -- Philadelphia Phillies center fielder Shane Victorino and Detroit Tigers third baseman Brandon Inge have been elected by fans to Tuesday's All-Star game in record-shattering voting exclusively on MLB.com, the official Web site of Major League Baseball, and the individual club sites.

Full Story: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/allsta...ory?id=4317645

Way to go, Shane! You deserve it!

[Walkoff Balk]

Re: Shane Victorino - 2009 MLB All-Star!

I enjoyed the ESPN piece did with Shane Victorino and the Mayor of Philadelphia going around the city campaigning for votes to be in the All Star game. The people of Philadelphia were encouraged to vote early and often.

[NoCal Boy]

Re: Shane Victorino - 2009 MLB All-Star!

It's been noted that Victorino's vote tally included a very strong contingent from Hawaii. I think this is known nationally as the "Jasmine Trias Effect."

OK, I'm a little sore that Pablo (Kung Fu Panda) Sandoval from the Giants got beat out....

[musubi]

Re: Shane Victorino - 2009 MLB All-Star!

It's been noted that Victorino's vote tally included a very strong contingent from Hawaii. I think this is known nationally as the "Jasmine Trias Effect."

OK, I'm a little sore that Pablo (Kung Fu Panda) Sandoval from the Giants got beat out....

Hmmm... coincidence perhaps, but that's exactly what Dave Reardon's Friday Star-Bulletin column was all about:
No Shame in stuffing the ballot box for Shane

(Reardon)
Shane Victorino was the benefactor this week of a couple of guys who click, click, clicked like Dorothy snapping her heels together, over and over again, for hours at a time. But hordes of sane people -- from Wailuku to Las Vegas to Philadelphia -- all contributed to the cause, too, of getting Shane that final spot on the National League All-Star team.

It all added up to a Final Vote record of 15.6 million.

It brought back memories of Jasmine Trias, and how massive voting from Hawaii kept her in the game on "American Idol" until the very end.

Heehee, I'm not ashamed to admit that I spent about an hour clicking away on Thursday morning.
Lost count after about 250 or so.

(Reardon)
...there's another island trait you can always count on: Support for our own. Local folks voted early and often, late and often, to get our first position player into the Midsummer Classic.

State pride was at stake. Could we really afford to let The Flyin' Hawaiian get shown up by somebody called Kung Fu Panda?

Sorry about Sandoval.
He would have been my choice if Victorino hadn't been on the ballot.

[NoCal Boy]

Re: Shane Victorino - 2009 MLB All-Star!

Hmmm... coincidence perhaps, but that's exactly what Dave Reardon's Friday Star-Bulletin column was all about:
No Shame in stuffing the ballot box for Shane

Thanks for the link, I don't usually look at the S-B site. That *was* coincidence; I had heard the news on SF talk radio and people were grumbling about it. But we definitely don't enjoy the "Support for our own" spirit that you do. I think it's great, my man losing out notwithstanding.

(And though I admit to being a homer I disagree with Reardon and still think Panda is a better pick - I think his versatility on defense actually hurt him in the voting but I think this actually makes him more a more "all-around" player. Plus he's a rookie!)

Well, at least Sanchez's no-hitter last night makes us feel a little better.

[Walkoff Balk]

Re: Shane Victorino - 2009 MLB All-Star!

Even "Mr. Negative" Skip Bayless had positive things to say about Shane Victorino. I remember that Skip Bayless had good things to say about Colt Brennan when he played at UH.

[musubi]

Re: Shane Victorino - 2009 MLB All-Star!

Victorino scored the second run for the NL in bottom of the 2nd, on a error by AL's Josh Hamilton (Texas Rangers) in CF.

Top of the 7th right now, tie game: 3-3.

Victorino due to bat in the bottom of the inning.

ETA: Substitution, Jayson Werth for Victorino. Werth struck out.

[musubi]

Re: Shane Victorino - 2009 MLB All-Star!

Ouch!

AL went ahead on the top of the 8th on a triple by CF Curt Granderson (Detroit Tigers) and sac fly by RF Adam Jones (Baltimore Orioles).

Two on, two out, bottom of the NL 8th.
Runners on 2nd & 3rd, but Ryan Howard (Phillies) goes down swinging.

Score at the end of 8th: AL 4, NL 3.

Time to bus' out the NL rally caps!

[musubi]

Re: Shane Victorino - 2009 MLB All-Star!

Shucks, no NL rally.

So that's the final for the 2009 MLB All-Star Game:

• American League All-Stars = 4
• National League All-Stars = 3

Victorino got the start in Center Field, played 6 innings.
He had 1 single in 2 at bats (batted .500), and scored a run.

Not bad for Shane's first All-Star Game...
May he have many more!

[Walkoff Balk]

Re: Shane Victorino - 2009 MLB All-Star!

That's 12 losses in a row for the National League. The Phillies or the Dodgers will have the win game 7 of the World Series on the road.

[Walkoff Balk]

Re: Shane Victorino - 2009 MLB All-Star!

Obama kind of threw a strike at the All Star game, if the game was slow pitch softball.

[musubi]

Re: Shane Victorino - 2009 MLB All-Star!

The Phillies or the Dodgers will have the win game 7 of the World Series on the road.

Unless they can win it in Game 4, 5, or 6 at home.

But yeah, the NL sure hasn't been able to break its All-Star losing streak yet.

[musubi]

Re: Shane Victorino - 2009 MLB All-Star!

Obama kind of threw a strike at the All Star game, if the game was slow pitch softball.

Heehee, looks like he held onto it just a little too long.

Pujols was ready to do the 1B stretch to make sure it didn't short hop.
He made Barack look good, LOL.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIsb4...eature=popular

[Walkoff Balk]

Re: Shane Victorino - 2009 MLB All-Star!

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/...seball_patm105

He probably got jacked up watching the BJ Penn MMA match at Philadelphia last night.

[Walkoff Balk]

Re: Shane Victorino - 2009 MLB All-Star!

http://sports.espn.go.com/chicago/ne...e=MLBHeadlines

The person who threw the beer turned himself in. I saw on another angle where the guy who pushed the cup of beer off the wall in Victorino's direction. He put his arms behind his back like small kid time wen you flick the ears of a kid in front of you and try to act innocent when he turns around.