All-Stars: Managers' Picks

Down to the wire here - the All-Star Game is TONIGHT (8pm EST on FOX)! If you happen to watch the game, look closely if someone hits a long foul ball down the left-field line - I'll be the one dressed all in green with a huge smile on his face!

AL MANAGER'S PICKS (Joe Girardi)

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POS	Name	swp	swp/g	Team	WAR
2B	Ty Wigginton	815	11.3	BAL	0.5
3B	Alex Rodriguez	992	14.0	NYY	2.2
SP	Fausto Carmona	727	45.4	CLE	1.5
	Trevor Cahill	806	67.2	OAK	1.5
	C.C. Sabathia	1,052	65.8	NYY	2.3
RP	Joakim Soria	893	30.8	KC	1.5
	Matt Thornton	445	13.9	CHW	1.3

NOTES:
Cahill and Sabathia are ineligible to pitch because they started on Sunday (the last game before the All-Star Break). Wigginton, the only Oriole on the team, is in fact the only Oriole that hasn't shown total offensive inability. Matt Thornton is a lefty setup man rather than a closer - notice the low SWP because of the lack of overvalued saves? I fall into the camp that appreciates Girardi selecting players for functionality rather than star power.


NL MANAGER'S PICKS (Charlie Manuel)

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POS	Name	swp	swp/g	Team	WAR
1B	Ryan Howard	1,088	14.3	PHI	1.2
2B	Brandon Phillips	1,049	13.4	CIN	2.2
OF	Michael Bourn	844	11.1	HOU	1.9
OF	Chris Young	1,049	13.6	ARI	1.9
UT	Omar Infante	405	7.5	ATL	0.8
SP	Chris Carpenter	1,245	73.2	STL	2.2
	Yovani Gallardo	1,200	70.6	MIL	2.9
	Tim Hudson	1,028	64.3	ATL	3.4
RP	Evan Meek	628	17.4	PIT	1.8
	Arthur Rhodes	479	12.6	CIN	1.6

NOTES:
More picks here, ostensibly because two DH spots aren't included on the NL ballots (which doesn't account for the four extra spots, but, whatever...)
The real puzzler here is Ryan Howard instead of Joey Votto, the NL's best offensive player during the first half. When asked about the decision, Manuel reportedly commented "He's my guy," meaning of course that Howard plays for Manuel's team. Blatant favoritism is inevitable when the All-Star teams are managed by the guys who managed last year's World Series contenders.
Two more setup men here: Meed and Rhodes. Now I'm all for functionality, but Omar Infante? I know he's a utility player who can fit into any position at any point in the game. But less than 200 ABs at the halfway point? He's barely a regular contributor to his team, let alone a full blown All-Star.
Gallardo is out of the game... but this time it's due to injury rather than protest.

There you have it: complete rosters for the 2010 All-Star game (minus the last-minute replacements, about which I was too lazy/uninformed to report on here). I hope you enjoyed reading about the game as much as I will enjoy watching it later!