NewsLate votes hold importance for A's
Holliday, others need unprecedented surge to make ASG
By Mychael Urban / MLB.com
06/30/09 1:12 PM ET
OAKLAND -- This is it, A's fans. If you want to make an impression on the Baseball Establishment on behalf of your favorite player, it's crunch time.Matt Holliday? Kurt Suzuki? Adam Kennedy? They need your help.
As has been the case since the first All-Star balloting update was released, there aren't any Athletics in the top five at their respective positions, and Holliday isn't among the top 15 outfielders.
It would take an unprecedented avalanche of online votes to change that, but that doesn't mean whatever votes pour in hold no meaning. If, for instance, Holliday, gets a late surge, it might prompt those finalizing the American League All-Star roster to take a closer look at his candidacy.
Fans can cast their votes for starters up to 25 times with the 2009 All-Star Game Sprint Online Ballot at MLB.com and all 30 club sites until July 2 at 8:59 p.m. PT.
Voting also was an option at the ballpark, but at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, in-stadium balloting ended June 24.
Starting rosters will be announced during the 2009 All-Star Game Selection Show presented by Chevrolet on TBS on Sunday, July 5. Baseball fans around the world will then be able to select the final player on each team via the 2009 All-Star Game Sprint Final Vote at MLB.com.
And the voting doesn't end there. Fans will have the opportunity to participate in the official voting for the Ted Williams Most Valuable Player Award presented by Chevrolet at the Midsummer Classic via the 2009 All-Star Game Sprint MVP Vote at MLB.com.
The All-Star Game, set for July 14 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, will be televised nationally by FOX and around the world by Major League Baseball International. ESPN Radio will provide exclusive national radio play-by-play, while MLB.com will offer extensive online coverage.
The A's haven't had more than one player named to the All-Star team since 2004. Last year's lone honoree was right-hander Justin Duchscherer, who hasn't played this season and isn't expected to be fully recovered from late-spring arthroscopic elbow surgery until after the break.
Mychael Urban is a national writer for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
