MLB

A Wrong Is Righted As Joey Votto Makes The All-Star Team

Worry no more about one of the most egregious All-Star Game snubs in recent memory – the Reds’ Joey Votto will indeed make the trip out to Anaheim July 13 after fans voted him in to the last spot on the National League’s roster.

Votto, who is having an MVP-quality season, “was a machine throughout” the voting process, according to MLB.com’s Mark Newman. He turned in a decisive, deserved win with 13.7 million votes, validating the Reds’ furious campaign to get him a spot.

Alas, the Reds’ campaign did not work for the other player they tried to help, Red Sox first baseman/Cincinnati native Kevin Youkilis. The Reds and Red Sox collaborated to try and get both players selected, with Reds encouraging their fans to vote for both Votto and Youkilis, and the Red Sox reciprocating by urging their fans to do the same.

But Youkilis lost out, in what was apparently a very close race, to Yankees outfielder Nick Swisher. Swisher is having an excellent year, and seems like a nice enough, fun-loving guy (as a bonus, he uses Twitter as effectively as anyone)…but Youkilis is having a better year. He deserved the spot.

But in this case, one out of two is acceptable. Votto was the bigger snub, and justice was served today. Although it would have been funny to see him do this, it’s also nice to see the game’s best players play in a game designed for the game’s best players. Give the fans credit for making it happen.