Seven members of the Red Sox are headed to next week’s All-Star game at Yankee Stadium. Not all seven deserve to be there and there is an argument for a few Red Sox players NOT chosen who are deserving to go.

First, as long as the fans are given the vote, there will be undeserving players making the trip. Case in point: Manny Ramirez. He simply is not having a year worthy of an All-Star appearance. You can ask, ‘what about catcher Jason Varitek who is hitting an anemic .218?’

Well, Varitek was voted in as a reserve by his peers. You’ll have to take that issue up with them although I would think they are more attuned to his qualifications than we are.

Some may make an argument for Daisuke Matsuzaka given his 9-1 record but his time on the disabled list probably is the reason he won’t toe the rubber in the Bronx next week.

And then there’s Mike Lowell. The Red Sox third baseman just dipped below .300, now hitting .297 with 13 homeruns and 54 RBI.  Those are better numbers than Joe Crede of the White Sox (.261, 15, 47) but as Varitek’s selection shows, ballplayers don’t necessarily base their vote on numbers alone.

Still, it is easier to swallow what seems like a slight when it results from voting from players and coaches than from the fans.

Don't tell me that giving the fans the All-Star vote is an attempt to keep or broaden MLB's fan base. If MLB was truly interested in its fan base, they would start post season games at a decent hour.