Same for Placido Polanco.
Shane Victorino and David Price, too.
Derek Jeter, however, will not be there. Citing the calf injury that sidelined him before his final approach to 3,000 hits, the New York Yankees shortstop is skipping his 12th All-Star Game in favor of what he says is some much-needed rest.
Of course, the cynics would point out that Jeter looked awfully healthy during his memorable 5-for-5 day on Saturday. If he can stroke a 420-foot home run to reach 3,000 then certainly he could've handled two innings before handing things over to Asdrubal Cabrera of the Cleveland Indians, right? Even if he didn't want to play, he could have handled some first-class travel to Arizona, where he could have been introduced in the wake of No. 3,000 and produced some good PR for his sport as well a nice moment for the fans that voted him in ? even though he didn't have the numbers to back his starting spot.
It's a tricky situation for me to make a judgement on Jeter's truancy here, so what's the right stance here?
On one hand, Jeter's first-half stats show that he did not really deserve that starting nod and the two shortstops who will see playing time for the AL ? Cabrera and Jhonny Peralta of the Detroit Tigers ? will be getting some well-deserved time in the spotlight.
Also, if he's not going to play, why would he fly all the way to Arizona just so he could talk to reporters and hold press conferences? I'm not offended if Jeter won't go that far to speak into my tape recorder, and I'm sure the festivities won't miss him that much.
I guess the issue basically comes down to whether or not you think Jeter owes anything to all the fans who punched his name on the ballot. Braun believes there is a debt to be paid to his supporters, which is why he's going to Phoenix, even though his calf surely could use those extra three days off, too.
"The fans voted me in and the least I can do is be there," the Milwaukee Brewers left fielder told MLB.com.
If it were any other year, if he hadn't just reached 3,000, we probably wouldn't think too much about Jeter electing for a peaceful break. We wouldn't raise issue, either, if Jeter was in Alex Rodriguez's spot and needed surgery to repair his injury.
But considering Jeter has been healthy enough to play each game since returning from his rehab stint, I don't think it's asking too much of Jeter to put in some face time, both for the good of the sport and to thank his fans.
Plus, given that he's 37, who knows how many of these opportunities will come around again?
What do you think? Should Jeter be make an appearance at the All-Star Game?
'Duk will be on the ground in Arizona for the All-Star festivities this week.
Follow his trip on Facebook and Twitter!
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