Jim Leyland is a son of a bitch

With Jake Peavy, how do you not love baseball?

Last night, the American League beat up on the National League again in the much ballyhooed All-Star game, in which only one Rangers player -- Michael Young -- was chosen by manager Jim Leyland to be on the team.

Needless to say, Young was a rather edgy choice. For one, he's had a so-so first half of the season in which he completely spit the bit the first two months of the season hovering in and around the Mendoza line.

Secondly, the AL has a very keep reserve of shortstops. Whereas Derek Jeter and Carlos Guillen are deserving, it would have maybe behooved the Tigers manager to take an outfielder as the Rangers lone representative. I mean, this was discussed widely that Young was a longshot because he played at a very deep position.

Picking Young, however, was not a bad choice. He's resurrected his season nicely hitting around .300, and, like I've said, he's the face of the franchise and when you have little to root for in the mid-summer classic, having the franchise player on board is a pretty cool deal.

Up until he sits on the bench the entire game, and, as Evan Grant noted (in a wildly schizophrenic column today) had to pretend he enjoyed conversing with Alex Rodriguez.

What the hell? So there was no way that Leyland could've spared one inning and one at-bat to last year's All-Star MVP, who basically won home-field advantage for Leyland's Tigers in the World Series (in which they squandered)? Are you kidding me?

Now, Young isn't one to bitch and moan to the media, but I sure as hell am. What a sack of shit and I don't want to hear any nonsense about "saving players in case of extra innings" like Tony LaRussa's throwing out in the Albert Pujols matter. Pitching is the only thing that matters in regards to extra innings and if you want to save hurlers for that purpose, fine. But position players?

If you had no intentions on playing Young, then Leyland should've have taken a pitcher (Gagne, Otsuka) or an outfielders (Sammy Sosa). This is ridiculous. What a farce! And that's why I hate Leyland. That and the 1988 Pirates.

Notes:

1. I do not know how anyone with any speck of interest in the game could not be excited. The amount and quality of young guys dominating is spectacular. This isn't Randy Johnson's or Mariano Rivera's league any more. It belongs to Jake Peavy, Dan Haren, Victor Martinez and Johan Santana. Just an awesome time to love baseball.

2. Loved the Willie Mays tribute.

3. Why didn't Barry Bonds just take Mays onto one of his gigantic biceps and lift the Hall of Famer into the pink Cadillac?

4. It's really cruddy that Derek Jeter is a Yankee. It would be so easy to like him.

5. In the end, is Ichiro a Hall of Famer?

6. Seriously, Aaron Rowand made the All-Star team? He's the best reserve outfielder they had?Did Tony LaRussa pick the reserves or the Phillie Fanatic? How is Rowand in and Eric Byrnes out?

7. Pujols, I think, has a legit gripe about not being played and LaRussa, as usual, is acting like a total jackass ... towards one of his own players. I mean, he has to go in two days and work with this guy who happens to be his superstar. How is that going to work? How do you snub your own player ... for Aaron freakin' Rowand!