R.A. Diculous decision

Recently I wrote how it was absurd that retired manager Tony La Russa is managing the All Star team this year. Along with making in-game strategic decisions he is also responsible for selecting half the team and choosing the starting pitcher.

That last aspect is what I am talking about here. La Russa chose Matt Cain to be the starting pitcher in the game over R.A. Dickey.

Matt Cain is a fine pitcher and a couple weeks ago I (prematurely) also chose him as the starter. But let's be clear: right now there is absolutely no reasonable excuse for making that decision.

Let's compare the numbers.

- Dickey: 120 innings, 12-1, 2.40 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, 123 strikeouts, .203 average against, .581 OPS against, 0 stolen bases allowed, 14 quality starts
- Cain: 120 innings, 9-3, 2.62 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 118 strikeouts, .209 average against, .612 OPS against, 15 stolen bases allowed, 12 quality starts

Those are pretty much all the important stats for grading a starting pitcher, and Dickey has better numbers in every category.

Please, someone, tell me why he is not being rewarded with the starting selection?

Dickey's is the best story of the baseball year: an old veteran who discovers late in his career how to be a knuckleball thrower and transforms his career. He is the only guy that throws the pitch in baseball. He may have the best knuckler (or group of knucklers) ever. Not only that, but he is carrying a team that was projected to be a last place, 100-loss team to a 46-40 start in second place in the division. The Giants are in no better shape with an identical record and sitting in second. At the age of 37 this is likely Dickey's last and only shot at starting in the Midsummer Classic. He's 12-1 with a 2.40 ERA; what more could he do? Especially coming in after Verlander, who wouldn't want to watch a crazy dancing knuckleball after a 100mph fastball?

Another issue: let's remember the ridiculous voting that went on and the fact that the Giants have three other players in the NL starting lineup. All three are less deserving than someone on the bench (Buster Posey < Carlos Ruiz, Melky Cabrera < Andrew McCutchen, Pablo Sandoval < David Wright). At least starting Dickey would give the Mets fans a little satisfaction after the obscene snub of MVP candidate David Wright. But this gives the Giants a fourth representative also less deserving. Cain had a perfect game this year. Dickey had the longest scoreless streak in 25 years, including back-to-back 1-hit-complete-games. How impressive is that? The only reason that I have heard for not giving Dickey the nod was the fact that he is a knuckleballer, and Buster Posey (who is starting catcher) has never caught a knuckleballer before. WHO CARES? And what does that mean for the rest of the game? There is only one other catcher on the active roster, Carlos Ruiz (and he hasn't caught a knuckleballer either). If you aren't going to pitch Dickey first because Posey is afraid of him, are you going to pitch him second, while Posey is still out there? Are you going to wait until Buster is out before bringing in the best starting pitcher in baseball? Does that make any logical sense?

In Tony La Russa's swan song, he is doing the National League and fans across the entire country a huge disservice. The game is meaningful, so keep it meaningful by giving the most deserving player the opportunity of a lifetime. Shame on you, Tony.