Meet Me In St. Louie

Well we're about to hit it. The most boring month in sports.

Fans, meet July.

For 31 days we get to watch coverage drift towards many...different areas we aren't so accustomed to. We're already hearing more soccer talk. Golf will get plenty of hours with the British Open coming up and the Buick Open and World Golf Championships not far after. You'll get your dose of NASCAR and UFC 100, more tennis grunting than even the most hardcore Maria Sharapova fans can handle, and of course, any time an NBA or NFL player Tweets or toots, you'll hear about that too.
It could be worse, don't get me wrong. But if there was ever a month to thank the Lord for baseball, it's July.
Speaking of baseball, July holds one of the sport's most prized gem as well, the "Mid-Summer Classic" a.k.a. - the 2009 All-Star Game.
Well I finally gave in and cast my ballot, complete with my picks of starters for both the AL and NL this afternoon. I usually look for a nice combination of consistency (Hits/Average) and power (HR & RBI) at the plate. I'll factor in steals when it's appropriate and occasionly, I'll scan the Total Bases and Errors category. Basically, you've got to be having a goooooodddd season all around to earn my vote. Just because you're the leader in HR doesn't mean I'm voting for you.
Curious to see my selections? I thought you'd never ask...

AMERICAN LEAGUE
C: Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins- This was a no brainer. Fantastic season all around. I'd like to see the A's Kirk Suzuki get a nod for an invite as well though. He's had a quietly surprising season in Oakland.
1B: Justin Morneau, Minnesota Twins- Tough call at this position. I would've easily chosen Victor Martinez here if 1B was his everyday position, but lately he's been doing more catching than anything else. Magglio Ordonez is a worthy candidate here, but Morneau is a little bit better than him at the plate and has only commited 1 error compared ot Ordonez's 4.
2B: Aaron Hill, Toronto Blue Jays- If you don't vote for Aaron Hill, you just don't have a heart. He's been fantastic this entire season and has held off a tough position filled with perenial favorites like Robinson Cano, Dustin Pedroia, Ian Kinsler, and Brian Roberts.
SS: Derek Jeter, New York Yankees- Surprise surprise. But in all honesty, he's very deserving this year. I mean, c'mon, it's not everyday a 35 year old leads all AL shortstops with 17 steals!
3B: Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays- No such thing as a sophomore slump for Longoria. Also of note though- it should be interesting to see where Texas' Michael Young ends up playing. He's got the numbers at 3B this year to make him an All-Star, but that doesn't mean we won't see him at SS in St. Louis.
OF: Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle Mariners- He never ceases to amaze me. 110 hits thus far while batting .372. Ya...that's hard to do.
OF: Torii Hunter, Los Angeles Angels- Another prime example of consistency. Fantastic in the field and this year, fantastic at the plate as well.
OF: Jason Bay, Boston Red Sox- It's tough for me to put a guy in as my starter when he has neary 70 strikeouts already this season. But Bay's power has been something to take note of and in my eyes, he's the Sox MVP so far this season.
SP: Zack Greinke, Kansas City Royals- You can go all day here on whether it should be Greinke or Roy Halladay. There are some categories that are more Zack and others that are more Roy. But what it boils down to for me are the 10 wins that, in my opinion, Zack has had to work harder for. Also there are Greinke's 117 K's to Halladay's 88.

NATIONAL LEAGUE
C: Brian McCann, Atlanta Braves- While I feel for Benji Molina here, I feel more for what McCann's done after being hampered by an injury for a portion of the first half. Plus he's tearing it up for my fantasy team.
1B: Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals- As if you needed an explanation.
2B: Orlando Hudson, Los Angeles Dodgers- It amazes me that a guy can lead his position with 92 hits and still have enough time to strikeout 53 times. No matter, Hudson has been everything and more in his first season in Dodger blue. I'll also make a pitch for Red's 2B Brandon Phillips to back up Hudson. He's been outstanding this season at the plate and on the basepaths.
SS: Hanley Ramirez, Florida Marlins- If I was going just by stats, this spot should be reserved for Miguel Tejada. But character-wise, I'm just not much of a Tejada fan. Let's insert a little youth and speed to this heavy hitting lineup.
3B: Pablo Sandoval, San Francisco Giants- There are a ton of candidates here. David Wright has done well, but where are the home runs? Casey Blake and Ryan Zimmerman have faired well, but nothing eye popping. And then there's Arizona's Mark Reynolds who is not only killing the ball (21 HR, 154 TB) but killing himself too (102 strikeouts). Therefore, I give it to the consistent youngster from San Francisco by default.
OF: Ryan Braun, Milwaukee Brewers- He's second in TB's, first in Hits, and fourth in Homers. As a Cubs fan, I envy what the Brewers have at the plate in Braun. Always have, always will.
OF: Matt Kemp, Los Angeles Dodgers- I was all but ready to hand Justin Upton his first All-Star vote, but I have to give the nod instead to another first timer in Kemp. He's played nearly every game for L.A. and hasn't shown any signs of tiring, both at the plate and in the field.
OF: Raul Ibanez, Philadelphia Phillies- On a roster with Utley, Rollins, and Howard, who knew it'd be Raul Ibanez who would garner the team's only All-Star starter vote? Not this guy.
SP: Josh Johnson, Florida Marlins- Unlike the AL, there are a number of candidates for Starting Pitcher. For my ballot, it came down to three candidates: Johnson, the Dodgers' Chad Billingsley, and the Giants' Matt Cain. Billingsley and Cain both lead the NL with 9 wins. However, Cain has been prone to giving up 11 HR's and Billingsley has surrendered the most walks. Johnson is the NL's only 1-game loser and has still managed to reel off 7 wins. He's got a 2.74 ERA, has pitched more innings than the other two, and has 90+ K's.