Now, not never

Bobby Abreu finally made it to the All-Star Game in his ninth season as internet voting closed on the final two All-Star selections this evening. 2 million people wanted to see Abreu represent the NL for the first time in his career, and there's at least 2 million reasons why Abreu's the right choice. Hell, I voted for Abreu six times, one for every year he's been snubbed so far -- though I did have some misgivings. Aramis Ramirez, currently batting .326 with 15hr and 56rbi, might've been a strong choice for this year, too; his contributions to the Cubs' offense this year (Dusty Baker has called him the "cornerstone" of the club) are undeniable, and he murdered the ball during the team's pennant run last year. In a just world, he would have made the roster, too (he was neck-and-neck with Abreu in voting yesterday). But in a just world, Barry Larkin wouldn't have been voted in as the starting shortstop this year and Abreu would've gotten his propers long ago.

So back to the man of the hour. Beginning in 1998, when Abreu established himself as a starter in his first season with the Phillies, any of his seasons could've been considered All-Star worthy. He's hit at a .300 clip or better in 5 of those 6 seasons, and has never missed more than 11 games in any of those seasons. In 2001, when his average dipped to .289, he played in all 162 games of the season and ranked top-10 in runs, walks, stolen bases, extra base hits, doubles and sacrifice flies. He got on base less (the only time his OBP has dipped below .400), but compensated with better power numbers.

Before today, Bobby Abreu had the distinction of being the best baseball player never to be included on an All-Star roster. I'm sure he's happy to not have that albatross hanging around his neck anymore. But despite his monstrous stats, Abreu also has the misfortune of being a mercurial player. He always finishes strong at the end of the season, but has a reputation for being frustratingly streaky. A choker. A difficult presence on the field. Undisciplined. Every year, there's a report out of Philly that proclaims that the fans are "tiring of his slack attitude." Sure, the Philly fans give their stars no quarter -- a friend of mine took issue with Scott Rolen in 2001 (in the midst of a fine season) for "only hitting home runs when it doesn't count." Pat Burrell's gotta be happy that he's not the locus of frustrations this year. The only guy who gets it worse than Larry Bowa year in, year out is Abreu. He isa slow starter, but so is Jim Thome.

In the end, it's not sentiment that prevails with the Abreu selection. He's in the midst of his greatest campaign yet with a .301 average, 17hr and 57rbi -- putting him on pace to eclipse previous highs for home runs and driving runs in. His OPS is the highest it has ever been (1.010 -- compare to Moises Alou's .850 this season) and he's getting on base at a torrid pace, suggesting he'll trump his highest runs scored total, as well. Even more importantly, he's 17-for-18 in stolen base attempts. Abreu is lighting on the base paths, but he also gets thrown out a lot and his efficiency rate in that department has traditionally hovered between 50-75%. But he's getting on and staying on...and now he's in. And to all the fans in Houston who stuffed the ballot box to make this happen, the check's in the mail.