Marty Noble, of www.mlb.com, reports that David Wright, the face of the Mets, may or may not be a face seen at the All-Star Game. When the results of the fans balloting for the starters on the All-Star teams were announced by Major League Baseball on Sunday afternoon, Wright was not among those elected.
But the third baseman still may gain a roster spot on the National League team, because he is one of five players involved in the Monster 2008 All-Star Game Final Vote.
In its seventh year, the Monster 2008 All-Star Game Final Vote affords the public an opportunity to add the finishing touches to the league rosters by electing the final player on each All-Star team. Balloting began immediately following Sunday's Major League All-Star Selection Show presented by Chevy, and it continues until 5 p.m. ET on Thursday. The winners will be announced on MLB.com shortly thereafter.
The vote for the NL player will be a referendum on Wright's popularity. Now in his fifth season, he is the Mets' most widely embraced player. His competition will come from Phillies left fielder Pat Burrell, Astros left fielder Carlos Lee, Giants center fielder Aaron Rowand and Brewers right fielder Corey Hart.
Wright lagged well behind Chipper Jones of the Braves and Aramis Ramirez of the Cubs in voting for third basemen in the NL. His standing in the balloting, however, seemingly was more a reflection of the team's uneven performance than of his performance and popularity. He acknowledged as much Saturday, when he said, "I'd love to go. But I understand we've dug a hole for ourselves as a team."
Though his batting average entering Sunday (.288) was 23 points lower than his pre-2008 career average, Wright was leading the Mets in RBIs with 66, home runs with 16, on-base percentage with .385 and slugging percentage with .508. His RBI total ranked fifth in the league.
Major League Baseball has created two methods for fans to participate in the Final Vote -- online now at MLB.com, or on-the-go from their cell phones. Fans also can text the word "VOTE" to 36197 to have the All-Star Final Vote candidates sent to their phones. To vote for a specific player, simply reply with your choice. In Canada, fans should text the word "VOTE" to 88555. Standard rate text messaging rates apply -- please check with your mobile carrier for details.
START VOTING
Fans will once again will have the opportunity to participate in the official voting for the Ted Williams Most Valuable Player presented by Chevrolet via the Monster 2008 All-Star Game MVP Vote on MLB.com during the All-Star Game. The 79th Major League Baseball All-Star Game will be televised nationally by FOX, in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and Sportsnet HD and televised around the world by Major League Baseball International, with pregame ceremonies beginning at 8 p.m. ET. ESPN Radio will provide exclusive national radio coverage, while MLB.com will provide extensive online coverage. XM will provide satellite radio play-by-play coverage of the XM All-Star Futures Game.
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