The All-Star rosters were released on Sunday, with two notable snubs from Cincinnati. Johnny Cueto, Reds starting pitcher with a 9-4 record and 2.26 ERA this season, was bypassed by Hall of Fame manager Tony La Russa, who picked Padres pitcher Huston Street to represent the NL team. Another snub was Reds 2nd Baseman, Brandon Phillips, considered by most to be the best defensive 2nd Baseman in the league, and who also put up decent numbers offensively this season.
Now this doesn't seem like that big of a deal, since All-Star snubs are a yearly problem, but there's something very fishy about La Russa's decisions this year. Some of you might remember that big brawl between the Reds and La Russa's Cardinals back in 2010, in which the two biggest names were Brandon Phillips (who was at-bat when the brawl started), and Johnny Cueto (who kicked Jason LaRue in the head during the brawl). La Russa denies that his decisions were influenced by the brawl, but it's kind of hard to imagine that Cueto, who had a better ERA than 5 of the 6 other pitchers chosen, was bypassed rather than the other pitchers simply because, as La Russa claimed, he is scheduled to play the Sunday before the All-Star Game.
“If Dusty had been more interested in Cueto being on the team, then he wouldn’t be pitching him on Sunday. Cueto probably would be on the team if he wasn’t pitching Sunday.", said La Russa.
Reds Manager Dusty Baker also thought La Russa made his decision with the brawl in mind, saying “A snub like that looks bad. Johnny and Brandon were at the center of a skirmish between us and the Cardinals. Some of the Cardinals who aren’t there anymore are making some of the selections.”
Johnny Cueto, who would have received a $25,000 bonus had he made the All-Star team, also thought La Russa bypassed him due to a personal grudge between the two.
“I see that I have great numbers,” Cueto said. “I thought the way I pitched this year, I’d have a chance to go to the All-Star Game. I don’t know what happened. I don’t know if the manager of All-Star Game is (ticked) at me because I went out with one of his girlfriends.”
So, what are your thoughts on the matter? I definitely think Cueto had reason to be mad, especially since La Russa had such poor excuses as to why he bypassed him.
Now this doesn't seem like that big of a deal, since All-Star snubs are a yearly problem, but there's something very fishy about La Russa's decisions this year. Some of you might remember that big brawl between the Reds and La Russa's Cardinals back in 2010, in which the two biggest names were Brandon Phillips (who was at-bat when the brawl started), and Johnny Cueto (who kicked Jason LaRue in the head during the brawl). La Russa denies that his decisions were influenced by the brawl, but it's kind of hard to imagine that Cueto, who had a better ERA than 5 of the 6 other pitchers chosen, was bypassed rather than the other pitchers simply because, as La Russa claimed, he is scheduled to play the Sunday before the All-Star Game.
“If Dusty had been more interested in Cueto being on the team, then he wouldn’t be pitching him on Sunday. Cueto probably would be on the team if he wasn’t pitching Sunday.", said La Russa.
Reds Manager Dusty Baker also thought La Russa made his decision with the brawl in mind, saying “A snub like that looks bad. Johnny and Brandon were at the center of a skirmish between us and the Cardinals. Some of the Cardinals who aren’t there anymore are making some of the selections.”
Johnny Cueto, who would have received a $25,000 bonus had he made the All-Star team, also thought La Russa bypassed him due to a personal grudge between the two.
“I see that I have great numbers,” Cueto said. “I thought the way I pitched this year, I’d have a chance to go to the All-Star Game. I don’t know what happened. I don’t know if the manager of All-Star Game is (ticked) at me because I went out with one of his girlfriends.”
So, what are your thoughts on the matter? I definitely think Cueto had reason to be mad, especially since La Russa had such poor excuses as to why he bypassed him.
