Remember all of the pre-draft cries about lack of experience, a potentially unstable left knee, the he's-just-not-quite-ready-for-prime-time label that's carelessly used when talent evaluators and execs have no better way to prove that a college player shouldn't make the jump to the professional game?

Well, my gosh, here's $1,000 and an O.J. that says Mark Sanchez couldn't be happier with his decision to go against the grain, and the advice of his nationally-acclaimed coach, and leave USC after his junior season to enter the NFL Draft.

We don't need to mention the university's seemingly abundant moral shortcomings to see how well this move worked out for Sanchez, but they certainly put the frosting on his green and white J-E-T-S cake.

Florham Park, New Jersey, the site of Jets minicamp, is more than a few Hail Mary's from Los Angeles and the campus of Southern California, and who would have thought Sanchez, who was a favorite among Hollywood hot shots during his time in L.A., would find heaven and liberation wrapped all in one when he stepped out of his comfortable place amidst campus frenzy ?

Sanchez isn't taking any backseat to the media attention as he prepares to compete with Kellen Clemens for the Jets starting quarterback job when camp opens in August, as New York provides its own stratosphere of flash bulbs and microphones.

But when we all thought his biggest media hurdles were ahead of him, its now clear that they would have been much worse staying in Los Angeles.

We won't know this for sure, of course, until Sanchez takes the field in the Meadowlands and begins hurling spirals in his new regalia. It all depends on the success of the Jets given the criticism-cauldron nature of Manhattan.

There were never questions regarding Sanchez's character - that remains impeccable, by all accounts - and that was a large reason why Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum decided to go forth with his draft day audible and trade up to the fifth spot in the draft and select Sanchez.

On Wednesday, Sanchez drowned any possible notions of prima donnaitis by signing a five-year deal worth approximately $50 million, $28 million guaranteed, and could potentially be worth up to $60 million if Sanchez reaches all incentives.

There will be no ridiculous holdouts or pompous public feuds between player and team. All there to do now is play football, exactly how Sanchez wants it.

And that's where we will truly see the answered prayer of Sanchez, who didn't leave USC with the most distinguished college career, by any means. He had a solid junior season and a great Rose Bowl performance to hang his chinstrap on.

For USC, though, it's about everything but playing ball.

One of the most prestigious American universities now operates in a cesspool of fraud and dishonesty.

One of the most opulent athletic departments is now the perfect illustration of irrepressible avarice and moral indifference.

And one of the most tradition-rich collegiate sports programs now confirms The Next Big Thing on the gridiron or hardwood is far more important than protecting the virtuous standards of academia.

Heritage Hall has been turned into Hinky Hall.

What a grand plan to attract the attention of mothers and fathers who would have to write approximately $200,000 in checks if their child is to obtain four years of a USC education.

Would any of these previous sentences look great in big bold cardinal and gold print on the front of a campus brochure? Didn't think so. Guess reality isn't always as sparkling as a BCS National Championship trophy.

These stories of risky business and cutting corners are present in the underbelly of thousands of schools in the United States, not just USC. But if you want all the glamour and fame during the good times, you are going to have to wear the pink tutu that comes with the embarrassment of the bad times.

This isn't just an athletic department thing, a coach thing, a player thing, an agent thing. This is a university thing.

Nobody stops the lies because the lies lead to millions of dollars and great television contracts.

The lies lead to endless publicity and promotion.

The lies lead to bloated bank accounts and softer pillows for administration.

But, please, lets leave it to Master P, Young Buck, DJ Quik, et al., to preach, "If it don't it make dollars, it don't make sense."

We often forget that athletic programs lick the university's table clean, not the other way around.

Sure, in this era of big business that is major collegiate sports, we would be ignorant to argue that a university would be the same without its sports teams. Taking away athletic programs would be taking away irreplaceable streams of revenue while substantially damaging campus life. That much is undeniably true.

BUT ... lets remember something in the aftermath of these scandals.

Without basketball and football, there would still be a University of Southern California (albeit, admittedly, a severely shrunken and less prosperous version, but a standing institution nonetheless).

Without USC, there is no beautiful Galen Center, iconic L.A. Coliseum, Heisman Trophy winning Trojan running back named Bush, or any of these figures making news for the wrong reasons.

So, yes, Tim Floyd is at fault for running a squeaky basketball program before bolting to his Mississippi cottage due to the idea of having to face allegations regarding the supposed $1,000 or so that made its way from his fingertips to the palms of O.J. Mayo's coddlers.

Pete Carroll is at fault for not being more aware of Reggie Bush's family allegedly accepting free rent and other gifts from certain conniving prospective agents.

Mayo and Bush are at fault because, after all, it is their careers and they must learn to take responsibility for their name.

USC Athletic Director Mike Garrett is at fault for blindfolding himself and kissing the feet of Carroll and Floyd in return for high-profile bowl games and March Madness appearances.

And university President Steven B. Sample is at fault for merely sitting at the top of this mess and allowing his university to be defamed by the actions of his employees.

Fair or unfair, this is a tsunami that drenches from the very top of the university all the way down. This is the most daunting full-court press USC can face, and it is up to the university as a whole, not just the athletic department, to repair its image.

It won't be easy. This isn't fourth down territory for USC. This is fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth down territory for the Trojans because all future athletes will be unfairly marked with the negative connotations that suddenly accompany being a Trojan.

An 18-year-old will have to prove that he or she didn't except any free money or benefits, rather than be given the benefit of the doubt and the privacy that an amateur athlete should be entitled to. How disgusting is that?

And many thought that Mark Sanchez would be better off returning for his senior season, leading the Trojans to victory at Ohio State, and winning a National Championship before heading to the draft with a legitimate case to be the first quarterback chosen instead of Sam Bradford or Colt McCoy.

Ha!

The bright lights of Manhattan never seemed so comfortable from afar.

Teddy Mitrosilis writes for Bleacher Report. You can reach him at tm4000@yahoo.com.

I spent this past weekend strolling the tree-lined pathways on the campus of the University of North Carolina, indulging in some of Chapel Hill's numerous eating hot spots, and, of course, watching baseball.

Make no mistake, UNC is a basketball school. From Jordan to Perkins, Fox to Carter, many notable ballers have worn the Carolina blue that continues to unequivocally engulf the entire region.

Peruse Franklin Street in June, when school is out and we are about as far as we can get from college basketball season, and you would be beleaguered to find one shop not adorned with basketball shirts and jerseys.

Carolina basketball is and always will be the alpha dog in Chapel Hill.

But there's another program rising to the elite level, and that is Carolina baseball. The Tar Heels don't spring to mind when you think of the college baseball giants - the Texases, Southern Californias, and Louisiana States of the world - but they are carving out their own path into the annals of college baseball history, at a time when not many outside of Chapel Hill are looking.

The Tar Heels, college baseball's No. 4 national seed, hosted the East Carolina Pirates last weekend in the NCAA Super Regionals, and promptly beat them Saturday and Sunday to advance to the College World Series, which will begin Saturday in Omaha, Nebraska.

Only eight teams reach Omaha each spring, a dream that is shared by few and envied by many. One trip to Omaha makes a college career officially one worth cherishing.

So pardon this group of Carolina seniors if they pinch themselves over the next two weeks.

This is the fourth straight CWS appearance for head coach Mike Fox and his Tar Heels, becoming the first Atlantic Coast Conference team to accomplish such a feat.

Also with the newest Omaha trip, UNC became the first ACC school ever to reach a bowl game, the men's Final Four, and the College World Series in the same season. Not bad for an athletic department defined solely by the hardwood.

Where did the Tar Heels come from? That question is left without an answer as Fox wraps up his 11th season in Chapel Hill.

What is no mystery, though, is that all great programs have the ability to recruit the nation's top talents, and that is where Fox excels.

Twenty-seven of Fox's former Tar Heels are currently playing professional baseball, most notably Andrew Miller of the Florida Marlins, Daniel Bard of the Boston Red Sox, and Chris Iannetta of the Colorado Rockies.

Life as an elite program can be difficult at times, especially when signing a handful of the best high school prospects. UNC gets to handpick many of the best players around the country, true, but it is also reality that many of those players never make it to campus, and sign a professional contract out of high school instead.

If it weren't for college baseball's rule that requires players who enroll at a university to stay put for three seasons, sustaining any type of national pedigree may be virtually impossible.

This year's team will presumably lose multiple impact players. Junior first baseman Dustin Ackley is long gone, as he is regarded as the best hitter in this year's draft and is somewhat of a lock to be selected by the Seattle Mariners with the second overall pick in Tuesday's MLB Amateur Draft.

Ackley draws Chase Utley comparisons. If you have seen him play, you know why, and if you haven't, that's all you need to know.

Carolina's ace, Alex White, had an inconsistent junior season, but is still likely to be popped within the first 12-15 picks as his fastball and slider both grade as major league caliber pitches, and the right hander is closer to the big leagues than any of the acclaimed high school hurlers.

Third baseman Kyle Seager, who went 5-for-9 over the weekend, is also a junior and is expected to be drafted in the first few rounds. Throw in senior Adam Warren, Carolina's No. 2 starting pitcher, and that's a lot of talent leaving the club.

Of course, high school outfielder/quarterback Donovan Tate, who is signed to play both sports at UNC (expected to be a Top 10 pick), and Jacob Turner, a flame-thrower from St. Louis (expected to go in Top 15), probably won't ever know what a dorm room is.

There's hope for Coach Fox, though, as both players are represented by Scott Boras and will most likely come with steep price tags, which could scare off many teams as was the case in the 2007 draft with Rick Porcello, a UNC signee who was regarded as the top high school arm in the draft but fell to the Detroit Tigers with the 27th pick due to bonus demands (only to sign for richest high school contract ever, worth a total of $11.1 M, and is now pitching in the big leagues at 20 years old).

But losing recruits to the draft is like having such an amount of wealth that you don't know how to efficiently invest all of it in different markets. It's a good problem to have.

Any player would be lucky to spend three or four years in Chapel Hill playing in Boshamer Stadium - undoubtedly one of the nation's most scenic and prestigious facilities - with the opportunity to reach college baseball's ultimate stage.

Fox has not won it all during his time in Carolina, coming close twice in '06 and '07, but that remains the only thing the Tar Heels haven't done in his tenure.

The fact that the Texas Longhorns have won two rings under Auggie Garrido in the past eight seasons, and are vying for a third this year, should put them at the top of the national pecking order, for now.

But USC hasn't been relevant since their national championship in '98, and Cal State Fullerton is the only other perennial powerhouse that has shown the capability of consistently returning to national prominence, winning it all in 2004.

Considering the routine June trips to the Midwest for North Carolina, if the Tar Heels finally win the ring this season, that will cap a resume that begs to be labeled a dynasty as we welcome the next decade of great programs.

Teddy Mitrosilis is a staff writer for Around The Majors. He also writes for Bleacher Report. You can reach him at tm4000@yahoo.com.

My eyes were jolted wide open weeks before that laser barrage on Yankee Stadium last summer that culminated Josh Hamilton's rise back to baseball glory.

I leaned back in my chair about 10 rows above the visitor's on-deck circle at Angel Stadium last spring, approximately 90 minutes before first pitch, and I was mesmerized.

I was mesmerize by the sound, the speed, the power, the rhythm, the flight, and, ultimately, the landing.

Let me tell you, even in this day of suppressed savings accounts and preposterously-priced sports tickets, watching Hamilton take batting practice is easily worth the price of your ticket. If you get to enjoy a great ballgame too, well, that's just dessert.

It was that day I realized how special Josh Hamilton really is, and what he means to the Texas Rangers. There was nobody else like him in that batting cage. Balls were coming off his bat like sticks of dynamite drunk on kerosene, Hamilton's toothpick bat (at least that's what it looked like resting in his hands) providing the ignite.

The force with which Hamilton hit the ball was tantalizing as it was adorned with such grace and fluidity. Regular men aren't made to hit baseballs like that, but is clear that there is nothing regular about Hamilton.

He was making the rest of his big league teammates look like the scrawny sophomore on your high school team, feebly slapping balls around the diamond. The only one to come close to Hamilton's power was Chris Davis. And when I say close, I mean like the difference between black and white and Blu-ray. So, really, not that close.

But as the Texas Rangers enjoy a 4.5 game lead over the Los Angeles Angels in the American League West, the club was gut-punched by Tuesday's news that Hamilton has been put on the disabled list with an injury that has been referred to as both an abdominal strain and a sports hernia, largely the same thing.

Given Texas' typical array of pitching woes, we could say that they are always dating Ms. Bleak but now, with Hamilton's absence, appear to be engaged to Ms. Doom.

Hamilton had an MRI and was examined by Dr. John Preskitt, according to reports, but the prognosis of Hamilton's injury still remains unclear. The best case scenario is that Hamilton misses two weeks, and is back in the Rangers' lineup by the end of June.

The worst case scenario, which would include hernia surgery, is that Hamilton misses two months and then takes a couple weeks to regain his normal form, time that Texas doesn't necessarily have considering their indelible history of wilting under the Arlington summer heat. Will Texas still be floating above the surface in late August or early September? Too early to know.

Hamilton has already been marred by injury this season after enjoying a monstrous 2008 season that fully welcomed him back to baseball, and sanity, after his thoroughly-documented fight with drug and alcohol addiction.

Hamilton missed about two weeks of play, beginning in late April, after straining his rib cage crashing into a wall in Toronto. Coincidentally, Hamilton first hurt his groin, which morphed into his current abdominal pains, making a highlight catch against the outfield wall against the Angels on May 17.

It's not that the Rangers can't win without Hamilton, because they still are one of baseball's best offenses without him. The Rangers rank first in the A.L. in home runs, despite the fact that Hamilton has hit only six, and rank fifth in runs

But there isn't enough reason to believe that Texas can remain such a potent offense when they are away from their home digs. Chris Davis, who has contributed 12 home runs, is hitting .189 and has struck out in nearly half of his at-bats.

Hank Blalock has 12 bombs on the year, but his .293 OBP reeks of his perpetual disagreement with Ball Four.

It is clear that the Rangers will always live and die with the long ball, but what happens when these aforementioned names hit power droughts sometime over the summer, which will inevitably happen? They don't offer anything else to the offense.

That leaves Ian Kinsler and Michael Young with the bulk of the responsibility, and that's not enough. Both tremendous players, but no lineup can survive on two guys.

Nelson Cruz has had a wonderful first half thus far, he of the .959 OPS, but we need to see more of him before we can say with any certainty that he is a trustworthy cog in Texas' attack.

The Rangers have gotten here without Hamilton, partly due to the rest of the A.L. West's ineptitude, but they cannot finish the season on top without Hamilton raking in the middle of the order like the elite hitter that he is.

It won't happen.

The pitching staff, led by team president Nolan Ryan and pitching coach Mike Maddux, has shown a more aggressive mentality on the mound than in prior seasons. The Rangers hurlers don't appear to be afraid of contact like they have in the past, but they still only rank in the middle of the pack in the A.L. in earned runs.

Texas' pitching staff has always been the kid with asthma trudging along at the back of the race. For the first time in a long time, it appears that they may have enough guidance and enough talent (if you don't know who Neftali Feliz is yet, you will soon) to keep pace with rest of the runners.

And that's the thing about these Rangers. They have a chance to do something, a chance to put that first building block in place for the future of the franchise.

I can still see all of those rainbows that Hamilton hit on that sunny day in Anaheim, well before the camera lights went on.

Hamilton's blasts were touching down in far-reaching crannies of the bleachers that most ball seekers didn't even imagine of searching.

Hopefully for the Rangers, while Hamilton is nursing his hernia back to health, they don't land in the quite familiar cold crannies of the pennant race.

Teddy Mitrosilis is a staff write for Around The Majors. He also writes for Bleacher Report. You can reach him at tm4000@yahoo.com.

In this era of crazed puppet ad campaigns and potential dynasties derailed primarily by feuds and dollars, it is refreshing to see a star who truly loves his city.

A star who wants to drive his city, who wants to elevate the popularity and history of his city as a token of appreciation for his ever-swelling fame and fortune.

No, America isn't going to be treated to The Great Debate that is Kobe versus LeBron - which has taken on such intemperance that it feels like a corporate pitch more than a competitive rivalry - but we will be treated to our first real taste of Dwight Howard in the national spotlight, and that is no consolation prize.

The Orlando Magic have been dubbed as an Eastern beast for a while now, but nobody outside of the Orlando locker room conceded that the Magic had any plausible chance to knock King James off his heralded throne in the Eastern Conference Finals, underestimating the power of belief in your teammates.

Howard is unequivocally the most dominant big man in the NBA today - apologies to Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan, et al. - and he isn't close to operating in first gear, relying on brute strength to create the bulk of his scoring opportunities instead of possessing a distinct low-post move.

But this version of Howard reminds me of a former Orlando center who didn't have a go-to shot, some fella who goes by Shaq. I think that career worked out all right.

We like to force current superstars into the molds of past legends, if only for comparison sake, but lets not be so hasty with Howard.

Why? Because Howard has a chance to do more than O'Neal ever did in Orlando, and that's not suggesting that Howard will have a more illustrious career than O'Neal, who will retire as one of the Top-10 big men ever, and one of the 50 greatest NBA players in history.

To place such burdens of eminence on the shoulders of Howard, as broad and impressive as they are, is irresponsible and unfair. But what Howard can do that O'Neal never did, is stamp his name as a pillar of Orlando, a guy the city can claim as its own.

The Shaq hysteria was short-lived in Orlando, beginning with the selection of O'Neal first overall in the 1992 draft. O'Neal teamed with Penny Hardaway and Horace Grant to take the Magic to their first NBA Finals in franchise history in '95, one that ended gruesomely in a sweep by Olajuwon's Houston Rockets.

Orlando returned to the Eastern Conference Finals in '96, but were dismantled by Jordan and the Bulls, and O'Neal promptly bolted for Los Angeles as a free-agent that summer. That was that; Shaq will forever be remembered as a Hollywood guy.

But here's Howard, preparing for his first NBA Finals appearance at only 23 years old, and only beginning to take advantage of his unfathomable amount of talent and athleticism.

Howard has four years remaining on his current contract, but he is dreaming of much more than that.

"You know what? I'll be here as long as the fans want me to be here," Howard told the Orlando Sentinel. "I tell my friends this: I want to stay here. It will be based upon the city. We want the support of our fans. That's what carries us, that's what inspires us, that's what keeps us motivated."

If that's the case, Howard shouldn't be going anywhere.

Magic general manager Otis Smith is going to have to pony up the dollars to keep one of the game's brightest smiles in Magic blue, but given Howard's production, the inevitable growth of his game, and his willingness to embrace the city and take partial responsibility for its direction, how could he not make that financial commitment?

"You want to feel loved. That's the biggest thing. I show my love to the community. I show my love to this city by stepping on the floor every night and playing as hard as I can. That's all we want back," said Howard.

And I would say that Orlando's fans have given their love to Howard and his teammates, and then some. Amway Arena has been a guillotine for opposing teams, as the Magic have gone 7-2 at home in the playoffs in front a regularly boisterous, white-towel waving crowd.

Much of the Orlando's run should be credited to the supporting cast around Howard - including Rashard Lewis, Hedo Turkoglu, Mickael Pietrus, and Rafer Alston - but Howard is the glowing ember that ignites this entire inferno.

Howard was named the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year for the '08-'09 season, and the playoffs have become merely his coming out party. In the post season, Howard is averaging 21.7 points, 15.4 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game.

This interior dominance isn't new, as Howard has been terrorizing the paint since his entrance into the league, but it is time that Howard is recognized as The Franchise in Orlando, a rightful owner of a place among basketball's next generation of brand bearers.

You don't let guys like Howard slip through your fingertips and into the abyss of our nation's most frenzied media markets.

When you have a guy who is the youngest player in NBA history to 3,000, 4,000, and 5,000 rebounds, you cherish him.

When you have a guy who is the youngest player in NBA history to lead the league in rebounds and blocks, you defend him.

When you have a guy who is the youngest player in NBA history to average a double-double, you swear by him.

"My responsibility is to my family first, then the organization and then my city. I will never turn my back on this city as long as they don't turn their back on me," said Howard.

"I've always wanted to see Orlando on top because we've always been overlooked -- not just as a basketball franchise -- but as a city. I do a lot for the community, especially in the African-American community, because of what goes on. I try to do my best."

"So I love this place. I want to stay here."

There is a new Superman in Orlando.

If the Magic play this one right, there will never be a departure, and no love will be lost.

You can reach Teddy Mitrosilis at tm4000@yahoo.com.

For years now, Major League Baseball has pushed its All Star Game - the Midsummer Classic - as the ultimate showcase of the game's best players. While that is not exactly a preposterous statement, it is at best a fallacious one.

If that weren't true, we wouldn't have the bevy of "Most Snubbed" debates every time balloting rolls around that we do. We quickly realize that the most popular players are getting their names punched while some of the best (at least in that given year) players are being left at home.

I'm not criticizing the All Star Game, necessarily, but it is time to be honest about what it is and what it represents. It's a showcase of the biggest names, the most marketable faces, and is a cash cow of marvelous proportions. The event is more about publicizing and growing the game than awarding the most deserving players of the year.

Fine. I'm cool with that, because the stars need to be ambassadors of the game and all of that. I get it. If baseball is going to truly put on an event for the fans, the main attractions need to be there.

There's nothing worse than going to Disneyland and learning that Space Mountain and Splash Mountain are under construction. The All Star Game works on the same principle.

But with word on the streets of Hollywood that Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Manny Ramirez currently sits fourth among National League outfielders in All Star votes, the reactions in the living rooms of America shouldn't be so negligent.

With Ramirez missing 50 games in the first half due to his steroid suspension, is there any excuse out there that can be made for voting him into the All Star Game?

I say no, but as my inbox continues to flood daily with "Vote For Manny!!!!" threads, it is apparent that there is a group of fans out there with an agenda.

Except what's the agenda? It just seems like nothing but a stupid idea to me.

Voting Ramirez into the All Star Game won't be some slap in the face for Commissioner Bud Selig. It will only push the Commish closer and closer to withdrawing the majority vote from the fans.

Voting Ramirez into the All Star Game won't prove that baseball has lost all control. It will only proclaim that there is a large assortment of fans who care nothing about the integrity of the sport, which is as disgusting as any steroid abusing player.

A major shortcoming is that we use the All Star Game as a tool of evaluation when it comes time to flash the high-beams on a player's career. If the All Star Game is as trivial as it has proven to be, how can that be part of any Hall Of Fame case made for any player pre-induction? It can't be, but it still is.

We act like making 5 All Star Games is an incredible achievement - and in many ways, it certainly is - but who really cares when we know that the largest fan bases (directly related to cities with larger populations) will vote 20 times per day for their hometown boy?

We as fans have made it clear that we are incapable of selecting ballplayers to the All Star Game based on merit, so therefore it is time that MLB makes some changes with its summer festival.

First off, do away with the rule that requires every team to send a representative. I'm sorry, but if you are a team that doesn't have one player who is worthy of earning an All Star selection at his position, maybe you should ... get better players?

In all likelihood, every club has at least one player who is worthy of playing in the game, so this shouldn't be a common predicament.

But if you are getting boat-raced in your division, can't put enough exciting talent on the field to sell tickets, and can't produce a product entertaining enough to create any sort of buzz throughout your community, I don't want to hear it. The Virgin Islands awaits all twenty-five members of your team for a few days. The sunscreen is on us.

For the actual festivities, the All Star Game needs to be a two-day event, and I'm not counting the celebrity softball game as part of this.

The celebrity softball game is like a stale, oversized hotdog bun that splits in half at first bite, leaving you with too much bread, too little hotdog, and mustard on your lap. It's utterly useless, if not painfully annoying.

Moving on.

The Home Run Derby needs to be shortened and be part of an entire Skills Contest. The NFL and NBA both have skills contests in their All Star festivities, and they work wonderfully. The Derby would be like the Dunk Contest, the encore lurking at the end of a great show.

The Skills Contest is where fans are encouraged to play favorites and vote for whomever they wish to see compete. The events of the Skills Contest could even be left up for the fans to vote on, if they wish.

Want to see the best outfield arms in one big throw-off? We can make that happen. Want to see the best hands in the middle of the infield make Web Gem after Web Gem? We can make that happen.

How about a contest where the players, representing specific sections of the crowd, attempt to land bunts on designated areas of the infield grass, all worth a certain prize for their sections? We can make that happen.

If you have an idea, and it is remotely fathomable, pass it along and Major League Baseball can consider it for fan voting for the Skills Contest.

That's that. The actual game itself needs to be reserved for the players who deserve to be in it, whether that is superstar Derek Jeter or rookie Adam Jones. If we want the All Star Game to mean anything, it just has to be that way.

We can still allow the fans to vote for the All Star Game - thus giving them the opportunity to actually get it right - but have a MLB administered panel in place to make any necessary corrections.

For instance, if voting ended this week and Boston's Dustin Pedroia was voted the starting second baseman for the American League over Toronto's Aaron Hill, the panel would step in and correct that popularity-induced misfire.

If not, trash the game - since it's irrelevant - save the exhibition inning on the pitchers' arms (you know, the one where his organization could care less if he performs well as long as he makes it out of the game healthy and intact for the second half), and come up with something else that involves the players and is fun for the fans.

Like a wiffle ball game, where everybody plays but position players have to pitch (since no team is letting their ace sling a wiffle ball around).

I know, that's a crazy, if not absurd, idea, but so is cheating a guy who has had a great first half out of playing in the real game because he spent 7 years in the minors, isn't endorsed by Nike, and plays on the Pirates, and therefore not many people have heard of him.

Whatever it is, we need to do something or else the All Star Game is soon going to take on the life of the Pro Bowl.

Yeah, there's cemeteries livelier than that.

Teddy Mitrosilis is a staff writer for Around The Majors. You can reach him at tm4000@yahoo.com.