All-Star Voters Speak: It’s Canseco, Schmidt

In simpler times, a baseball player became an All-Star game starter the old-fashioned way--by hitting, running, throwing, catching and ballot-box stuffing.

Today, there are new methods. Now you can make the grade without appearing in a game, or even on an active roster. You can be disabled, you can be retired, but you can still be chosen, because the people must be given what they want.

And this year, the people want Jose Canseco and Mike Schmidt.

Canseco hasn’t played an inning for the Oakland Athletics this season because of a wrist injury. Schmidt hasn’t played an inning for the Philadelphia Phillies since May 29 because of his retirement. But both were among the 16 players selected by a vote of the fans to start in Tuesday night’s All-Star game at Anaheim Stadium.

Call them All-Stars by absentia.

Schmidt, to his credit, says he will show up in Anaheim only to be introduced. “I’ll tip my cap to the crowd and get goose bumps one more time,” he said. Then, Schmidt will give way to another, younger, still-active third baseman.

Canseco looks at the matter differently. Sure, he’s been out of the Oakland lineup since March. Sure, he’s had more arrests than at-bats this season.

Big deal, Canseco says. He’s still playing.

“The fans are and have been extremely supportive of me all season, despite all the negative things that have come out,” Canseco said Wednesday from Huntsville, Ala., where he continues to rehabilitate his left wrist while playing for Oakland’s double-A affiliate.

“They are the ones who vote for who they want to see in the game, their favorites, and obviously I’m one of their favorites.”

Canseco was the third-leading vote-getter among American League outfielders with 932,329, easily outdistancing Boston’s Mike Greenwell (826,577). The only AL outfielders getting more support were Kansas City’s Bo Jackson (1,748,696) and Minnesota’s Kirby Puckett (1,555,881).

Schmidt, who retired after beginning his 18th major league season with a .203 batting average, outpolled all National League third basemen, beating out Cincinnati’s Chris Sabo by 16,136 votes. Schmidt received a total of 729,249 votes to win the closest competition at any position.

The rest of the National League’s starters will be San Diego catcher Benito Santiago, San Francisco first baseman Will Clark, Chicago second baseman Ryne Sandberg, St. Louis shortstop Ozzie Smith, San Francisco outfielder Kevin Mitchell, New York outfielder Darryl Strawberry and San Diego outfielder Tony Gwynn.

No Dodgers were selected as starters. Catcher Mike Scioscia, first baseman Eddie Murray and second baseman Willie Randolph all placed third at their respective positions. Kirk Gibson, the 1988 NL most valuable player, finished sixth among the outfielders.

In the American League, Jackson, Puckett and Canseco will be joined in the starting lineup by Oakland catcher Terry Steinbach, Oakland first baseman Mark McGwire, Texas second baseman Julio Franco, Boston third baseman Wade Boggs and Baltimore shortstop Cal Ripken.

The Angels, who will play host to the game, didn’t exactly get their electorate out. The club’s leading vote-getter was Lance Parrish (517,939), who placed fourth among American League catchers. The next-best Angel finish was by Wally Joyner, who was sixth among AL first basemen with 334,491 votes.

The balance of the squads--pitchers and reserves--will be announced today.

Canseco’s selection has proved a controversial one, even with his own manager, Tony La Russa, who is also the manager of the AL All-Star team. La Russa is reportedly not playing Canseco unless he appears in at least one game for the A’s before the All-Star break.

Canseco insists that he’ll play in Oakland’s Sunday game against Texas, the A’s last before the break.

“I think what Tony wants is for me to play at least one game for the team,” Canseco said. “I don’t think it’s in Tony’s jurisdiction to decide whether or not I play in the All-Star game.”

Another injured outfielder, Strawberry, has already said he’ll sit the game out. Strawberry says he needs the rest to help heal an injured toe.

The game’s leading vote-getter was San Francisco’s Clark, whose name was punched on 1,833,329 ballots--about 1.3 million more than the NL runner-up at first base, St. Louis’ Pedro Guerrero (516,842).

Side note to Dodger fans: Guerrero outpolled Murray (411,801) by more than 100,000 votes.

The American League’s vote leader was Jackson, followed by Boggs (1,295,355). In the National League, Clark was followed by his Giant teammate, Mitchell, the major leagues’ home run and RBI leader, who received 1,814,118.

The top vote-getter among write-in candidates was Seattle’s rookie outfielder, Ken Griffey Jr. with 79,051. His father, Ken Sr. of Cincinnati, got 262 write-in votes as an NL first baseman.