Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, July 5, 1990 TAG: 9007050067
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: NEW YORK LENGTH: Long
Canseco led a parade of three Oakland Athletics on the American League starting All-Star team and Ryne Sandberg of the Chicago Cubs topped the balloting in the National League.
Canseco led all players in fan balloting with 2,313,091 votes, the most since catcher Gary Carter received 2,785,407 in 1982 while playing for Montreal. Sandberg was next with 2,262,245 votes.
The final voting for next Tuesday night's All-Star Game at Wrigley Field was announced Wednesday by Major League Baseball.
Canseco, who will make $2.8 million next season after signing a five-year, $23.5 million contract last week, has been elected twice before as an AL starter. Sandberg will be making his fifth straight start for the NL and sixth overall.
Joining Canseco in the starting AL outfield will be Seattle's Ken Griffey Jr. and Oakland's Rickey Henderson, who will be making his sixth All-Star start. Griffey is the first Mariner ever elected an All-Star starter.
"It hasn't hit me yet," Griffey said. "I just want to keep playing good baseball and help the team win. That was my objective, not to make the All-Star team. I'm happy. I'd like to thank everyone who voted for me."
Canseco, who recently came off the disabled list, is hitting .300 with 20 home runs and 50 RBI.
Starting in the AL infield will be third baseman Wade Boggs of Boston, shortstop Cal Ripken Jr. of Baltimore, second baseman Steve Sax of New York and first baseman Mark McGwire of Oakland.
For Boggs, who is batting .299, it is his sixth straight All-Star appearance.
"You can always say you'd rather have the three days off to let your body rest," Boggs said. "It's not only a thrill but an honor to represent the Red Sox and all third basemen."
Toronto third baseman Kelly Gruber was runner-up to Boggs. Gruber is hitting .303 with 20 homers and 65 RBI.
"I've won five batting titles and set the record for 200-hit seasons and beat Lou Gehrig's record for 200-hit, 100-walk seasons [four consecutive years, 1986-89]," Boggs said. "My numbers are down, but earlier in my career I was doing well at the All-Star break and didn't get to go. It's still an honor to go. I'm not ashamed of anything."
Cleveland rookie Sandy Alomar was voted to start for the AL at catcher. Only two other Cleveland players - Ray Fosse in 1971 and Manny Trillo in 1983 - have been picked as starters by the fans.
"It's really special because I got traded from the National League to the American League" said Alomar, who is hitting .298 with three homers and 31 RBI. "As a rookie, I wasn't expecting to be that close. Being in Cleveland, nobody expected me to win the thing. But if you play 100 percent, they're going to vote for you. It wasn't really one of my goals."
Cecil Fielder of Detroit, who leads the AL with 27 homers and 70 RBI, was runner-up to McGwire at first base with 1,151,099 votes.
Chicago White Sox shortstop Ozzie Guillen, hitting .322, was second to Ripken with 1,054,370 votes.
Starting with Sandberg in the NL infield will be first baseman Will Clark of San Francisco, third baseman Chris Sabo of Cincinnati and Ozzie Smith of St. Louis, who will be making his eighth consecutive start at shortstop. Smith was the top-vote getter in 1987 and '88.
For making the All-Star team, Clark will get a $25,000 bonus and McGwire $20,000.
Sandberg hit .377 with 14 home runs and 25 RBI during June to win the NL player-of-the-month award. Overall, he is hitting .344 with 24 homers and 56 RBI. He has made only two errors and has 15 stolen bases.
Smith is having an off-year, hitting .224 with seven errors, but his 1,337,815 votes beat Cincinnati's Barry Larkin by 79,220. Larkin is hitting .317.
"It's partly a popularity contest," Larkin said "The Wizard of Oz . . . everybody knows him. He's good for the game and he should be there. As long as he plays, he'll be voted in and I think he deserves it."
Said Smith, "If people take the time to punch my name on a ballot, I've got a responsibility. To have the opportunity to play with the best is something special. The fans don't worry about good or bad years. They just vote."
San Diego's Benito Santiago was elected for the second straight year at catcher but will not be able to play because of a broken arm. Mike Scioscia of Los Angeles was the runner-up at catcher with 571,378 votes to Santiago's 1,785,412. Rookie catcher Todd Zeile was third with 570,971 votes.
The NL outfield consists of Chicago's Andre Dawson, Philadelphia's Lenny Dykstra and San Francisco's Kevin Mitchell.
Dawson will be making his sixth start and Mitchell (19 homers and 45 RBI) will be starting for the second year in a row. Dykstra, the major leagues' leading hitter at .368, is the first Phillies' outfielder to be elected since Greg Luzinski in 1978. Dykstra gets a $25,000 bonus for making the All-Star team.
Giants third baseman Matt Williams, who has 16 homers and 64 RBI, finished second to Sabo (16 homers, 42 RBI) with 812,543 votes.
"I'm happy, but I'm not surprised," Sabo said. "I almost got elected last year and I stunk. It's a popularity contest. It doesn't mean you're the best by any means. It must mean a lot of people want to see you play, and I guess I had a lot of fan support."
Keywords:
BASEBALL
by CNB