DrewDawg said:Manfred "open to change" on voting for ASG: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-big-league-stew/mlb--open-to-change--to-all-star-game-fan-voting-says-rob-manfred-130945029.html
If you haven't been following, as of today, 8 Kansas City Royals would be starting for the AL squad during the all-star game. Royals fans are stuffing the boxes successfully.
Manfred (in the linked article) has acknowledged that he may open to change "if we get a result that is not consistent with the goals of the system that is in place.'' It's not clear to me (from that quote, anyways), whether he means he might unilaterally revise the 2015 team, or whether he means systematic changes in the future.
In any event, I thought it might be interesting to discuss (i) whether the AL should field 8 Royals, if that's the fan vote, or whether Manfred should step in and do something else; and (ii) how others would propose to change (or keep) the selection process. I know nobody actually cares. Just for discussion's sake.
I would not be opposed to the Commissioner stepping in here, and perhaps conducting an emergency vote of managers and players to elect a representative all-star team. It would be news for a day, and go down in history, but who cares? The game's just an exhibition anyways, so a little drama and history wouldn't kill it. And at the end of the day, if I care at all, I'd rather a true all-star team, rather than the Royals All-Stars.
More generally, I actually think this might be a good place for the sportswriters to get their votes. The media acts almost as a republican body for fans, and would avoid shenanigans of the sort that we're seeing now. Maybe have the fans vote for the top three in each position and then have the sportswriters select from those three (if we want to institute a bicameral legislature).