While we can appreciate the tongue-in-cheek nature of the VoteForManny campaign circling the web, we think legitimate effort should be put into making the Phillies MVP to date and one of the hottest players in the league this season a voted-in all star.
Ibanez currently leads the majors in HRs with 17, slugging percentage at .707, and is third in the NL in batting average at .339. Those are all star numbers.
USA Today has a feature on Raul today that tells how assistant coach Pete Mackanin has given Ibanez the nickname of "Nice Going." While we certainly appreciate a good nickname, Charlie Manuel's approach is also heartwarming.
Manager Charlie Manuel is superstitious enough not to tempt fate around a hot hitter.
"Don't need to talk about it," Manuel says. "Leave him alone."
Leave him alone but vote for him into the summer classic.
It's Friday, you don't want to do any work, so spend some time showing Rauuuuuuuul your support. Vote for Ibanez here.
>>Phillies veteran Raul Ibanez, 36, hits his stride in Philadelphia [USA Today]
image by flickr user pvsbond
Original Story:
http://www.the700level.com/2009/05/ra...
