It's no secret that Kevin Youkilis was immediately considered a snub when his name was not included with the rest of the American League All-Stars on Sunday. To help right that oversight, Youkilis has been included as one of the five players fans can vote into the Midsummer Classic. But was there another omission? Should Jonathan Papelbon -- and his 3-4 record, two blown saves, career-worst 3.71 ERA and 19 saves -- be headed to Anaheim as well?
The answer is yes. If you ask Papelbon.
"Am I, like, crushed? No," Papelbon said after the Red Sox' 6-1 loss to the Orioles at Fenway. "Everybody wants to be on the All-Star team. But every team's got to be represented. All the politics are involved in it. It is what it is. I'm not going to try to analyze the situation."
This will be the first time Papelbon has not participated in an All-Star Game since his rookie year.
"It's fun being there," Papelbon told The Boston Globe. "But this isn't going to hurt my confidence for the second half of the season. And I can probably use the rest."