After a hard fought battle, Nick Swisher of the New York Yankees barely edged out Kevin Youkilis for the AL All-Star team final roster spot. The vote was by far the closest in the history of the Final Vote program since it’s inception 9 years ago. Both players have an incredible fan base and got support from all over the country, but ultimately, it was probably Swisher’s massive twitter following that put him over the top. There are a few learnings from this contest that I would like to share.
- Nick Swisher and Kevin Youkilis are both funny-looking dudes.
- The MLB was smart and announced the winner hours before Lebron James’ big Miami announcement as to not overshadow the King’s big night.
- The impact of social media on sports has reached a new level, as the New York Yankees used twitter as a major component of their marketing strategy.
- The cross-league collaboration was impressive, as the Red Sox teamed up with the Cincinnati Reds to vote Joey Votto to the NL squad and almost vote Cincinnati native Kevin Youkilis on the AL squad.
- It wasn’t even fair to put non-AL East players on the Final Vote roster, because they never had a chance against the media powerhouses that are New York and Boston.
- The program has become a focal point of the All-Star Game voting, allowing fan bases to campaign for their favorite players and drum-up excitement for the game itself.
In all honesty, the rest for Kevin Youkilis could be a blessing in disguise, as he has been nursing a sore ankle. As much of an honor as it would have been to compete in the Mid-Summer Classic, Youk doesn’t have any setting other than to play 110% all the time, which can easily lead to injury. Youk can now spend three days with his family and cheer on his fellow teammates playing on Tuesday night.
Congrats to Nick Swisher on the narrow victory. The Sox are only concerned with the victory that really matters, the World Series title.
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