FAN VOTING FOR MLB ALL-STAR GAME ENDS TONIGHT
Thursday, July 2nd, 2009 -- 8:40 AM
At this time last year, fans were pushing Ryan Braun from fourth place to first among National League outfielders in the final week of All-Star voting.What's going to happen this year?
The deadline is fast approaching at 11:59 p.m. ET tonight to finally decide the starting position players for the 80th All-Star Game in St. Louis. Vote up to 25 times per registration until then with the 2009 All-Star Game Sprint Online Ballot at MLB.com, as voting is online-only at this point.
Fans already had recorded 163 million votes online entering this final week of balloting, representing a 15-percent increase over the comparable 2008 vote total.
The 2009 National League and American League All-Star Teams will be unveiled at 1 p.m. ET Sunday on the 2009 MLB All-Star Game Selection Show presented by Pepsi, televised nationally on TBS. The AL and NL teams each will have eight fan-elected starters. Twenty-four reserves for both squads will be determined through a combination of "Player Ballot" choices and selections made by the two All-Star managers -- Charlie Manuel of the world champion Phillies and Joe Maddon of the Rays -- in conjunction with MLB.
MLB just announced on Wednesday that rosters are being expanded from 32 to 33 players this year, with the addition of a 13th pitcher, who will be determined by those managers.
The 80th Major League Baseball All-Star Game will be televised nationally by FOX Sports
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