NHL dodges All Star ballot bullet

[MJD]

"As a journeyman defenseman with no goals and one assist in 28 games, he received a great deal of attention."


http://tinyurl.com/yc5ux4

[tandfman]

I don't know how many sports use unlimited Internet voting to choose all-star teams, but this close call could mean the end of that system everywhere. Fan participation is fine, but the potential for abuse is obvious and if you have no controls (and apparently the NHL didn't), you could end up with a real mess.

[gh]

I don't know how many sports use unlimited Internet voting to choose all-star teams, but this close call could mean the end of that system everywhere. Fan participation is fine, but the potential for abuse is obvious and if you have no controls (and apparently the NHL didn't), you could end up with a real mess.

Shades of the 1957 MLB game, when Cincy fans voted 8 Reds into the starting lineup!

http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/histo ... recap_1957

[dj]

I don't know how many sports use unlimited Internet voting to choose all-star teams, but this close call could mean the end of that system everywhere. Fan participation is fine, but the potential for abuse is obvious and if you have no controls (and apparently the NHL didn't), you could end up with a real mess.

Shades of the 1957 MLB game, when Cincy fans voted 8 Reds into the starting lineup!

http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/histo ... recap_1957

In a wonderful bit of irony, Cardinals' 1B Stan Musial was the only non-Cincy elected to start by the fans. And yet it was the Reds' 1B, George Crowe, who led the Reds in HR and RBI that year!

[DrJay]

In the early 1970s, I was a Reds fan and my Dad would bring home about a dozen of those punch-card MLB All-Star ballots and I'd do my part in the ballot-stuffing for the Reds. Thing is, in the early/mid 70s, they really did have about four or five (not eight) guys who deserved to start....Bench, Morgan, Rose, Concepcion, Foster. Kinda lacked in the starting pitcher department.