In the gospel according to Bud, the last shall be first - at least when it comes to the publicity surrounding the Major League Baseball All-Star Game. And so it was last night when the Phillies' Shane Victorino, propelled into the 33rd and final spot on the National League team with a record 15.6 million fan votes, received a standing ovation from the crowd at Citizens Bank Park before his first at-bat.
It ended 4 days of what could only be described as a public-relations dream: Victorino stumping door-to-door with Mayor Nutter, then filming a campaign-style commercial at Comcast SportsNet, then driving in the game-winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning Wednesday night and being greeted on the field by teammate Chan Ho Park wearing a sandwich board urging fans to vote.
"I was surprised, a little," Victorino said, when asked about just how much the thing caught fire. "But I knew that was an opportunity for me to see and understand what it's really like to be a Phillie. I think it really showed by what was happening. And to get the number of votes I did . . . I'm very appreciative."
On the last day, Victorino overtook the Giants' Pablo Sandoval in the NL voting. Third baseman Brandon Inge of the Detroit Tigers was selected as the final American League player with 11.8 million votes, the day after the two teams cooked up a "Bran-Torino" slate of candidates that further added to the hokum. And people ate it up, which is kind of what the whole thing was about. A total of 68.8 million votes were cast online in 4 days, a 43.5 percent increase over last season.
"I never doubted the Phillies fans," Victorino said, a politician to the end. "But it's not about doubting them, it's about the other fans coming through for their players. I never doubted them at all. I said from Day 1 that I've got a great chance to win this. It only shows what these fans are about. I give all credit to them."
The campaigning gimmicks were fun, he said, "But I just got to the point where I was exhausted. I said to myself that I have to focus on the field. That's what it's about. I'm sure doing things like I did [Wednesday] night only added excitement and added energy to the table. When I looked at 'SportsCenter' last night, and you've got Chan Ho wearing that placard out to the field, and you've got that guy wearing 'Vote Shane' at the end of the highlight reel, that just all adds to the puzzle."
Victorino said he was excited and happy. After batting practice, he said he was going into the clubhouse to begin figuring out travel arrangements for himself and his family.
Ibanez return
Raul Ibanez made what the team hopes will be his final rehab start last night, going 1-for-3 with a two-run double and playing nine innings for Triple A Lehigh Valley. Manager Charlie Manuel said he is hopeful that Ibanez, who has been sidelined with a strained groin since June 18, would be activated in time to play in two games this weekend against the Pirates. Manuel would not rule out the possibility of Ibanez being in the lineup tonight when the Phillies begin their final series before the All-Star break.
Ibanez was voted into the game as a starter in the outfield.
"I'd like to see him play two, possibly," Manuel said. "We'll wait till he plays [last night] and see what happens. I'll talk to him [today] and see where he's at and we'll kind of go from there. But I would like to see him get in a couple games." *
