Nobody said the fan voting for the All-Star Game is truly representative of anything. It's a showcase for teams to trot out assorted forms of gimmickry and promotion on behalf of their candidates, as the Twins are doing with with their "No Bull. Vote Dozier" campaign.
Brett Gardner of the Yankees, one of the five American league players on the fan ballot for the final All-Star Game, has told the Yankees that he doesn't want that kind of promotion.
The Yankees were preparing a video, in which players would wear flesh-colored skullcaps to resemble Gardner's shaved head, with the hashtag #VoteGardy on them.
But John Harper of the New York Daily News reported Gardner's reaction: "That's just not me. I'm more of a low-key guy. I don't even have a Twitter account."
So far, Gardner is fourth among the five players on the American League ballot, which runs through Friday. Dozier is second to Mike Moustakas of Kansas City.
Harper wrote that five years ago, former Yankees outfielder Nick Swisher campaigned heavily and won the final spot. "I was here for all that, and that's all great and everything. It worked for him, right? I'm not going to take the same exact approach, but hopefully the fans go out and vote for who they want in the game, and we'll see how it shakes out."
Yankees manager Joe Girardi lauded Gardner for his approach. To see what Girardi told Harper, click here.
