Philadelphia Phillies center fielder Shane Victorino was named to the National League All-Star team on Thursday after winning the Final Vote as a result of his overall name recognition and by virtue of playing for a popular team with recent playoff history. Unfortunately, Victorino was placed on the 15-day disabled list on Friday (retroactive to Monday) with a ligament sprain in his right thumb. It's almost as if they waited to put him on the DL until after the Final Vote.
Regardless of the circumstances, Andre Ethier of the Los Angeles Dodgers was named Friday as the replacement for Victorino on the National League All-Star roster. Normally having a Dodger picked for anything wouldn't go over well in Arizona, but there's an exception for Phoenix-born Ethier who remains popular locally thanks to his time with the ASU Sun Devils (2001-03) and the St. Mary's Knights in high school before that. Ethier is batting .313 with 42 RBIs.
Diamondback's pitcher Ian Kennedy still remains on the outside looking in but with several NL All-Star pitchers scheduled to throw on Sunday Kennedy could still get the nod. Kennedy pitches Friday in St. Louis which would give him three full days of rest before the All-Star Game on Tuesday.