Cliff Lee vs Ben Sheets

Well one manager got it right and one well got it half right.
Clint Hurdle made the right choice for the NL Starter. Ben Sheets has had a great year and has never had the honor of starting the game. Hurdle was left with only two choices, Sheets and Edinson Volquez, as everyone else who deserved to be there (Tim Lincecum and Brandon Webb) both threw lastnight. Volquez was eliminated by his manager Dusty Baker as he threw over 120 pitches Saturday. (Hopefully Lincecum, Webb, and Volquez can all get an inning of work and showcase their talents). So that left Sheets as the starter, and he was the right guy to get the nod.
On the otherhand Terry Francona had the chance to give a former Cy Young winner, a good guy in the game, and one of the top pitchers in baseball for the last few years the honor of throwing the first pitch in the final Mid-Summer Classic at Yankee Stadium. The idea for Mariano Rivera to start would have been a great story and very unorthodox, basically it was unrealistic and just a fantasy. So because it was unrealistic the choice should have been Roy Halladay. This is not to say Cliff Lee hasnt been great this year but Halladay has been one of the games best for over five years. This would be a great honor for him. His start Friday night, a two hit shutout of the Yankees should have put his 1st half resume over the top. Apparantly Francona had other ideas and went with Lee. Maybe Halladay will remember this next time he faces the Red Sox, a team that he usually cant beat, and can pitch halfway as effectively as he has versus the Yankees in his career.
Both staffs will face great lineups that are deep and ready to put on a show. Less than 36 hours till the big game.