[July 04, 2011] White Sox' Konerko says he's not shocked by All-Star snub Tweet CHICAGO, Jul 04, 2011 (Chicago Tribune - McClatchy-Tribune News Service via COMTEX) -- Paul Konerko said he's neither "surprised or shocked" over being left off the initial American League All-Star roster. "I've been around long enough to know how it goes," said Konerko, who was placed on the Final Vote ballot selected by fans. "This is a tough process because you have the fan vote, the player vote, every team is going to be represented. When you really start to look at it, there are guys with some really good numbers out there that get left off, especially when it's your own team it doesn't make sense like a guy like Phil (Humber). "But when you crunch it all down, you can see how tough it is to get everybody in who's done well. I've been down that road before. The way I look at it is, there have been a couple of teams I made where it was kind of a coin flip. Maybe there were guys that should have gone over me. There have been a few times where I should have probably been on the team looking at the numbers and didn't make the team. It kind of goes either way, especially at first." AL All-Star manager Ron Washington of Texas acknowledged the logjam of talented first basemen. "He (Konerko) is very deserving of being on the All-Star team, but you can only select so many," Washington told reporters. "There's always going to be one that are left off." Konerko ranks third in the AL with 62 RBI, fourth with 21 home runs and fifth with a .317 batting average. He did take note that the Sox are home while the Final Vote campaign is being conducted. "Our front office and the PR department are becoming experts on this because we seem to have somebody on it every year," Konerko said. "But I don't know what the story is with the other guys. I know who's on the list, but who has home games and who doesn't? But it definitely helps if you have home games. "But I'm a little uncomfortable with that stuff because to me you do what you do between the lines. I'm not a guy to promote myself. I won't sit there and say vote for me. If people want to vote and look at it and say I should go then vote for me. If you don't and think it's somebody else then go ahead. It kind of puts the player in a little of an uncomfortable spot because I'm not the kind of guy, and there are some out there that aren't uncomfortable, but for me, if I'm good enough to go then I'm good enough to go, I guess." Regardless of the outcome of Wednesday's vote, Konerko plans to head to his Scottsdale, Ariz., home after the Sox's final game of the first half on July 10. There's a lot of planning and logistics that kind of wears you down a little bit, but it would be nice for people at home, family-wise and friend-wise, that I think it would be cool for them," Konerko said. "But whatever happens, I will deal with it either way. I'll be ready to go when we come out of the games after the break whether I play or I don't play. It's nice if you go, but if you don't you enjoy the days off." ___ (c) 2011, Chicago Tribune. Visit the Chicago Tribune on the Internet at http://www.chicagotribune.com/. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. _____ PHOTOS (from MCT Photo Service, 202-383-6099): WHITE SOX For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]