The all-name All-Stars

I READ ALL the baseball box scores every day. While in Moscow recently, I kept up online. It is a hobby--and an addiction. Going through the boxes, it is clear that the names--not statistics--are what make for fascinating reading. Just in case you are unaware of the many great contributory names found daily in the sports section, here is an All-Star list of the best monickers at each position. I have tried to make sure it is balanced, giving it the international flavor that baseball deserves as an Olympic sport. I also have done my best to spread out the All-Name All-Stars across as many teams as possible, the same as is done in the regular Mid-Summer Classic--the 2005 National League vs. American League version to be held this month in Detroit.

Let's start the name parade with my personal favorite: Chicago Cubs shortstop Nomar Garciaparra. This is a name that has lots of syllables and just rolls off the tongue. The fact that he also is a great performer is incidental. Just say it aloud--No-mar Gar-ci-a-par-ra.

At second base is Mark Grudzielanek of the defending National League champion St. Louis Cardinals. Grudzielanek is one of several quality names that are nearly unpronounceable. This puts him high in my book. It takes several minutes to go over a box score containing his name, yet he balances the easy roll of Garciaparra.

Picking a third baseman was tough, but the nod goes to Wilson Betemit of the Atlanta Braves. I do not know the origin of the name Betemit, but it must have a story.

At first base, a name with rhythm, HeeSeop Choi from the Los Angeles Dodgers. Our thanks to South Korea for giving us this brief, but catchy, sound.

Next, in left field, from the Arizona Diamondbacks, is Quinton McCracken-quite a unique name. The Irish need to be represented and this certainly does it. (Yes, I realize he is an African-American.) McCracken also plays with the speed his name implies.

In center field, the choice is Mark Kotsay of the Oakland Athletics. In addition to owning a sharp name, he majored in political science while he starred as an outfielder and closer at Cal State-Fullerton. That's triple duty for this lineup.

There only has been one worthy name in fight field for the last few years and it is a great one. With Ichiro Suzuki of the Seattle Mariners, name and quality coincide. Representative of a number of tremendous Japanese players who recently have transitioned to the U.S., Suzuki leads off the box score for Seattle and often is leading the American League in batting percentage as well.

At catcher, my initial thought was to go with A.J. Pierzynski of the Chicago White Sox. True, it is another name with a "z" in it, but this still is an underused letter in the baseball alphabet. In the end, though, I settled on Ivan Rodriguez of the Detroit Tigers. Not only does he have that all-important "z" in his last name, his first name sounds Russian, a rare element in the big leagues. Besides, how can I not include that huge family of Rodriguezes who populate so many teams? Moreover, as a Puerto Rican, he reflects the many contributions of the Latin American community to baseball--and he plays well.

Finally, as the pinch-hitter, we cannot be without Moises Alou of the San Francisco Giants, mainly because the name "Alou" must be somewhere on this team. Alou easily is the best-known name in baseball. Moises is the fourth member of the Alous to play for the Giants, joining his father Felipe, Frisco's current manager--and his uncles Matty and Jesus. In fact, when the trio of elder Alous manned the Giants outfield in the same game, it was the first--and only--time three brothers ever played in a Major League game together. In addition, the Alou foursome have appeared in almost 7,000 big league contests. The name also is important because it appears in what seems like 50% of all crossword puzzles.

Now, to the pitching staff: For a right-handed reliever, it was a very tough choice between Los Angeles' Yhency Bazoban and Detroit's Ugueth Urbina. Both have great names. Let's face it, though, a large part of the uniqueness is more in the first names than the last. Therefore, I settled the tie in favor of the Cards' Jason Isringhausen. It has a good ring to it. For the lefty reliever, I liked Kelly Wunsch but I don't want to seem as though I'm favoring the Dodgers, so I selected Scott Schoeneweis of the Toronto Blue Jays. We need Canadian representation on the All-Name team and Schoeneweis adds a nice icy sound.

Mark Buehrle of the Chisox is the starting left-handed pitcher. I never can spell his name without looking it up. For a righty starter, Oakland's Kirk Saarloos is the pick. There are not very many Dutch names in baseball, let alone names of this prominence. Saarloos also is the name of an internationally registered breed of domesticated wolfdog.

Although managers do not show up in the box scores, every team (All-Star and otherwise) needs a skipper. The best-named manager is Ron Gardenhire of the Minnesota Twins. On top of having a unique name, last season Gardenhire was named Co-Manager of the Year with the Texas Rangers' Buck Showalter (another great monicker!). It never hurts to have skill along with a catchy name.