Big League Stew: Why Frank Thomas belongs in this year’s All-Star Game

“Send the Big Hurt to the Big Apple”...(inabigspotinabiggame.dietcoke)

Thomas’ on-the-field accomplishments, of course, would alone deserve such a career honor. He won the AL MVP in both 1993 and ‘94 and might have been awarded a third in 2000 if Jason Giambi hadn’t been juicing. As of this writing, he has a .302 career average and 516 home runs. He was the first player to hit over .300, score 100 runs, drive in over 100 RBI and take over 100 walks in seven straight seasons. Ask yourself this question: Were there any scarier sights for a pitcher in the ‘90s than Thomas’ hulking frame looming over a 3-1 count?

Yes, Frank had a phenomenal career — and it’s possible it could continue past ‘08 — but this campaign is motivated by more than just Thomas’ impressive numbers. It’s also rooted in the fact that over the past few years, we’ve scolded suspected star after suspected star for possible steroid use. Yet we’ve done absolutely nothing to reward and applaud the players who have actually spoken out against it.

Part of the reason for that inactivity is that there haven’t been many of that latter category. Yet Thomas has been the only one to shirk the clubhouse code of silence and the players’ unbreakable lockstep formation with its union. Think about it: When’s the last time you saw a column lauding Thomas for taking a very public stance against performance-enhancing drugs?