It's All-Star Ballot Time

It's that time of the year at Turner Field.  As you root for the Braves in this still-young season, you are handed an All-Star ballot.  The Braves certainly have some talent worthy of consideration.

Like our favorite baseball team, Atlanta radio has some players who could compete with the country's best.  They too would be worthy of consideration if radio had an All-Star team.  That of course will not happen since listeners tend to be familiar only with their local personalities.  However, that's not going to stop me from coming up with my picks for Atlanta's representatives on radio's fantasy All-Star ballot.

I consider the nominees people who would shine in any market in the U.S.  And Atlanta radio has some additional players I consider qualified for the team.  But I'm going to leave those to the manager, whom I also will select.

First Base - Scott Slade (WSB): Scott is very confident and steady, and he would anchor the infield as well as he anchors Atlanta's Morning News.  His height would be an asset because throws from the person at 3rd base would sometimes be too short.

Second Base - Neal Boortz (WSB): Neal might be the most intense player on the ballot.  He becomes vocal when the subject of revenue sharing comes up, taking the stance that the team earning the revenue should not distribute any of it among the have-nots.  Second base is a good position for Neal because he sometimes becomes argumentative, and the shortstop is close enough to calm him down.

Shortstop - Mara Davis (92-9 Dave FM): Mara thinks up so many ideas for themed nights, such as playing only songs with movie names in them over the PA system; and serving dishes containing the name of a fruit at the concessions.  Attendance on Mara's themed nights outperforms attendance as a whole.  Mara is so creative that sometimes the manager asks her to limit her talking at team meetings.

3rd Base - Bert Weiss (Q100): Bert understands his fans and is able to create drama to please them.  He is also valuable to Major League Baseball because of his understanding of relationships.  He guides players through the thickets of the temptations so prevalent in this very public business.  And he's willing to ask his fans for input.  Bert's one flaw is he has a hard time getting the ball all the way to first baseman Slade.

Right Field - Chase Daniels (Star 94): While he is best known for ribbing players in the clubhouse, Chase oozes with natural talent.  He is a real student of the game but sometimes gets distracted from the field by looking at Twitter.

Center Field - Kelly McCoy (B98.5): Fans love Kelly because he starts every conversation with his name and the name of his team.  He says pretty much the same thing to fans every time, but he sounds great saying it.

Left Field - Ryan Cameron (V-103): Throughout its history, baseball lore has been full of great stories.  And Ryan captivates the clubhouse as well as his own kids with tales of his and others' exploits.

Pitcher - Cadillac Jack (Kicks 101-5): He's the guy we want to hand the ball to as he leads one of the best morning shows in the country.  He throws opposing teams some nasty curves, and he's had a winning record in Arbitron for 17 years.

Catcher - Dallas McCade (Kicks 101-5): She is tossed the ball by Cadillac Jack as she is every morning on the air.  She's as good behind the plate as she is behind the dish, the Dallas Daily Dish.

Manager - Scott Lindy (Star 94): In 2010, Scott was the Program Director of our Station of the Year, 94-9 The Bull, which was a ratings winner back then.  Now that he's moved to Star 94, that station's ratings have soared.  So it's not impossible that Scott will repeat as manager in 2012.

And that's my fantasy Atlanta Radio All-Star ballot.

Thanks for reading.  I would love to hear from you at roddyfreeman@bellsouth.net.  Follow us on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/atlantaairwaves, and we'll follow you back.

Link to Rodney Ho's AJC Radio & TV Blog: http://blogs.ajc.com/radio-tv-talk/