Insert Smashmouth Joke Here

We would be terrible, awful, no good Phillies Phans (see what we did there?) if we didn't take the opportunity to congratulate Chase Utley, Cole Hamels and Aaron Rowand on their selection to the 2007 All-Star Game. We'll be honest - we were expecting that Utley would be elected starting second baseman, and we were fairly certain King Cole would make the cut on the mound. We were, however, pleasantly surprised to see Rowand make the team as a reserve. We've enjoyed watching Rowand's brand of gritty play since he was on the White Sox, and are particularly pleased that the rest of baseball appears to be taking notice.

We are, however, kind of surprised to see that Ryan Howard didn't make the team even as a reserve. We understand that he hasn't had a particularly notable year so far this season, but being the reigning Home Run Derby King has to count for something, right? (And please, in a year where Derek Jeter is the starting shortstop for the American League over Orlando Cabrera, don't try to tell us that name recognition doesn't count for something.) We're also a tad salty that Jimmy Rollins was snubbed, even in MLB.com's Final Vote contest. (PS: Vote for Hideki Okajima in the AL. Man has an ERA under one, people.)

However, we'll sit back and look forward to watching Utley, Hamels and Rowand take the field July 10 in San Francisco. Congratulations, guys. You deserve it.

Image credit to Flickr.com user jspatchwork.