ERA Leader Vogelsong Motivated to Prove Bochy Right

How many times and how often past the All-Star Break will we be discussing Bruce Bochy's decision to add four Giants' to the reserve All-Star roster?

Well, probably a while, because people still want to know what Bochy was thinking.

Perhaps he was thinking this: Ryan Vogelsong is one of the best pitchers in the National League in 2011.

Maybe not the best, but it's now impossible to argue that he's not at least one of the best, because Vogey grabbed the National League ERA lead with his 6 2/3 scoreless innings on Monday night.

At 7-1 and sporting a ridiculous 2.02 ERA, Vogelsong is the runaway leader for Comeback Player of the Year, an arguable Cy Young candidate (no, but seriously, yes), and yet people still continue to wonder why the hell he was in Phoenix repping the NL in the All-Star Game.

Those questions are providing motivation for the rejuvenated Vogelsong.

"[People] can say whatever they want to say," Vogelsong said about the criticism of Bochy for his All-Star Game picks. "It doesn't bother me one bit. He stuck his neck out for me to pick me, so I want to show people he made a good decision."

Not that Vogelsong probably cares about what Keith Olbermann thinks (does anyone?), but it's worth noting that the most pedantic argument Olbermann could offer was that Vogelsong didn't qualify for his ranking in the ERA leaders and thus didn't deserve to have his ERA argued for.

That argument is dead (long live that argument!) and the need to criticize Bochy backing Vogelsong or Vogelsong being a fluke needs to go the same way.

He's pitching really well. He's done it for half a season. He has qualified for the ERA lead. It is not a mirage, people.

Bochy knows this and that's why he brought Vogelsong to Phoenix. Now it's Vogey's turn to reward Bochy in turn.

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