http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/n...&content_id=414368&vkey=allstar2003&fext=.jsp Vote thomas he deserves to play in this game in his home ballpark. Vote about 20 times it really dosent take that long. ------------------------------------------------------------ Chicago White Sox first baseman Frank Thomas, hoping for a chance to play on his home field at next week's All-Star Game in Chicago, continues to battle American League leader Jason Varitek as races remain tight and voting remains strong heading into the final hours of etopps All-Star Final Vote to determine the 32nd and final roster spots. The deadline for voting is 6 p.m. ET tonight, and the final name for each league's roster will be announced shortly thereafter. Voting has been extremely heavy at MLB.com and ESPN.com, with a record of more than seven million ballots submitted as of 8 a.m. Tuesday. That was far beyond the three million submitted for last year's inaugural roster-completion program. The National League lead is practically a dead heat. Geoff Jenkins -- who missed a chance to play on his Milwaukee home field for last year's Midsummer Classic -- has overtaken last night's leader, Giants catcher Benito Santiago. Also moving up was Expos shortstop Orlando Cabrera, now in third place, followed by Marlins second baseman Luis Castillo and Pirates outfielder Kenny Lofton. Varitek narrowly widened his lead overnight as the Boston catcher hopes to be on the All-Star team July 15 with rival catcher Jorge Posada of the Yankees. Thomas, hoping to ride the hometown and sentimental vote at the wire, was just behind Varitek. Yankees first baseman Jason Giambi moved into third place overnight. Following him are A's outfielder Eric Byrnes and Angels catcher Bengie Molina. Thomas is looking to make his first All-Star roster since 1997, and he's campaigning on and off the field. Since June 2, the White Sox designated hitter/first baseman is hitting .347 (33-for-95) with 10 homers and 25 RBIs. This is the Big Hurt many people remember from those days when he was a Midsummer Classic fixture. "I think I deserve to be there," Thomas said. "I think everybody canceled me out and said my career was basically over. But I'm still doing my thing, getting all the walks. I definitely voted for myself because of the adversity I had to go through to get back to this level." In the NL race, one question is whether Santiago's current inactivity will hurt him. The veteran catcher, who last year played in his first All-Star Game since 1992, has been out since dislocating his left pinky finger Friday. He expects to be available should he be selected for his second consecutive All-Star Game. He would be catching for his former manager, Dusty Baker, who will oversee the NL squad. Mike Scioscia, the AL manager, also is hoping to have a catcher he managed during the last World Series in Molina. Keep an especially close eye on Castillo. He was 3-for-4 in the Marlins' victory over the Cubs Tuesday at Wrigley Field, hitting a key solo homer in the sixth inning. Castillo is on a hot streak similar to the one he enjoyed during his epic hitting streak last season, and the Marlins are coming off series victories over Atlanta and Philadelphia and are now hoping to do the same against a Cubs team that has been among the NL Central leaders all season. "He's hitting .320," Marlins first baseman Derrek Lee said of his teammate. "And he's playing great defense. It's as simple as that. What else does he have to do?" The races are close, and one thing we have learned from recent All-Star online voting is that things can change very, very fast. Just ask Albert Pujols. Among NL outfielders, he was on the outside looking in entering the last week of online voting for starters. He finished as the NL's top overall vote-getter. Boston's Johnny Damon and Atlanta's Andruw Jones were the winners in last year's well-received first opportunity to vote online for the final roster spots. That was an extension of fan empowerment last year, and this year there will be even more. Besides voting for the starters and the 32nd men, fans will be able to submit their pick in the All-Star Game MVP online vote, presented by Pepsi. Fans will have a 20-percent say in which player is selected that night for the Ted Williams Award.
