Marlon Byrd and his glorious guns are going to Anaheim for the All-Star Game. Along with the emergence of Tyler Colvin, the reemergence of Carlos Silva, and the Marshall/Marmol tandem at the back end of the bullpen, Byrd has been one of the few bright spots on this pathetic excuse for a team. Marlon is batting .304 this season with 9 homeruns and 36 RBIs. Along with Miguel Cabrera and Jayson Werth, he leads the Majors in doubles with 26. His leadership has stabilized the outfield defense and he himself has been better than advertised in center. He's quickly become a fan favorite and a clubhouse presence. And he manages to do all that without being a colossal pain in the ass. Plus he's just fucking cool.

The Cubs manage to avoid suffering the ignominy of their single All-Star being a relief pitcher, long the hallmark of bottom-feeding teams. While Carloses Marmol and Silva might also have deserved consideration, it's nice that Byrd's stellar season hasn't gone unnoticed.

This is Byrd's first All-Star selection and it's well earned. Keep up the great work, Marlon. You're one of the few players I hope the Cubs keep around after this exercise in torture ends October 3rd.