''The people didn't think I'm good enough to be there so I'm not going to be there," said Clement, whose 9-2 record and 3.82 ERA many thought would be enough not only for a spot but possibly a start.
''That's it. It's disappointing. You think you deserve to be there and you're not. You turn the page. The Lord has a plan for you. You just stay confident in that. Obviously, I'm not good enough to be there."
Francona, clearly distraught over the decision, offered little explanation for why Colon, whose team already was represented by Vladimir Guerrero, made the cut and Clement did not.
''I'm not very happy about it. I spent so much time on this," Francona said. ''The system is what it is, and you make your decisions according to that, but you're seeing a lot of good players aren't going."
After the fan voting determined the nine starters for each league, the players, managers, and coaches were left to decide five starting pitchers, three relievers, and nine reserves. Francona was responsible for choosing five players -- four pitchers and one position player.
But the league rule requiring each team be represented left Francona backed into a corner. Four of his five choices went to teams (Kansas City, Tampa Bay, Cleveland, and Oakland) that had yet to have a player on the roster. He took Royals first baseman Mike Sweeney, Devil Rays pitcher Danys Baez, Athletics pitcher Justin Duchscherer, and Indians pitcher Bob Wickman, leaving just one open spot left.
''That was basically the only decision there ended up being," Francona said. ''It ends up we have one pitcher to go. I'm not going to go into everything because I don't know if I'm supposed to, but my choice -- our choice -- isn't always the way it works out. I think that's where I need to leave it."
Mike Timlin, whose name Francona had mentioned as a possible All-Star reliever earlier in the week, also missed out. Francona, along with All Star starters Johnny Damon, Jason Varitek, and David Ortiz, agreed the event will be bittersweet -- that Clement, Timlin, and even Bill Mueller deserved to make the team.
