What's the hubbub all about?

The Major League Baseball All-Star game will be played July 12, at Chase Field in Phoenix.

The game will be aired on Fox.

There has been quite the hubbub in recent days about one position regarding the American League starters.

New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter was voted in by the fans for the 12th time.

Jeter, only six hits shy of 3,000, has not had one of his better seasons this year, but he did suffer a recent injury.

This season, Jeter has played in 63 games. In 266 at-bats, he has amassed 68 hits, nine doubles, one triple and two home runs. He has 20 runs batted in, scored 39 runs and is batting .256.

Not exactly All-Star caliber numbers.

Yet, Jeter is whom the fans want to see in the game.

Cleveland Indian shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera, however, has put together a much better season, so far.

In 83 games, as of Monday, Cabrera is hitting .293 (100-for-341) to go along with 22 doubles, three triples and 14 home runs. He has driven in 49 runs while scoring 53 and also has 12 stolen bases.

Cabrera was selected to the All-Star squad as a reserve.

Not selected was Detroit Tiger Jhonny Peralta, who is hitting .314 (87-for-277) with 15 doubles, three triples and 14 homers.

Jeter was one of six Yankees to make the All-Star team, four of which were voted in by the fans. Along with Jeter, third baseman Alex Rodriguez, outfielder Curtis Granderson and second baseman Robinson Cano will start the game.

Many critics were questioning whether Jeter should start the game, especially since both Cabrera and Peralta have had better seasons.

This is what makes the MLB All-Star game so appealing.

Fans vote for the starters.

They vote for whom they want to see in the game.

Year in and year out, the New York Yankees are well represented in the contest.

This year is no different as the Yankees' six All-Stars are the most for any club.

In the American League, Boston, Detroit and Texas all have four selections, while in the National League, Philadelphia and Atlanta also totaled four.

Another thing that makes the MLB All-Star unique is every team is represented in the game, something I have always thought was deserved.

Sure, there are bad teams. But not every player on a bad team is a bad player.

Even division dwellers have All-Stars.

Heading into the All-Star weekend, Baltimore, Kansas City, Oakland, Florida, Houston and the Los Angeles Dodgers all sit at the bottom of their respective divisions. But all six teams will be represented in the All-Star game. All have one All-Star each except the Dodgers, which sports two All-Stars.

My beloved Cincinnati Reds, sitting at .500 this year, even managed to get three players on the All-Star team this year in Jay Bruce, Brandon Phillips and Joey Votto. They may all be reserves, but they earned a spot on the squad.

Whether Cabrera -- or Peralta for that matter -- have better statistics than Jeter is irrelevant.

The fans made it known they wanted to see Jeter start the game.

He is an icon, having played his entire career in pin stripes. Jeter, by the way, will become the first New York Yankee to tally his 3,000th hit in a Yankee uniform sometime soon, making this All-Star appearance that more special.

I'm not a Yankee fan. In fact, it has always bugged me when I turn it to Sports Center and see the Yankees playing the Red Sox yet again.

But ratings are ratings. The spotlight shines greatest in Boston, New York and Los Angeles when it comes to baseball and it shouldn't be surprising.

Let Jeter have the spotlight one more time. In fact, let him play the entire game. He's in the twilight of his career and won't have these types of opportunities very much longer.

Besides, whether he plays for the Yankees or not, he's a great role model and ambassador for the game.