Major League Baseball
Hafner enjoys his All-Star campaign

By Tom Withers
The Associated Press

Travis Hafner

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CLEVELAND — Travis Hafner didn't bother preparing an acceptance speech.

Although he was one of five finalists in an online vote to be the 32nd member of the American League All-Star team, the Cleveland Indians' designated hitter didn't like his chances of winning.

"I think I'll be fifth out of five," Hafner said before last night's game against Texas.

He was. Hafner finished last among the five finalists as New York outfielder Hideki Matsui became the seventh Yankees player to join the AL squad.

But Hafner enjoyed "Vote Pronk," a somewhat tongue-in-cheek campaign that received some unexpected support this week from North Dakota Gov. John Hoeven.

On Tuesday, Hoeven urged residents of his state to vote for Hafner, who is from Sykeston, N.D. (pop. 160).

The gubernatorial endorsement stunned Hafner, who heard about it from his brother, Troy, who is in town to watch him play.

"I was surprised," Hafner said. "That's when I started thinking, 'This has gotten out of hand.' "

Hafner had initiated his run to win the All-Star vote on Monday during a news conference, when he joked that fans should "Vote Pronk," a reference to his "part project, part donkey" nickname.
 
The Indians backed his candidacy to the point that some club officials handed out "Vote Pronk" flyers yesterday at a rally in Cleveland for Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry and running-mate John Edwards.

Hafner, one of three active major-leaguers from North Dakota, said he has been getting a lot of grief from his teammates the past few days because of the attention.

"I've been getting crushed," he said. "But I've tried to have some fun with it. I'm really not much into self-promotion."

Hafner is batting .309 with nine homers and 54 runs batted in.

He's had a nice first half of the season, but was pessimistic about his chances of beating out Matsui, Minnesota's Lew Ford or Chicago's Paul Konerko and Frank Thomas for a trip to Tuesday's All-Star Game in Houston.

But regardless of the final tally, Hafner felt like he came out on top by being a finalist and recognized by Hoeven.

"It was a pretty neat gesture," he said. "North Dakota is a great state. Everybody is real supportive up there. I couldn't ask for a better place to call home."

He didn't win the popular vote, but Hafner has other plans for the All-Star break.

"I'm pretty happy laying around and doing nothing," he said.