What Constitutes An All-Star "Snub"?

After every sports' all star selection comes out, everybody's favorite word soon after is "snub". I think this is a word that is thrown around way too loosely. After this years 2009 MLB's All-Star selection, ESPN's Peter Gammons said that Rangers' P Kevin Millwood was an All-Star snub. Yes, Millwood had a fine first half for the Rangers and you could have made an argument, as Gammons did, that Millwood should be an All-Star. But to call him a snub? I don't think so. So I think we need to define it. Now.

Snub. Noun. A player that was not selected for his professional sports all-star game and should have a spot in the game over another player that was selected.

The key to being a snub is not that you DESERVED to go, but that you deserved to go over another player. The second key is that the player has to OVERWHELMINGLY deserve to go. Marques Colston has has a great year but I don't think he's overwhelmingly the better receiver over Fitzgerald, Rice, Austin, or Jackson. Frank Gore is amazing but I don't think he's OVERWHELMINGLY better than AD, Jackson, and Williams because you can make a good argument that any one of those players should be a pro bowler.

I think a perfect example of the overuse of the word "snub" is Matt Schaub this year. In the AFC, three quarterbacks were selected: Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and Phillip Rivers. Therefore, people are now claiming that Matt Schaub is a snub because he's had a great year but was not selected. However, Schaub is not a snub. Schaub is currently the 4th best QB in the AFC, and therefore, if you can only take 3 QBs, you should not take the guy who is number four.

However, there are obvious snubs. The biggest snub to me is Jonathan Joseph or Leon Hall over Nnamdi Asomugha. Asomugha is absolutely not the same cornerback this year as he was last year. This year, the Raiders are worst team at defending a teams #1 receivers, the worst team defending against a teams #2 receiver, and the 19th best team at defending a teams other receivers. I can't find any evidence this year to say that Asomugha is a top shut corner like he was last year. Take this over Joseph of the Bengals. Cincy is the 2nd best team in the AFC in defending a team's #1 receiver and a teams #2 receiver. Clearly, both of Cincy's corners have been outstanding and either one of them deserve a spot on the roster over Nnamdi.

Here's a list of who I think are Pro Bowl Snubs this year. Not people who I think SHOULD go, but players who are snubs:

1) Jonathan Jospeh/ Leon Hall over Nnamdi Asomugha
2) Will Smith over Julius Peppers
3) Aaron Schoebel over Mario Williams
4) London Fletcher over Jonathan Vilma