You can't tune in a Pirates game, radio or television, without being reminded to vote early and often for the team's All-Star Game candidates. Play-by-play announcer Greg Brown has composed a lengthy poem, which isn't bad, urging fans to support the Pirates in general and outfielder Jason Bay in particular.

It makes sense that the man behind this push is Tim Schuldt, the Pirates' marketing vice president. After all, pushing a Pirate for the All-Star Game is just another opportunity to advance the cause of the team and indirectly to sell tickets and generate revenue.

There's nothing outwardly wrong with this because Major League Baseball, which worships at the shrine of marketing, is just as involved in getting out the vote. If there's an easier way to get people to vote, MLB will find it and is all for it.

A long time ago, fans who wanted to support their favorite player in the All-Star Game voting had to clip out a ballot from the local newspaper, write in the players of their choice, stuff it in an envelope, affix postage and take it to the nearest mailbox. Next came punch-out ballots with the names already entered. They were available in stores and at stadiums, and, with this, came the era of corporate sponsorship. Now the Internet is the voting method of choice. A person can vote up to 25 times and do it in a matter of seconds without leaving his computer seat.

The more votes that come in -- and no sport matches baseball for fan participation in All-Star balloting -- the better MLB looks to its corporate partners. And isn't that what this is all about?

If there's a downside to all this, it's that it is kind of un-American to vote often. Stuffing the ballot box has always been the wrong thing in this country. But if MLB is in favor and, if everyone else is doing it, why not the Pirates?

Here's the beauty of Schuldt's plan and what makes the announcers look like savvy analysts -- well, almost -- instead of propagandists. In Bay, the Pirates are backing a fully legitimate candidate. In urging support for him, the Pirates are not asking for a hometown vote, they're asking for voters to do the right thing.

This is so because Bay not only deserves to be a starter in the All-Star Game, which will be played July 11 at PNC Park, he deserves to be recognized for what he is: Just about the best -- if not the best -- outfielder in the game. The fact Bay is neither a flashy player nor has an outgoing personality and that he plays for a perennial losing team in a small market just about ruins his chance for recognition. But anyone who makes even a casual study of the important statistics knows how good Bay is.

He's one of the very best in the game today.

The most all-encompassing statistic in evaluating a hitter is something known as OPS -- which is arrived at by adding on-base percentage (hits plus walks plus hit batsmen divided by plate appearances) to slugging percentage (total bases divided by at-bats). No statistic is a perfect evaluator, but this one is the best and it shows just how good Bay is.

Bay's OPS of 1.064 was the best among National League outfielders going into games of this weekend, 50 points in front of runner-up Miguel Cabrera. He was second best, to Albert Pujols, across the National League. This puts him ahead of such celebrated players as Lance Berkman, Alfonso Soriano, Carlos Beltran, Scott Rolen and David Wright, to name a few.

Nor is Bay's 2006 performance anything resembling a fluke. He finished fifth in OPS in 2005, trailing Derrek Lee, Pujols, Carlos Delgado and Todd Helton, none of whom are outfielders. Which made him first among National League outfielders and second only to future Hall of Famer Manny Ramirez among major-league outfielders.

Despite these numbers, in the most recent voting, which was released six days ago, Bay was ninth among National League outfielders, trailing Andruw Jones, Carlos Beltran, Ken Griffey, Jim Edmonds, Soriano, Bobby Abreu, Carlos Lee and Barry Bonds.

That's a joke.

If there's encouraging news, it's that while Bay wasn't among the top 15 vote-getters in the earliest tabulations, a week later -- coinciding with the Pirates' campaign, he moved to ninth. It's possible Bay will gain more momentum in the weeks ahead as not only Pirates fans stuff the ballot box, but fans across baseball also discover what an excellent player he is.

If Bay were defensively deficient, that could be held against him. He's not. He's an outstanding outfielder. He's also a fine baserunner. He is the total package, a player who deserves to start in the All-Star Game.

The chances of him rallying in the vote and finishing in the top three to gain a starting berth are extremely slim. But the Pirates were wise to wage this campaign. It may bear fruit in the years ahead because Jason Bay isn't going away.