I love a good conspiracy theory as much as the next wacko out there. Some are baseless and totally irrational. Some, like this one, might actually have a basis in truth. Or, Ian Kinsler got shafted 6 times this season. You decide:

The most curious case of all, though, is Kinsler. By my count, he has now been snubbed exactly six times, which must be a record. (1) He lost the fan vote at second base to Dustin Pedroia, in one of the closest votes ever. (2) He wasn’t picked by the players, losing out to Michael Young. (3) He wasn’t picked by the manager, despite having lead the vote at his position just days before, leaving his hopes resting entirely on the “final man” vote. (4) He lost the “final man” vote. (5) He was passed over in favor of inferior teammate Cruz as a replacement for Hunter. (6) When Pedroia decided to skip the game due to a family matter, making it virtually impossible to leave him off the team, Maddon picked Carlos Pena instead.
[...]
Let’s put all of this together and see what we’ve got: (a) AL hitters refusing to swing in the home run derby + (b) Cruz and Pena selected over more obvious candidates Lind and Kinsler = (c) theory: replacement candidates were informed that their selection would be conditioned upon agreement to participate in the derby, and Lind & Kinsler either declined, or didn’t accept quickly enough to give the league comfort.

Interesting. Just sayin’… I don’t buy that Lind was more worthy than Pena or Cruz, but I definitely think Kinsler deserved a spot on this team.