Some players are real jerks. Then there’s Jim Thome. The Cleveland slugger just may be the nicest guy in the game.

Despite leading the AL in home runs with 25 and having hit homers in six straight games, Thome did not find his way to the All-Star team. Not only that, but he was voted off the All-Star island in the race for the final slot by the fans.

Still, Thome likes the idea of the fans having that final say and he’s not upset that Joe Torre didn’t add him to the squad that will play in Milwaukee next Tuesday night.

“There’s so many good players out there,” said Thome, who is two games short of tying the major league record for home runs in consecutive games, a record shared by Don Mattingly, Ken Griffey Jr. and Dale Long. “It’s tough to make everybody happy. That’s not saying I wouldn’t want to go because I think it’s an honor and I feel very privileged to go, but I like it that the fans have a say.”

Thome is not getting carried away with his streak.

“The most important thing is winning games,” said Thome, whose team is now being gutted to save payroll.

“Home runs and a couple, two, three hits a game are nice, but when you walk away and you don’t win the game, that’s tough,” Thome added.

As for the trading of Bartolo Colon, Thome is the good soldier.

“I’ve been with the Indians my whole career,” he said. “You have a sense of loyalty to your club. No. 1, no one asked me to be traded, so for me to come out and say I would veto a trade would really be uncalled for in my situation. I’ve been here. Whether I was in New York, Boston, Cleveland, whatever, I would feel they signed me on to play here. Until somebody tells me different, that’s my job and that’s how I’m going to approach it.”

That’s not a bad approach to have.

“I just hope he stays hot,” Tribe manager Charlie Manuel said.