All-Star Game Blunder

Since Bud Selig has become commissioner of baseball there has been blunder after blunder. Whether one chooses to look past the fact that as commissioner he was still an owner (and even though currently not an owner, his daughter now owns his share of the Brewers), that he may or may not have had any knowledge of steriod use and has just chosen to ignore it until it blew up in his face, or the fact that he has ruined the image of baseball for years to come, there are few things that he has done to damage baseball more than what has happened to the All-Star Game.

This game used to be a true mid-season classic. Something fans and kids could look forward too. The best players (favorite players) playing together, having fun, and just putting on a show. Lots of runs used to be scored, and even fans like us got to at least see their representative in the game. In 2002 we got an 11 inning thriller. It was an All-Star game with everything. 14 total runs scored, home runs, robbed home runs (Torii Hunter stealing a homer from Barry Bonds), stolen bases, and even some good pitching. Yes, this game ended in a tie. Was that so bad? Was having a game whose sole purpose is to just showcase the best talent from every team end in a tie a problem? Obviously for Bud Selig it was.

Now I ask? As a fan of baseball, is an All-Star game that ends in a tie a season ruining debacle? I personally think not, having watched last nights game. Bud Selig thought the perfect solution to never having an All-Star game end in a tie is to make it mean something. whoever wins gets home-field advantage in the World Series. Great idea BUD. Now when we tune in to the game we get to see a "competitive" match, in which Ozzie Guillen said he would manage the game "like it was the seventh game of the World Series." Wow! That sounds great, until you watch the game and see how the game has changed. Now I realize Mark Redman was a controversial All-Star, but as a Royals fan it would've been nice to at least see him in the game. But he is not even the biggest name left out of the game. Looks look at a list of All-Stars who didn't even make it onto the field:

Mark Buerhle
Jose Contreras
Bobby Jenks
Jonathan Pappelbon
Mark Redman
Jose Lopez (whose only real involvement was pinch running)
Scott Rolen
Dan Uggla
Andruw Jones
Chris Carpenter
Tom Glavine
Jason Schmidt
Carlos Zambrano

All of these men, selected to the All-Star, sat the bench. Reason? Because they had to win? Had to save something in case of extra innings? Whatever the reason it is completely freaking unacceptable. Why even be an All-Star, if you aren't even going to play in the game? Is it still an honor?

There has been a lot of criticism for the way Phil Garner managed the game last night. He said he was out to win, but then had no signs and just let his players play. He ended up losing, and in the process lost home field advantage for the NL in the World Series. When interviewed after the game he said that he wasn't dissappointed because it was a good game, that it was well played. This morning on a popular ESPN morning show he was admonished for not being more like Guillen who was playing it like a World Series game, and was managing it like a fan of the game. Isn't that the point! The All-Star game is for the FANS! I am sure if it were up the players they would love to have the All-Star break without a game just have a few more days rest in a long gruelling season.

So Bud Selig, thanks for taking the fun out of the midseason classic. Thanks for turning what used be an entertaining slugfest, with a little pitching, into a ridiculous spectacle that gives one league an arbitrary advantage in the World Series based on one game. If you want to determine home field advantage for the World Series in some other way than giving it to the team with the best record, then give it to the leage who had the better record in interleague play, a number of games, instead of it hinging on one meaningless game. Let us have our All-Star bash back!

The Notorious TKD