Today, with the possible exception of Christmas and the last day of school, is my favorite day of the year. The All-Star Game! Since I was a wee lad, I’ve always been fascinated with the game, the pageantry, the stars, the atmosphere. Perhaps it was because it was one of the few times all year I could see a ton of star players (that was back in the days before everyone was a “superstar”) all at once. Living in rural Idaho, with two television stations (yes, we walked uphill ten miles to school in the snow barefoot) baseball watching was limited to the Saturday Game of the Week. The All-Star Game was a dream…Mays, McCovey, Rose, on and on and on.
So, it’s fitting for me to weigh in today on two suggested rule changes, one of which would affect the All-Star Game, and the other the World Series.
There have been many suggestions that the All-Star rosters should not be required to have a representative from every team. I am vehemently against that rule. One of the real joys, in my opinion, of the All-Star team, is that every team is represented. Having been a fan of teams that have at times sucked, and seriously sucked, for sometimes years on end, it was very important for me to be able to see a representative of my team on the All-Star team. Imagine, if you will, a Seattle Mariners fan of 1977-1980 (I didn’t follow the M’s until 1983, so I can’t speak from experience, but I think it’s a viable example). Without Bruce Bochte, Rupert Jones, Craig Reynolds, and Rick Honeycutt, what connection would a Seattle fan feel to the All-Star Game? Were they the best players out there? Probably not. Does it diminish the game? Not to my way of thinking. This year’s game…imagine the 9th inning and it comes down to Gil Meche facing Dmitri Young. Lack of drama? Of course not! How many big games are decided by the best pitcher on a team facing the best hitter on the opposition? Very few, when it comes right down to it. The drama of a pinch hitter, the last position player on the roster, batting with two outs in the bottom of the 14th against the only pitcher who’s arm hasn’t fallen off…there’s real drama.
Eliminate the representatives from each team, and you may as well be playing Yankees vs. Mets, or some similar scenario. Baseball does NOT need to alienate any segment of it’s population. Let every small market have their reason for tuning in to the game. If anything, I would rather see two different changes, which would go hand in hand.
1. Change the substitution rules. Allow a catcher to return to the lineup in the event of extra innings and an injury to the previous catcher. It is, after all, still an exhibition game. No, *Bud, it does NOT count. Sure, homefield advantage, blah blah blah. It’s still, by definition, an exhibition game.
2. 2. Make it a rule that every player on the team HAS to play. That way, every Pirate or National fan with only one All-Star won’t be disappointed.
I’ll be briefer on the other suggested rule change, that of Mr. Scott Boras wanting to see the World Series go to nine games:
Huh?
I can see no reason whatsoever to go to a nine game World Series, and about fifty reasons NOT to.
And furthermore…why is an agent proposing a change to the game?
Your rules make sense. Why not. Like you said, it's just an exhibition game (or at least it should be)
We, the fans, get to celebrate the stars, and the stars get to play.... just play... without all the day to day pressure of the reg. season.
Scott Boras?.... who invited him to the conversation?
I'm in favor of both of the rule changes you propose-on one condition. The game cannot dictate the home-field advantage in the Series. In fact, I find it extremely laughable, though not suprising in the least in the Selig regime, that in a game that is supposed to mean something as important as home field advantage in the league championship, the fans are still involved in picking the starters. Which is it, Mr. Selig, an exhibition put on by the players the fans want to see, or a game that decides home field? You can't have it both ways. Kind of like you can't look the other way during rampant steroid use in the late '90s and then ignore Bonds' accomplishment.
Sorry, Sax. Got a little carried away there. I think Bud and his cronies are all buffoons.
I understand your excitement of the All-Star game. I used to watch it with the same fervor, even keeping score down to the last substitution and the last pitch.
Ok, take the voting away from the large market, ballot stuffing fans. Players and coaches vote.
Owners do not vote. They're putzes anyway.
All concession items at the All Star Game are $2.
Each team receives a consigmnent of tickts and local lotteries assign the winners. No scalping.
Put fans at the games.
Chux...yeah, I haven't written in a while. The last month of school was bonkers, capped by dealing with losing a student (stupid, stupid accident). Once school finally got out, just got caught up with other stuff (mostly poker) and didn't have much inspiration until now.
Rev... the Mays tribute was indeed wonderful. Brought tears to my eyes. I'll have to make sure I tune into the Saturday game for more of the interview.
ricko...you are dead on about *Bud Selig. I heard some of his comments about how MLB has handled the whole steroid issue...what a joke.
husker...nice ideas, but you may be living in a dream world...
Hello...I am an educator and musician living in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. Baseball and poker are my interests here...beyond that, about all I follow is Gonzaga Basketball and whatever tidbits I can pick up to avoid getting totally crushed in my football pool.
