Major League Baseball has made the error. The MLB having the All-Star (exhibition) game decide home field advantage in the World Series is absurd. Next year they need to put a stop to this. Now I am happy that MLB tries to be innovative. However they need to just say that the All-Star game will only be played in nine innings or maybe even ten. But to have an All-Star game decide who have home field advantage is just terrible. It is like deciding a world wide tournament that only happens every four years be decided by a shoot out........oh wait.
If MLB is so intent on bringing meaning to the All-Star game they need to forget about it. This is supposed to be a fun game and teams do NOT want their guys getting hurt. They wouldn’t even be in this predicament had the All-Star game in Milwaukee had not been called a tie in the 11th inning. Bud Selig getting on that microphone to tell the crowd they were going to end the game was surreal to say the least. It did cause quite an uproar by fans everywhere. That is when it was decided that they will try to make the All-Star game have more meaning.
Could you imagine any other sport letting their respective All-Star game decide this. I am guessing that the NBA isn’t going to do this anytime soon. If they want to have the players play harder and the game to mean something, give them another payday. That is what gets these guys going is money. They could have each player on the winning team get 500K and the losing team get 50K. I think you would then see both teams having fun and playing hard. There is also just something about players deciding where the World Series will be played at that won't even be in it. But hey what do I know?
i'm against the current format too, but i'm also against paying these guys even more money just so they'll show up. personally, i'd like to see it be completely payment free (other than insurance to cover injuries, and that i'm borderline about), so guys that make $20 million who dont want to play wont feel the greed gene kick in to agree to actually play. that way, guys who arent well known by the fans, or have a reputation of being good will get more chances to make the squads. i dont even understand why fans vote for manny ramirez. the only way he'd probably agree to play is if the game was in boston (or in whatever city he considered his home team that year).
...and a handful of those dont even bother to play, or get selected to play. the team with the best record of the 2 that make it to the world series should get home field, just like it used to be.
i agree 100% NYY15. and if it's supposed to be solely for the fans enjoyment, they should select every player on each roster. mlb cant have it both ways, but they keep trying. but i think they know that if the fans selected every player, it would end up being the yankees/redsox vs. the mets/cardinals/braves, or close to it. what mlb is trying to do is balance 2 things that cant be balanced...fan enjoyment/viwership and player participation/effort. fans vote manny ramirez on, he comes up with an injury, the players or manager select pedro, and he comes up with an injury. if these guys dont want to play, or cant play, why do we keep selecting them?
I agree that having the winner get home field is silly. The team with the better record should have home field advantage in any series and in any sport.
I Also say lets get back to basics, and do what the NBA does.
Put the best players according to stats online and have the fans vote for the starting lineup only. The let the managers pick the remaining team members. Its a good system and it would be difficult to have any worthy player get snubbed from the All Star game.
Nyy15 - right on the money. Also how many years have players gotten voted in based on their name and past accomplishments. Every year there are players that are playing lights out that dont get selected
Cuz what about the whole -one player from each team deal as well- that needs to go. But in general lets first work on getting the best team home field advantage through regular season games not an exhibition one
bob- i think every team has 1 guy deserving of a selection. the problem is they are usually the last ones picked, and that's why a 2nd or 3rd player from another team with comparable or better stats gets slighted. maybe they should expand the rosters to 40, and play a 3 game series AFTER the season. in tonight's game, it turned out both sides had more pitchers than they needed, and some position players got 1 or no at bats. some didnt even get in the game at all.
other years (2001?) they dont have enough. i just dont like very much at all about the selection process, when the game is played, and the concept of the winning side gets home field in the world series. add it all up and it makes for a big mess.
Cuz - I do remember my Tigers only getting one player in the game because they had to have a representative. It did at least give me a reason to watch the game.
If they bring nine pitchers just give them all one inning and they need to get everyone into the game as well. The game deciding the home field advantage assures that players will not get in due to the best players staying in to win it.
not necessarily the best players, but the ones with the most pull with the all-star manager, who happen to play for the best teams. there's a reason david wright and carlos beltran played so long last night....probably because they play for the mets, and it's likely jason bay got more time because he was the home team representative. i dont know why scott rolen or andruw jones didnt get an at bat. phil garner's managing of the game is really being questioned.
As I enjoy all comments, I like the idea and especially since it's different then other sports.
I'm hoping someone might have some insight to how the All-Star Game change to WS home field advantage came about. Please let me know if you do. I sent the letters in the link to Bud Selig and receive the letters there as well, but could never really figure out if these letters had any impact or not. Please advise if you know as I'll have some interest on how this came about.
Flint Michigan -
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Major League Baseball has made the error. The MLB having the All-Star (exhibition) game decide home field advantage in the World Series is absurd. Next year they need to put a stop to this. Now I am happy that MLB tries to be innovative. However they need to just say that the All-Star game will only be played in nine innings or maybe even ten. But to have an All-Star game decide who have home field advantage is just terrible. It is like deciding a world wide tournament that only happens every four years be decided by a shoot out........oh wait. 
Could you imagine any other sport letting their respective All-Star game decide this. I am guessing that the NBA isn’t going to do this anytime soon. If they want to have the players play harder and the game to mean something, give them another payday. That is what gets these guys going is money. They could have each player on the winning team get 500K and the losing team get 50K. I think you would then see both teams having fun and playing hard. There is also just something about players deciding where the World Series will be played at that won't even be in it. But hey what do I know?
