How to fix the All-Star Game
How to fix the All-Star Game
Is the Midseason Classic really broke, or does it just need a tune-up? Here's how the All-Star Game would be if it was played in Willie World, replete with a look at the broadcast and the concessions.
It's the one image of Bud Selig that will always stick with me. There have been many defining moments during Selig's tenure as MLB commissioner, and by defining I do not necessarily mean in a good way.
Eventually the man -- this former used-car salesman that stole the Pilots from Seattle who has presided over the shadiest of eras in a sport that's got more shady than a 200-year old oak -- will be remembered for all that he has done for baseball. He will be lauded on the stages for his contribution to the National Pastime and probably will be inducted into the sports hallowed museum up in Cooperstown, NY.
But the one moment that defined his commissionership to me was the one in which he threw his hands up in the air and confessed his total incompetence for the position he held. And then he proved it by making a silly exhibition game in the middle of the season something more than it really is.
I've been to two All-Star Games in my life, and loved both of the events. I've also been to a couple of Harlem Globetrotters productions and equally enjoyed myself. Let's start with the fact the All-Star Game shouldn't count for anything. Give the World Series home field advantage to the pennant winner with the best record. How hard can this be? Baseball has already been mailing out postseason tickets early to the LDS and LCS rounds without knowing which team with what record will be playing.
Aside from that, here are a couple more ideas I have for making the Midseason Classic better.
Fan voting to include pitchers, selections not automatic starters
Why is it that MLB trusts its fans to select a shortstop or a catcher or a center fielder, and not a pitcher? This has always bugged me. Give fans the opportunity to select their favorite pitchers in addition to the position players.
However, fan selections should not get the automatic starting nod. Leave that up to the manager to decide the starting lineup.
The DH
Not a fan, no sir. But if there's a game that it works better in than the All-Star Game, I sure can't think of it. Use the DH in all ASG's, regardless of where they're played.
Take more relievers
Starting pitchers just aren't the big thing they used to be, let's face it. It's almost gotten to a point that you're in awe of a starter that goes seven innings as we see more and more 5-6 inning starts with each passing season.
Limit the All-Star rosters to 5-6 starters and take 7-8-9 relievers. There's a 33-man roster for the 2009 game, and with relievers working a good third and more of the games now, they deserve to be represented with more arms for this type of game.
No more Buck and McCarver
No way, no how, no sir. We're going to rely on a single play-by-play voice for the game and be a bit more respectful to the flow of the game If I could, I would somehow record the voices of Ernie Harwell, Gene Elston and Vin Scully and then be able to reproduce them for the call of each and every MLB game.
More of the ads will be subtle in the corner of the screen, maybe get a guy like Kenny Mayne to do some spots in the crowd with strategic product placement.
The National Anthem
Anyone who has ever appeared or even considered appearing on American Idol is disqualified from performing in any major league park. Also, no yodeling there at the end of the song. I defy anyone to show me where Francis Scott Key scribbled in his notes, "Yodel here."
$1 Hot Dogs
This would be a rule for all baseball games if we really were in Willie World. Just your basic dog with mustard, onions and relish. It should never cost more than a buck, and for what the fans at Busch on Tuesday are being raped for their tickets just to get in, they deserve a break on the dogs.
Is the Midseason Classic really broke, or does it just need a tune-up? Here's how the All-Star Game would be if it was played in Willie World, replete with a look at the broadcast and the concessions.
It's the one image of Bud Selig that will always stick with me. There have been many defining moments during Selig's tenure as MLB commissioner, and by defining I do not necessarily mean in a good way.
Eventually the man -- this former used-car salesman that stole the Pilots from Seattle who has presided over the shadiest of eras in a sport that's got more shady than a 200-year old oak -- will be remembered for all that he has done for baseball. He will be lauded on the stages for his contribution to the National Pastime and probably will be inducted into the sports hallowed museum up in Cooperstown, NY.
But the one moment that defined his commissionership to me was the one in which he threw his hands up in the air and confessed his total incompetence for the position he held. And then he proved it by making a silly exhibition game in the middle of the season something more than it really is.
I've been to two All-Star Games in my life, and loved both of the events. I've also been to a couple of Harlem Globetrotters productions and equally enjoyed myself. Let's start with the fact the All-Star Game shouldn't count for anything. Give the World Series home field advantage to the pennant winner with the best record. How hard can this be? Baseball has already been mailing out postseason tickets early to the LDS and LCS rounds without knowing which team with what record will be playing.
Aside from that, here are a couple more ideas I have for making the Midseason Classic better.
Fan voting to include pitchers, selections not automatic starters
Why is it that MLB trusts its fans to select a shortstop or a catcher or a center fielder, and not a pitcher? This has always bugged me. Give fans the opportunity to select their favorite pitchers in addition to the position players.
However, fan selections should not get the automatic starting nod. Leave that up to the manager to decide the starting lineup.
The DH
Not a fan, no sir. But if there's a game that it works better in than the All-Star Game, I sure can't think of it. Use the DH in all ASG's, regardless of where they're played.
Take more relievers
Starting pitchers just aren't the big thing they used to be, let's face it. It's almost gotten to a point that you're in awe of a starter that goes seven innings as we see more and more 5-6 inning starts with each passing season.
Limit the All-Star rosters to 5-6 starters and take 7-8-9 relievers. There's a 33-man roster for the 2009 game, and with relievers working a good third and more of the games now, they deserve to be represented with more arms for this type of game.
No more Buck and McCarver
No way, no how, no sir. We're going to rely on a single play-by-play voice for the game and be a bit more respectful to the flow of the game If I could, I would somehow record the voices of Ernie Harwell, Gene Elston and Vin Scully and then be able to reproduce them for the call of each and every MLB game.
More of the ads will be subtle in the corner of the screen, maybe get a guy like Kenny Mayne to do some spots in the crowd with strategic product placement.
The National Anthem
Anyone who has ever appeared or even considered appearing on American Idol is disqualified from performing in any major league park. Also, no yodeling there at the end of the song. I defy anyone to show me where Francis Scott Key scribbled in his notes, "Yodel here."
$1 Hot Dogs
This would be a rule for all baseball games if we really were in Willie World. Just your basic dog with mustard, onions and relish. It should never cost more than a buck, and for what the fans at Busch on Tuesday are being raped for their tickets just to get in, they deserve a break on the dogs.
