July 21, 2008

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MLB All-Star Game

This past Tuesday the Major League Baseball All-Star Game was held.  It was a very interesting affair that didn't end until 1:37 AM after fifteen innings in Yankee Stadium.

When I was growing up back in the '50s and '60s, the All-Star Game was something I looked forward to very much.  You could get to see Willie Mays play against Micky Mantle or Warren Spann throw against Whitey Ford.  It was a time to see all the stars come out and play together on the same field.  That was the idea of the game when it first started in 1933.  It was the brain child of Arch Ward, the sports editor of the Chicago Tribune.  He convinced the two leagues to play the game as part of that year's Chicago World's Fair.  It was suppose to be just a one year thing.  Instead it was so popular that the two leagues were forced to keep it because of the pressure from the fans who wanted to see it each year.  In fact the game became so popular that for four seasons, 1959-62, they held two games each year. 

The reason that the All-Star Game was so popular was because there was a one-on-one confrontation within the confines of a team concept.  The confrontation between the pitcher and the batter requires both to be at the top of their game.  In order for the batter to hit the pitch, he must be doing his best.  The pitcher, on the other hand, also must be doing his best in order to get the batter out.  In other words, the game is played at a high level, which can't be said for other professional sports' all-star games. 

As other sports became more popular, baseball lost some of its glitter.  Because of this, the MLB All-Star Game also lost some of its glitter.  So Bud Selig, the Commissioner, in his wisdom decided to try and give some meaning to the game.  So he decided that the winner would get the home field advantage in the World Series. 

The game last week showed how ridiculous this decision is.  It put manager, Terry Francona, in a very awkward position.  Because the game went into the fifteenth inning, Francona was forced to use a pitcher from the Tampa Bay Rays only one day after he had thrown 104 pitches.  This put the pitcher at risk for injury to his arm.  And Francona and his Red Sox are in a tight peanut race with the Rays.  This was unfair to Francona and the Rays' pitcher.  This should never have happened.

The Solution!  There should be three changes made to the All-Star Game.  The first is, it should go back to being an exhibition.  The fans don't go there to see who will get home field advantage for the World Series.  They go there to watch the future Hall of Famers play on the same field at the same time.  The fans are hoping to see a memorable play or hit by one of these players that they can tell their grandkids about.  They are looking for Carl Hubble to strike out five future Hall of Famers in a row, or Micky Mantle to hit a home run, or Pete Rose run over Ray Fosse at the plate to win the game. 

The second change is to always use the Designated Hitter in the game.  This is the only game in which it should ever be used.  The fans don't go there to see the pitcher hit.  It will also allow the managers more flexibility in getting more all-stars to the plate during the game.

Third, have it predetermined that you will not play more than eleven innings.  If the game ends in a tie, so be it. By that time, the players that the fans have come to see are out of the game anyway.  Also, it will allow the managers to know before hand how to use their pitchers. 

When the MLB does these things, the All-Star Game will get back to its roots and will become popular again.  

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