Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Baseball Journal The All-Star Game 2013 Pre-game

The All-Star Game always starts off kind of weakly with the Home Derby the day before.  Not that the event is bad in and of itself, but it has its negatives.  It is simply a very artificial made-for-TV event that tends to ruin the swings of the players involved.  Of course the main negative is that it’s produced by ESPN.  They actually do a decent job of broadcasting ball games, but this event is all ESPN.  The problem with that can be summed up in two words: Chris Berman.  Perhaps its not fair to single one out one questionable broadcaster, who if we were sitting in the stands next to each other at a game, I’d be looking to move by the bottom of the first inning.  He’s just emblematic of everything wrong with the Four-Letter network: all style, all self-promotion, no substance.  But with all my reservations, I did see some of the Yoenis Cespedes orbital launch party.  Pretty spectacular.     

If ESPN Radio executives actually listened to their own product, I’m sure they would have been thrilled that they sent Collin Cowherd on location to New York for the game.  In the hour I listened, Collin talked about Johnny Football’s off-the-field problems, Nick Saban, NBA off-season moves, and complained about hotel rooms that don’t let you play with the thermostat.  He did talk some baseball, unfortunately.  Collin managed to embarrass Bruce Bochy with some impressively ignorant questions, and CJ Wilson, who wasn’t actually at the game and was only on the radio to promote his sponsor’s promotion, with some prickly questions about steroids. 

Since Collin brought up this tired subject a couple of times, I feel the need to address it as well.  “Why should the winner of this EXHIBITION game get home field advantage in the World Series?  The team with home field advantage wins at a 60% rate.  That’s way too much of an advantage to be gained because of an EXHIBITION game.” 

Apparently, some people have forgotten how we got to this point.  It was at the end of the 2002 ASG, Bob Brenly and Joe Torre went to Bud Selig in the stands and asked, “We know it’s a tie game right now, but we’ve both run out of pitchers.  Since we’re not comfortable with overextending other team’s players, can we just stop playing now?”  Bud should have looked both of them in the eye and said, “You still got position players.  Play ball.”

Now, this incident would have caused a rules change even if that unlikely scenario had happened.  The problem is that the All-Star Game has gotten away from the old days of Pete Rose running into the catcher at home plate.  It’s all about getting the invitation, deciding if you want to go or fake an injury (or pitch on the Sunday before) and send a sub, and then being assured that you’ll get some playing time if you do go.  The manager’s job primary consideration was to use everybody, but not overuse them, and win the game, if it’s convenient. 


No.  The baseball All-Star Game is an actual game, even if it’s an exhibition, not a glorified scrimmage or a reenactment of a Harlem Globetrotters game.  Certainly, getting everyone in the game and players snubbing the invites are still issues, but if home field advantage is the carrot, winning the game regains its paramount importance.  I’m all for it.  Besides, if the theoretically better team in the World Series doesn’t get home field advantage, if they’re really the better team, they should still win.

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