An All-Star Rant

IBF.org

With the midsummer classic upon us, I thought I'd take a moment to post about the ridiculousness of the MLB All-Star game.

First, and most importantly, the game should not matter. It should be what All-Star games are meant to be; an exhibition of the league's best players. Linking home-field advantage to an All-Star game is nonsense. The home-field advantage should be determined by the record of the two teams that make it to the World Series. End of story.

Problem number two is that each team must be represented.  Again, this makes no sense. It's an All-Star game, how about having the most-deserving players as participants, especially since it actually has meaning. Does a team like the Orioles, 16 games under .500 going into the break, really deserve to be represented? If so, I really think they should switch their player to Kevin Gregg, so he and Big Papi can settle things in the AL dugout and make the game more interesting.

I must say, I also hate the fact that the fans vote on the All-Stars. It turns the whole thing into a popularity contest and reminds me of my senior year in high school when I was robbed of the best hair superlative, still hurts. The end result is players who don't necessarily deserve to make it are voted onto the team (I won't name names though since the person that comes to mind just won our Dude of the Day award). In fact, my problem with the whole voting system is why I chose to not vote each year, its my own silent, peaceful and meaningless form of protest.

This brings me to my last point...the players. It seems to me like they should care, or at least pretend to care, a little bit more. I get it, the season is long and grueling, and a few days of respite are probably very enticing, but come on guys, you should be honored to be selected. This year seems particularly egregious with 16 players now not appearing, 13 of them being original selections. I'm okay with someone pulling out for legitimate medical reasons a la Chipper Jones and A-Rod. However, it does seem odd that someone who went 5 for 5 and hit their 3000th hit on Saturday can't get one inning in (again, not naming names here). I also understand why those who pitched on Sunday aren't eligible to pitch, but six pitchers ended up pitching on Sunday? Just a coincidence? What happens if one of those AL pitchers is needed to strike out Jayson Werth in the 9th inning? It could be the difference in World Series home-field advantage. Nevermind, just googled it, apparently Werth didn't make the team. Also, apparently I could strike out Werth, or at least get him to ground into a double play.

Seriously though, with two leagues locked out this is baseballs time to shine, to lure in some more fans, and to show existing fans that they care and that it's not about the money, money, money (as Jessie J would say). So to all those players who aren't playing - for whatever the reason might be, you need to go to the game anyway, participate in all of the festivities, sign autographs, and sell and support your league.

Now that I've gottent that out, I must admit that I will still be watching the game tomorrow, so here are a my predicitions.

Winning Team: American League

MVP: Josh Hamilton

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And the ever-coveted Best Hair Award: Tim Lincecum

I know some fellow Dudettes don't love the long luscious locks flying free, but I'm a fan.

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