Wait… the All-Star Game was last night?
Alright. Alright. We knew it was on. However, it should be pointed out that we also know the WNBA All-Star Game is on tonight so our knowledge carries little weight (as if you didn’t already know.)
We watched some of it. It was alright. From what we know, it counted this time…. That’s about it. Really, the All-Star game is never going to reach the point of greatness it once had. We’re not going to have the same anticipation over AL vs NL, the same league pride, the same legit competition. I can see that eephus pitch that Williams hit for a homer ten times better than than Hank Blalock homerun in 2003 off… someone (it was Gange but we had to google it.)
If you’re looking for someone to blame, Bud Selig is your man. We’re not big on Selig bashing because we like some of the things he’s done (the wildcard, World Baseball Classic) but his recklessness is starting to catch up with him. He mortgaged the drama of seeing two teams meet for the first time in the World Series for interleague play. He demolished the pride that came with playing for the American or National Leagues by integrating umpires and operations and diminshing the power of league offices (though free agency has done a huge number on this too). And now the All-Star game. He’s tried to make the game matter by adding World Series incentive to the winner but that’s not what it takes to make guys play hard. Ted Williams played hard because he was a gamer, because he wanted to win. In this baseball world, even the biggest, most aggressive gamers know that this is just an exhibition.
Does anyone even care? From a baseball standpoint. this wasn’t a bad game. There was some solid pitching, stolen bases, homer runs, a dramatic hit to end the game. But you know who scored the tying run? Jose Lopez. Know who was playing second when it happened? Freddy Sanchez. Know who was playing left? We don’t. We could go google it but we’ll pass because, in the long run, we’re not going to remember anyway.
July 15, 2006 at 8:05 am
Maybe It would be more exciting if MLB marketed it as the only time you would see pro players with metal wood bats?