I find it to be of absolute certainty that the Major League Baseball All-Star Game is far more entertaining and more relevant than that of any other sport. The NHL turns into a penalty shot contest and the NBA is a 140 point dunk fest. They both stink. And don't even get me started on the joke that is the Pro Bowl. The Mid-summer Classic is the closest to the real thing as it gets. But like all of the others, it still has its flaws. I thought of a few changes that I would make.
First, fan voting is a joke. I'm not saying completely get rid of it, but why do these guys automatically have to become the starters? Just because Yankee fans stuffed the ballot box for a guy like Mark Teixeira who is hitting .229 does not mean he should start over the player's pick, Miguel Cabrera who is hitting .328 and smashing Teixeira in every other category as well. It's not Cabrera's fault that Tiger fans don't vote like Yankee fans do. The guy is a candidate for the AL MVP and has a shot at the triple crown, but he's not the starting first baseman? It's ridiculous. You can't turn this game into a popularity contest or we are going to end up with Lil Wayne playing centerfield and Lady GaGa at shortstop. Give the fans their vote, and give the players theirs, then the guy with the better stats for the first half of the season gets the starting nod. Seems pretty simple to me. It really makes no sense to take the fan's vote more seriously than the player's anyway, does it? If I were a player I would rather get the player's vote than the fan's. I would rather have the respect and recognition of my peers than have my vote stuffed into the box 283 times by some fat slob wearing a mustard stained Jeter jersey with a cheese steak hanging out of his mouth. And along the same lines, just as I value the player's vote for other players, I think the player's should vote on the umpires too. Give them a little reward and respect for being the best at their jobs too.
My next idea is a real gem. With the steroid era gone, at least for the most part, the home run derby is full of shortstops and undersized outfielders. There aren't anymore McGwires and Sosas with bodies full of livestock steroids bashing 500 footers. For God's sake the Yankees number nine hitter, Nick Swisher, is in the derby. Generally, people are uninterested in watching these guys hit fence scrapers. You wanna keep it exciting? Let them use metal bats for the derby. Think about it, you already love that "ping", now we get to see if Big Papi can hit one 600 feet, and maybe some of these other guys won't have to live with the embarrassment of putting up a goose egg. Hell, If I would have thought of this earlier, maybe even Jason Bay would have hit one a few years ago.
Next, I say you put a microphone on every player. I mean sure give it a little tape delay so you can bleep out all the four letter stuff, but think about the great chatter you would hear. I would love to hear what Derek Jeter and Albert Pujols talk about at first base, or hear why Joe Girardi is going to make a pitching change. Even hearing the conversation between the catcher and the home plate umpire would interest me. You want to make the game about the fans, give them a little inside access for a night. I know I would be glued to my TV to hear live chat between some of the game's greatest players.
Get rid of mandatory representation. I know where baseball is coming from on this one, but it's not the U.S. Senate. There should not be automatic spots for players who don't deserve it. There are definitely some teams who do not have one single player worthy of being an all-star. Just think about how many times our own Pirates have only sent the mandatory one player who probably didn't really earn it. Being the best player on a horrible team should not guarantee you a spot in the All-Star Game. I think if a team just doesn't have anyone who is good enough that year, then too bad, it happens. You want to represent every team, then invite all the mascots.
I also think they should get rid of this stupid World Series home field advantage garbage. Their heart was in the right place, but it makes no sense to have the All-Star Game determine anything that has to do with the World Series. I understand it was MLB's attempt to make their All-Star Game more relevant and meaningful, but do you really think an RBI single by Marlon Byrd in July should be the reason the Yankees don't get home field advantage in October? Seems dumb.
Here is another idea that would make the game more fan-accessible. Say in the 8th inning Charlie Manuel comes on camera and says that he will be bringing in a new reliever, either Jonathan Broxton or Matt Capps, and then the fans get the next half inning to vote. It's pretty harmless, the manager picks two guys that he's comfortable bringing into the game, we just get to pick which one. Same could be done for pinch hitters if the pitcher's spot is coming up in the next inning. It's a simple way to keep fans involved. You can't tell me you don't think that would be pretty cool. I know I'd vote.
I'm sure there are a hundred other ideas out there on how to improve the game. Let me hear some of yours, as long as they don't have anything to do with instant replay. And tell me what you think about mine while you're at it.
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