Last year's All Star Game was a disgrace. Something had to be done. Baseball is losing fans on a daily basis, and the interest in this game, both from fans and players, was going downhill fast.
Sure, it was a nice idea that every team be represented, whether the player was voted in, or true "All Star" caliber or not, and once there, the managers felt obligated to get each and every one into the game. It had gotten to be a joke. Players that were actually voted as starters by the fans were getting maybe one at bat a game before being pulled out, and the later innings just drug on and on with all the pitching changes trying to get each one an appearance.
And then yeah, the disaster last year where the game was actually cancelled in extra innings because both managers had used up their pitchers.
There was also beginning a trend by players not wanting to risk injury by playing in a frivolous game, or just wanting these few precious days off during the middle of the season rather than having to spend it in Milwaukee or some other God forsaken place, when they could feign a sudden illness or an injury and spend it at home with their families.
I personally used to love the All Star game, and I'm a huge baseball fan, but even I was beginning to wonder, "why bother?".
And as it was, "home field advantage" alternated between the leagues from year to year. After the LCS, the records were thrown out, and everything that team/league had done up to that point didn't matter. Now that's all changed. At least this way, the team/league that gets the home field, will have earned it.
It also means that the Managers and Players selected to represent the league have more incentive to actually play the game TO WIN, and not just to put on a "show". We'll be seeing more of the true All Stars facing each other, and managers using their best players just as they would in any game. Before interleague play and free-agency, this game used to be the only time that most of these players ever faced each other. This game used to be about pride, and that was all the incentive anyone needed. But unfortunately now that's not the case, and something had to be done.
I for one applaud the commish for actually recognizing and admitting that there was a problem and taking some sort of action, and I'm looking forward to seeing the game this year!
<IMG SRC="http://czm.racknine.net/images/sigcity/thumbnails/tnsigozzie.jpg">
Mucho appreciation for the sigpic CZM!