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As coach Herm Edwards once said, “you play to win the game.” That being said, I don’t like the idea that the All-Star Game should decide home field advantage in baseball. Charlie Manuel picked guys like Arthur Rhodes, Hong Chih Kuo, Evan Meek, Michael Bourn, and Omar Infante for the All-Star team, three middle relievers, a pinch runner, and a utility man. And you know what, those moves were pretty smart. Manuel knows his Phillies could get back to the World Series this year and wanted home field advantage when they got there so he did what it took to win, even if it was unorthodox, taking guys who specialize in the 7th or 8th inning, rather than taking closers and forcing them into different roles. He took a guy like Bourn to pinch run and possibly steal a base he took Infante because of his versatility.
The issue with this, it makes for a pretty boring game. In my opinion, players should be picked for the All-Star game off of three criteria, in order, the quality of their first half production, their popularity with the fans, and three and finally, to help you win the game. While it could be argued that those three middle relievers had a solid first half, it’s tough to argue that Omar Infante, who isn’t even a starter on his own team, and Michael Bourn who is batting .255 with 1 homerun and 22 RBIs this season, statistically were worthy of being there. Plus, none of those five generate much buzz with the fans at all.
Another issue with the game counting, we don’t see everyone play. Some guys are kept on the bench because the manager feels his team has a better shot of winning with someone else in the lineup. Where’s the fun in that? What’s the point of them even being there?
Another issue, it just gives too much power to one game. If Brian McCann strikes out last night instead of hitting a 3 run double, the AL likely wins. One swing of the bat deciding homefield in the World Series, when the man swinging the bat could very well not even be a part of the World Series in a few months, that doesn’t make any sense. Home field in the World Series should be decided in one of four ways. Whoever has the best record of the two teams playing, whichever league had the better record in interleague, whichever teams has the best record in interleague, or simply whichever team wins their CS first, with any ties being broken by regular season record, individual team interleague record, or league interleague record. If the All-Star game continues to decide homefield advantage, winning will continue to be more important than the fans and having fun during the All-Star game.
A few more issues with the All-Star game, the rosters are way too big. 34 players?! What’s wrong with 25 players, with the option to put players that you’ve taken out before back into the game if the game goes into extras and you need more players. 34 really cheapens being named an All-Star.
Speaking of cheapening being named an All-Star, I think the whole thing were every team needs to be represented needs to be done away with. You shouldn’t get an All-Star pick simply because you’re the best player on your team, but rather because your one of the top 25 players in your league. A few more things I would like to see all involve increasing fan involvement. What’s wrong with letting the fans pick the starting pitcher too, or even some of the backups.
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AL
C John Buck- Toronto
C Victor Martinez- Boston
C Joe Mauer- Minnesota
1B Miguel Cabrera- Detroit
1B Justin Morneau- Minnesota
1B Kevin Youkilis- Boston
1B Paul Konerko- Chicago
2B Robinson Cano- New York
2B Ty Wigginton- Baltimore
SS Derek Jeter- New York
SS Alex Gonzalez- Toronto
3B Adrian Beltre- Boston
3B Evan Longoria- Tampa Bay
3B Michael Young- Texas
OF Josh Hamilton- Texas
OF Brennan Boesch- Detroit
OF Vernon Wells- Toronto
OF Alex Rios- Chicago
OF Shin-Soo Choo- Cleveland
OF Jose Bautista- Toronto
DH Vlad Guerrero- Texas
SP Cliff Lee- Seattle
SP Clay Buchholz- Boston
SP Jon Lester- Boston
SP David Price- Tampa Bay
SP Jered Weaver- Los Angeles
SP Andy Pettitte- New York
SP Jeff Niemann- Tampa B ay
SP Ricky Romero- Toronto
RP Joakim Soria- Kansas City
RP Andrew Bailey- Oakland
RP Neftali Feliz- Texas
RP Rafael Soriano- Tampa Bay
RP Mariano Rivera- New York
NL
C Miguel Olivo- Colorado
C Brian McCann- Atlanta
C Geovany Soto- Chicago
1B Albert Pujols- St. Louis
1B Adrian Gonzalez- San Diego
1B Adam Dunn- Washington
2B Kelly Johnson- Arizona
2B Chase Utley- Philadelphia
2B Brandon Phillips- Cincinnati
SS Hanley Ramirez- Florida
SS Juan Uribe- San Francisco
3B Scott Rolen- Cincinnati
3B David Wright- New York
3B Ryan Zimmerman- Washington
OF Andre Either- Los Angeles
OF Jayson Werth- Philadelphia
OF Colby Ramsus- St. Louis
OF Corey Hart- Milwaukee
OF Andrew McCutchen- Pittsburgh
OF Josh Willingham- Washington
DH Joey Votto- Cincinnati
SP Ubaldo Jimenez- Colorado
SP Josh Johnson- Florida
SP Roy Halladay- Philadelphia
SP Tim Hudson- Atlanta
SP Adam Wainwright- St. Louis
SP Yovani Gallardo- Milwaukee
SP Mat Latos- San Diego
SP Tim Lincecum- San Francisco
SP Chris Carpenter- St. Louis
RP Carlos Marmol- Chicago
RP Matt Lindstrom- Houston
RP Brian Wilson- San Francisco
RP Heath Bell- San Diego
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To DH or not to DH? Since the
instatement of the designated hitter into the American League in 1973, that has
been the question. It has seemed almost an oddity that the two leagues of the
same major league would have completely different rules. In American League
ballparks, you are allowed to have a 10th player who serves kind of as a
permanent pinch hitter for the weak hitting pitcher and in National League
ballparks, you are not allowed and the pitcher must hit. I have no strong
feelings for or against the designated hitter, but one thing is clear, as a
result of allowing the designated hitter in one league and not the other, there
is a growing disparity in the two leagues in terms of both talent and revenue
and something needs to be done about this.
The designated hitter creates this disparity in
two ways. One, it attracts players to the American League. Most pitchers don't
want to hit and a lot of hitters, especially ones getting up there in age,
don't want to play in the field. Because of this, more of the better players go
to the American league, American league teams generate more revenue and this
also attracts players in the American League in what is a growing cycle.
Two, American League teams carry a 9th starting
caliber hitter while a National League team only carries eight because simply,
National League owners and general managers aren't willing to shell out the
kind of money that it would take to lure some of these players away from the
American League if there are really only going to use them as DHs in a few
interleague games and the World Series, if they make it. It makes a lot more
sense for an American League team to spend 3 million dollars on a 9th hitter
than it does for a National League team to spend the same 3 million dollars on a
9th hitter who will DH a few games a year, maybe more, and also get some pinch
hit attempts. So they don't do it and when American League teams play National
League teams, NL teams are using their top pinch hitter as a DH, while the AL
is using an everyday caliber batter.
The NL has not won an All-Star game against the AL
since 1996. That's not a coincedence. Since the start of interleague play in
1996, the AL has won 1674 games to the NL's 1534 wins. The last time the NL has
won more interleague games was 2003 and they've only done so in 4 years since
'96. Some of them haven't even been close for the NL, and the last 5, demonstrating
a growing disparity, have been 136-116, 154-98, 137-115, 149-103, and 138-114.
The World Series has not been as bad, with the AL winning 20 of the 35 since
1973, but when you look at which league is winning the most individual World
Series game, the AL has won 35 of the 55 games since 1998. Percentage wise that
is 64% wins for the AL.
Let’s look at
team payrolls. Payrolls are a pretty good indicator of how much money teams
make. 7 of the top 9 payrolls are AL teams, despite the fact that the AL
actually has 2 fewer teams. AL teams have more money to spend because baseball
fans want to see better baseball and more exciting baseball which the AL has,
as a result of the DH. This is only going to lead to higher AL payrolls, which
will lead to a larger disparity in talent level between the leagues. The cycle
will only continue to increase the disparity.
This problem is not going to fix itself on its
own. The more good players will continue to go to the league where pitchers
don't have to hit, and hitters don't always have to play in the field. The AL
will continue its dominance over the NL both on the field and financially,
attracting more top free agents, widening the disparity. The AL will continue
to spend money on a 9th everyday hitter, while the NL sees it unnecessary.
Something needs to be done, either go DH in both league or in neither, I really
don't care.
I wouldn’t mind both leagues having no DH. However, I really don’t see that as plausible. With the success that the AL is having with a DH, why would they want to get rid of that? The NL is going to need to be the one to make the change. Change in baseball in not neccesarily bad. When baseball was first invented, you needed 9 balls to be walked. Imagine if one league was playing with those rules. Until the NL adds a DH, there will be a sizable disparity in talent between the league and that gap will continue to grow. Some people like no DH because it’s real baseball and protects the dignity of the game, but I’d rather have equally matched leagues than no DH in the NL. If anything it ruining the dignity of the game, it’s the unmatched leagues.
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AL
C Joe Mauer- Minnesota .407 14 HR 42 RBI
C Victor Martinez- Cleveland .330 12 HR 53 RBI
C Jason Varitek- Boston .228 10 HR 25 RBI
1B Mark Teixeira- New York .286 20 HR 56 RBI
1B Kevin Youkilis- Boston .316 12 HR 40 RBI
1B Justin Morneau- Minnesota .320 16 HR 57 RBI
1B Miguel Cabrera- Detroit .333 14 HR 44 RBI
2B Ian Kinsler- Texas .267 18 HR 48 RBI
2B Aaron Hill- Toronto .302 15 HR 48 RBI
2B Dustin Pedroia- Boston .286 2 HR 28 RBI
SS Jason Bartlett- Tampa Bay .373 7 HR 31 RBI
SS Derek Jeter- New York .301 9 HR 30 RBI
3B Evan Longoria- Tampa Bay .309 16 HR 61 RBI
3B Mark DeRosa- Cleveland .277 13 HR 50 RBI
LF Jason Bay- Boston .276 18 HR 66 RBI
LF Carl Crawford- Tampa Bay .307 6 HR 32 RBI
LF Matt Holliday- Oakland .269 8 HR 39 RBI
CF Torii Hunter- LA Angels .316 16 HR 52 RBI
CF Curtis Granderson- Detroit .263 17 HR 43 RBI
CF Adam Jones- Baltimore .316 12 HR 43 RBI
RF Nelson Cruz- Texas .268 18 HR 45 RBI
SP Zack Greinke- Kansas City 8-3 1.96 ERA 106 K
SP Roy Halladay- Toronto 10-1 2.53 ERA 88 K
SP Edwin Jackson- Detroit 6-4 2.39 ERA 72 K
SP Justin Verlander- Detroit 8-3 3.31 ERA 118 K
SP Felix Hernandez- Seattle 7-3 2.74 ERA 98 K
SP Jered Weaver- Los Angeles 7-3 2.53 ERA 78 K
SP Kevin Millwood- Texas 7-5 2.62 ERA 65 K
RP Jonathan Papelbon- Boston 16/17 SV 1.80 ERA
RP Joe Nathan- Minnesota 16/18 SV 1.69 ERA
RP Mariano Rivera- New York 15/16 SV 3.25 ERA
Final vote
Like the real all-star game, the 32nd man is voted in by the fans. Above I have 31 all-stars and below I have 4 guys who would make the team if it were a 35 man roster. However, it is not, so its up to you to pick a 32nd man. Tell me in a comment and tell me why. This could be interesting.
1B Russell Branyan- Seattle .305 16 HR 31 RBI
2B Brian Roberts- Baltimore .291 7 HR 34 RBI
3B Michael Young- Texas .312 10 HR 27 RBI
SP Josh Beckett- Boston 8-3 3.74 ERA 88K
NL
C Bengie Molina- San Francisco .264 10 HR 40 RBI
C Brian McCann- Atlanta .325 6 HR 28 RBI
C Yadier Molina- St. Louis .284 5 HR 23 RBI
1B Albert Pujols- St. Louis .329 26 HR 68 RBI
1B Adrian Gonzalez- San Diego .275 23 HR 45 RBI
1B Prince Fielder- Milwaukee .299 17 HR 67 RBI
1B Ryan Howard- Philadelphia .257 20 HR 54 RBI
2B Chase Utley- Philadelphia .297 15 HR 45 RBI
2B Brandon Phillips- Cincinnati .279 11 HR 47 RBI
2B Freddy Sanchez- Pittsburgh .319 6 HR 29 RBI
SS Hanley Ramirez- Florida .328 9 HR 36 RBI
SS Miguel Tejada- Houston .331 6 HR 38 RBI
3B Mark Reynolds- Arizona .267 19 HR 49 RBI
3B David Wright- New York .349 4 HR 39 RBI
LF Raul Ibanez- Philadelphia .312 22 HR 59 RBI
LF Ryan Braun- Milwaukee .320 15 HR 50 RBI
LF Carlos Lee- Houston .300 12 HR 43 RBI
CF Matt Kemp- Los Angeles .318 8 HR 37 RBI
CF Carlos Beltran- New York .336 8 HR 40 RBI
RF Adam Dunn- Washington .267 18 HR 49 RBI
RF Brad Hawpe- Colorado .332 10 HR 50 RBI
SP Matt Cain- San Francisco 9-1 2.28 ERA 76 K
SP Chad Billingsley- Los Angeles 9-3 2.83 ERA 96 K
SP Tim Lincecum- San Francisco 6-2 2.72 ERA 112 K
SP Dan Haren- Arizona 6-4 2.23 ERA 96 K
SP Ted Lilly- Chicago 7-4 3.05 75 K
SP Johan Santana- New York 8-5 3.22 ERA 97 K
SP Johnny Cueto- Cincinnati 6-4 2.55 ERA 66 K
RP Francisco Rodriguez- New York 18/20 SV 1.07 ERA
RP Heath Bell- San Diego 19/20 SV 1.19 ERA
RP Trevor Hoffman- Milwaukee 16/17 SV 1.31 ERA
Final vote
Like the real all-star game, the 32nd man is voted in by the fans. Above I have 31 all-stars and below I have 4 guys who would make the team if it were a 35 man roster. However, it is not, so its up to you to pick a 32nd man. Tell me in a comment and tell me why. This could be interesting.
3B Pablo Sandoval- San Francisco .338 8 HR 33 RBI
RF Justin Upton- Arizona .321 13 HR 42 RBI
SP Josh Johnson- Florida 7-1 2.66 ERA 88 K
RP Ryan Franklin- St. Louis 17/18 SV 1.00 ERA