As everyone knows, tonight is the All-Star Game for Major League Baseball. What some casual observors may not know is that every MLB team is represented by at least 1 player and tonight’s game determines which league’s representative will have home-field advantage in the All-Star game. These are the most controversial aspects of the “Mid-Summer Classic.” Here are the 5 things I would do to improve the All-Star Game:
1. Stop picking a player from each team. Bad teams should not be rewarded, or patronized, by picking someone to sit on the end of a bench in what is supposed to be an exposition of the game’s best players.
2. Don’t let the managers pick the reserves. Call it the “Torre Rule.” Managers are notorious for selecting their own players to round out the roster over more qualified players, and really, who can blame them. After all, they have to manage these guys for the rest of the year. It’s a precarious and biased position, and the league office should pick the players, not the managers.
3. Continue to use the game to determine home-field advantage. I’m one of the few guys who likes this rule. I would prefer the team with the better record determine home-field, but apparently, that is not logistically possible. MLB needs to know by the end of August which league will have the advantage so they can reserve hotel rooms, office space, ballparks, etc. So, that means there are only three choices to determine homefield: 1) the All-Star Game; 2) Interleague Play; 3) Alternate. We tried option #3 before and it wasn’t remotely fair or unfair because it was completely random. Interleague play is intriguing, and its over in June, but then we have all the inequities of the schedule. For example, some NL teams like the Mets this year play the Yankees and Red Sox. No AL team plays two NL opponents that difficult. I say leave it the way it is. By removing the token players, and shrinking the rosters (see below), the game will be played by the truly best players from each league, so it will be a somewhat accurate exposition of which league is truly better, at least for one night. Just look at the fact that the AL has won or tied 11 consecutive ASGs during a period when the AL has been the clearly superior league.
4. Shrink the rosters. The most meaningful complaint against using the ASG to determine home-field is that the best players are out of the game by the 5th inning. This can be eliminated, when coupled with #1 above, by reducing the number of players selected. I would set the roster at 8 starting position players, 4 starting pitchers, 2 relief pitchers, 2 backup outfielders, 1 backup catcher, and 2 backup infielders, for a total of 19 players instead of the 30+ we have now. That way, only the starters would be guaranteed playing time and the Albert Pujols’ and Joe Mauers of the world would still be playing in the 7th and 8th innings, when the games are won and lost.
5. Stop using the managers from last year’s World Series. Use the managers from the teams in each league with the best record. Take a look at this year, for example. The Phillies and Rays are good teams that have a chance to win the WS, but the Red Sox and Dodgers are clearly the class of their respective leagues and have the best shot (as things stand today) of getting to and winning the WS. These clubs, and hence their managers, have the most to gain or lose by the ASG’s results since they have the highest probability of suffering the consequences.
July 19th, 2009
Please elaborate on the fact that “MLB needs to know by the end of August which league will have the advantage so they can reserve hotel rooms, office space, ballparks, etc.” I don’t understand how this could possibly be the case since they have no way of knowing which city, stadium, etc. will be hosting the World Series until the League Championship Series is over.
July 28th, 2009
good point, E-Rod.
i think the All Star game should go back to being the “exhibition” it’s truly supposed to be, and not “count” at all. it should have no bearing on the regular season and/or playoffs. this is wrong for lots of reasons, not the least of which is that home-field doesn’t really matter all that much when it comes to playoff baseball, and if it did, it should be decided by the full teams that are in the WS, not by individuals from all teams. that’s just ludicrous at it’s core.
If no one is watching, find another way to make it better. FWIW, I think it’s fine the way it is. although those that get in are (a) too slanted to the stats in the first half of the year (screwing those that have a good second half) and (b) Cruiser’s #2 from above – let the players/coaches or fans pick the replacement subs. Note that #2, now, is only about the subs. The players & coaches VOTE on who gets in after the fan-voted-starters do, not the Managers of each team. Dunno if that changed recently, but that’s how it is now, which is MUCH better.