What do you think about the way the current MLB All-star game is run?

Question

What role do you think favoritism of big market teams (yankees, bosox, mets) plays in putting the best/most deserving players? For instance the current batting leader in average, doubles, and 2nd in RBI's Magglio Ordonez is 7th in the allstar voting in Right Field.

Do you like that the winner of the All-star game gets to have home field advantage, or do you think its a gimmick?

Where do you rank the MLB all-star game among the major sports? What changes would you, the fans, like to make to it?

Answer 1

The fans should get to see who is on the All Start team to the point of starting players....

The gimmick of All Start Game winner gettign home field in the World Series has yet to be a determinate factor, but it is still a gimmick nonetheless

There are many worse things in baseball than the All Star game, which is still the best of all the sports.

Let's clean up and get the DH out and interleague play the boot and then baseball can find itself in a much better place.

Cheers,

Scott

Answer 2

I love watchin not only the game but also all the festivities fo the entire weekend. It's not the players fault that alot of the fans that vote for the starters vote for the names they recognize and maybe not the best player that particular year. It doesn't really matter tho since they will definately be there either chosen by the manager or their peers.

MLB is just trying to make the game more of a "game" rather than an exhibition. The AL is dominant right now, no doubt about it. I don't really think it affects the integrity of the game. The team playin the best is gonna win the world series. One more game at home or on the road is not really going to affect that much.

Imo, They would rank as follows:
1. Baseball
2. Basketball
3. Football(btw, does anyone ever watch this one??)

Answer 3

I think that there should be a weighted voting system that includes the players, managers and coaches.
Something along the lines of 1 player vote equals 1000 fan votes
The winner gets home field for the WS is just a gimmick-leave it the way it was.
Despite it's faults the MLB All -Star game is still the best among the major sports.

Answer 4

It bothers me not. The ASG is a bit of mid-summer, stupid fun.

Each team is allowed to distribute the ballots at the same number of home games, so the flow of individual team schedules doesn't matter. If more people show up to better-playing teams and poke out more chits, well, that's just how it is. Anyone can vote on the Web, but we don't see Ichiro getting 125 million votes from Japan.

Look -- revelation time -- there is NO WRONG WAY to vote for the All-Star starters. Yes, the popular method is to look at this year's stats and pick the best performers. That's a method I don't much like because it leaves no way of granting recognition to players who had a big second half last season (think about this). Some people vote for the hometown team's players, some vote for their favorites no matter where they play, some vote more as a "lifetime achievement" award, some vote for retiring (or should-be-retiring) veterans in hopes of seeing them one last time. The fans only vote on the 16 starters (and, I suppose, the "last man" thing if that's still ongoing). Any method is valid, as there is no set criteria for what defines an All-Star player.

That said, the voting method could be improved, but this would involve it also becoming more complicated (the current method -- count up votes, take the biggest numbers -- is as simple as possible), which isn't necessarily a good thing.

The World Series home field advantage thing isn't important to me; a curiosity at best. Look, it was a desperation move by Seligula, in that some of the machinations of his regime had done in the players' interest in attending the game or even taking it very seriously. Consider: the leagues no longer have distinct identity (other than using the DH), and are not even separate operating units any longer. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but there is no meaningful league rivalry left, so why should the players care about one exhibition game (notwithstanding that being named to the roster is still a worthy honor to obtain)? MLB uses the ASG as a showcase (tries to, anyway), and if it's more about the marketing (it is) than the competition, fans eventually pick up on this. The WS HFA thing was an attempt -- a lame one -- to juice up the Game again. I refuse to fall for it; for me the ASG is nothing but stupid fun. I can turn it off. (That Fox is the broadcaster doesn't help at all. Hey look, another microcelebrity who'll be starring in some stupid Fox show this fall (which will be cancelled after four weeks, max). Oh goody, Tim McCarver is on hand to provide the blow-by-blowhard. And endless Bud ads that imply that, by swilling Bud brand products, any ol' loser can score world-class supermodel ultrababe girlfriends. Feh.)

(Know what REALLY makes for bad television? The Home Run Derby. sssnnnnoooorrrre! The actual hitting is fun, but the mindless interviewettes, the reaction shots, and the heaps of advertisements have simply drained whatever interest it once provided.)

As I pay negligible attention to the lesser sports, I don't have any opinion on whatever All-Star events they may promote and produce.

The only changes I would make to the MLB ASG would be television-related -- get it off Fox (I'd love for NBC to produce it again, but by now all the olde-tymers who knew how to do baseball production have probably left, so I'd settle for ESPN) and mandate the commercial breaks are no longer than two minutes, 15 seconds; no pitch, EVER, is to be missed; pitching change ad breaks at one minute; and no damn reporters in the dugout to spot-interview the players. Get them before or after the game. Mic'ing the managers would be okay. And hire Vin Scully to announce the game every year. (Meanwhile, sponsor research into creating a Scullytronic AI that will be able to mimic his inimitable style and class after he's gone.)

Oh, and if Seligula wants to hand out any more of his silly Kommissar's Awards, that has to happen before or after the game, not during.

-----
PS. Final note on the home field thing: while I consider it to have been a desperation move, I also find it harmless. It may as well continue.

Answer 5

The baseball all-star game is the best in sports. Torri robbing Barry; Rose taking out Fosse. There's no way that stuff happens in other leagues. Adding the world series home-field advantage just adds to it.

No one cares that Mags isn't going to start, and 99% of deserving players not only go, but play if they want to.

Answer 6

I think the players should vote only instead of the fans. I know everyone probably disagrees but like you said Ordonez is 2nd in RBIs and he is 7th in the voting that's just not fair.

Answer 7

I would get rid of the winner wins home field advantage stiupulation. I like it the old way much better. Also fine & suspend players who whine & complain about having to take part in the homerun hitting contest or the all star game itself. used to be a time that it was an honro for a player to be picked in the game. Now it's like an inconvinience to them & they whine about not having that extra day off.

Answer 8

like i said in a different question but basically the same one i got about 100 votes as a write in so if i could have gotten enough votes i could have made the allstar game because its all who is your favorite player it should be voted based strictly on the performances not who was better 5 years ago (pudge) and still make the allstar game

Answer 9

money Maker got here up with some super factors. i do no longer watch the all-famous individual activity using fact it somewhat is a shaggy dog tale. How is Carlos Ruiz no longer quantity a million between NL catchers? And Yadier Molina is a huge defender yet an elementary offensive catcher. For a fan base that looks as smitten by offense as baseball followers are, how is he the beginning NL catcher each and every twelve months?