It was a dumb decision, but what's to blame?

goodymobb — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 13:18:48 -0000

So I agree that TLR's decision was a disappointing one (to say the least), but what's really to blame here? The MLB All-Star game is incredibly flawed: 1- Now "it counts." There's some sort of incentive to win the game. 2- However, the fans ( and really, we're talking about the fans who have the most internet access) set the starting lineups. Now, these starters are not necessarily the best players like, you know, "starters" in the traditional sense of the word. Rather, these starters are the most popular players. Following the naming of the starters by the fans, the manager and players select some guys, then the fans vote AGAIN on the final guy. 3- With most All-Star games, there are some unwritten rules. First, you only pitch your starters 1-2 innings. Second, basically no player will receive more than 2 ABs. Third, the manager will try his best to juggle everything and get everyone into the game at some point. 4- However, if the objective was to win the game because it counts, there shouldn't be this pressure to make sure that everyone gets some playing time. Rather, you would determine the 8 best position players to field a team, plus your best starting pitcher and roll with it for the majority of the game, guided by the logic that the best guys give you the best chance to win, so these guys should be given the most chances to make something happen. Sure, you'd make some timely substitutions for pinch-hitting situations or defensive replacements late into the game, but there would be less of a juggling act.

So ultimately, given the dumb unwritten rule that everyone (who isn't a Royal) gets into the game at some point, what's a guy to do?

While most people realize that you can't please everyone, MLB seems to be of the mindset that being vague and ambivalent about a bunch of different things maximizes the popularity of the game.

It's the fans' game, so they should pick the starters. Yet the game "matters", so make sure you aren't horsing around out there and that your squad is playing to win. Oh, but make sure that you don't simply play the best guys for 9 innings, but that you try to juggle the roster so that you have substitution after substitution so each player (who's isn't a Royal) can say "Yeah, I played in the All-Star game once."

It's really dumb and I'm not really sure why the game has to "matter." No other All-Star game matters - each is an exhibition and people have fun with it - yet MLB seems to think their game has to be all things to all people, plus it has to count for something so that the players and managers put forth maximum effort.

SB Nation User Blog: goodymobb

It was a dumb decision, but what's to blame?