Agree wholeheartedly. I'm not even watching it this year.
As if MLB didn't fawn all over the Yankees as it is, it's the Last All-Star Game in Yankee Stadium!!!!!! Big friggen deal. Like we need more proof the sports media believes there's nothing happening between the East and West Coasts.
As always, guys who have no business being on that team in the first place taking up roster spots for guys who do, either because of the "Someone from every team" rule, or because they play in a massive media market that can overwhelmingly stack the ballot.
They want to fix baseball, and the best they can come up with is the All-Star game deciding homefield in the World Series?
Sure-fire solutions to fix it right here:
1. RAISE THE FRIGGEN' MOUND. It will even things up between the pitchers and hitters, AND your pitchers won't be blowing their arms out at these alarming rates
2. Do away with Interleague. It was modestly novel the first couple years, or the first time long-time post-season rivals rivals have played each other (Dogers/Yankees, Cards/Yankees, etc. etc.) but 99% of the matchups just leave me wondering, "Who the hell cares?" And then to have it count towards your record at the end of the year?
Baseball DID used to have games like these in the past, but they were played strictly as exhibition games that didn't count.
3. Contract a couple dead-weight teams, or turn them into Minor League franchises. The leagues have just plain gotten too big, and the talent pool has gotten too thinned out. Guys are playing now that would never have made it to the Bigs even twenty years ago.
4. Give the pitcher back the plate, and stop ejecting them if they so much as brush the batter's jersey.
5. For that matter, take away the fricken ARMOR batters get to wear!
6. Reign in prima dona umpires like Angel Hernandez. Any time I hear he's on the umpiring crew in a game the Cards are playing I roll my eyes, because he's gonna do SOMETHING to try and show up the players.
7. Get the strike zone more consistent again.
8. Ball fields should not only play fair, but actually look tasteful and elegant. Turn down the sound-system, (Shea and Dodger Stadiums: GUILTY!) it's a ball game, not a rock concert. Quirks are fine, but remember, less is more (I'm ESPECIALLY looking at you, Ten-Run--er--I mean Enron--dammit--I mean Minute Maid Park with your Little League left-field wall and tacky orange-filled train. Or how about you SBC? With your 80-foot Coke Bottle
).
9. Instant Replay will NOT speed up games.
10. Baseball is mean to be played OUTSIDE. If your stadium spends half to three-quarters of the season covered with snow, flooded by torrential rains, or scorched dry by the sun then MAYBE you should move.
10a. Retractable roofs are STILL roofs.
