It use to be that the All-Star break was a time to get your friends together and watch the Home Run Derby and All-Star Game. Today the All-Star break is about what players decided not to show up, who was snubbed, and how baseball can make more money. I miss the good old days and the ratings agree.
Is it true that Hee-Seop Choi, Jason Bay, Bobby Abreau, Carlos Lee, David Ortiz, Pudge Rodriguez, Andruw Jones, and Mark Teixeira are the Home Run derby contestants this year? It is interesting, as well as a good marketing idea, to have not only the hometown player in the derby, but also have each player representing a different country. The best players are missing, and the All-Star festivities are becoming like the NBA All-Star weekend; a lackluster attempt to draw in new viewers. Remember how the Slam Dunk contest used to be the best part of the break, with Jordan, Spud Webb, Dominique Wilkens and Shawn Kemp. Even the Dunk Contest had the gimmick years with Cederic Ceballos and Dee Brown pulling out famous show stopping dunks. Those lean years transitioned into the debuts of Vince and Kobe, which helped bring life back into the show. Now All-Star weekend is a snooze fest. The three-point contest will always have its legends and surprise performances, and anyone can be in it.
The Slam Dunk Contest was to the NBA what the Home Run Derby is to baseball. What was once a marquee event has lost its attraction. Players decide not to be in the contest so they can rest. Others don’t want to throw off their swing, or risk pulling muscle, or run the risk of having a flashbulb catch the glare off Terry Francona’s head and cause them temporary blindness. Simply stated the big names put in their year or two in the derby and say they did their part. Half of the derby field shouldn’t even be participating. Ortiz, Jones, Lee, and Teixeira are the only true home run hitters out of the eight contestants. Pudge may only have six home runs this year but he players in the host city so they had to let him in. Abreau (my dark horse favorite) is a complete player, one of baseball’s most underrated, but isn’t a true home run hitter. Jason Bay and Hee-Seop Choi are just involved because they are the representatives from foreign countries. Neither is even having an All-Star season. The international gimmick is the equivalent of the Dee Brown and Cedric Ceballos Slam dunk years; throw them up there and hope baseball gets a new star. Abreau apparently “Came out of nowhere” to win despite being one of the best players in baseball. At least he is getting exposure he deserves.
Make the Home Run Derby matter to the fans by getting them involved. Let fans vote for not only All-Star starters but also the Home Run Derby Contestants. You don’t have to make the All-Star game to be in, but you have a select group of people eligible. Morgan Ensburg is the NL Home Run leader but isn’t in the Derby because he was snubbed from the All-Star game. Turn the derby over to the fans. Drop the no name coaches as the pitchers, and give prospects a chance to get some exposure in front of national audience as BP pitchers. This would give the fans a chance to see the players who are suppose to be the saviors of their organization. Give them a few warm-ups trying to get the hitters out then throw the regular batting practice balls for the Derby.
Baseball is a business, pure and simple. It was once a game, but those years have passed. Baseball wants to make money and the players want their share. The superstars don’t want to risk injury and potentially lose tens of millions of dollars just to entertain the fans. You can try to make the All-Star game matter by putting home field advantage in the World Series on the line. I have never met someone who bought into this idea, but Bud Selig keeps pushing it down our throat. Why base the World Series on an exhibition game? Worry about making exhibitions fun for the fans again, not a cash cow that drags on for days. The fans don’t like it, basketball’s ratings have proven that and baseball could soon be headed in that direction.
IT LOOKED GOOD ON PAPER
Does any taunt in history compare to Red slowly pulling out a victory cigar, unwrapping it, and getting ready to smoke it as his Celtic’s team was putting away an opponent late in the game. This may have been the original taunt, and got into his opponents head so much the league made him stop.
If you want to read an amazing book get “Let me Tell You a Story” by John Feinstein and Red Auerbach. It is an amazing history of Red Auerbach and the NBA.
If the Cubs act quickly and trade Nomar they may have a shot at the World Series. It worked for the Red Sox.
Is anything more annoying than the “Remember Last Year” T-shirts showing up in Boston for Red Sox fans? The Sox are still in first place, and can still repeat. When asked for a comment Red Sox unofficial spokesperson Kevin Millar said he was too drunk to remember much about last year, but he think he played more and hit better.
Why doesn’t a bullpen without a closer work? Many of the best closers were originally stoppers (Mariano Rivera, Krod, Eddie Guardado, etc). Most times teams promote new closers from the stopper role, yet teams without a set closer seem to struggle finishing games. Maybe it is a mental issue. You would think that saving your best pitcher to close out a game limits the number of times he would pitch in crucial situations, thus decreasing his chance to prove his value.
Strange that both Dontrelle Willis and Roy Halladay (the pitchers with the inside track to start the All-Star Game) get hurt on the same night. Halladay broke a bone in his leg and that ended any shot the Blue Jays had at making the playoffs.
I have to say I think Terry Francona made the right decision about Kenny Rogers pitching in the All-Star Game. He would have annoyed people if he kicked Rogers off the team or if he said he was welcome. I somehow doubt Rogers will pitch, but he will get the loudest reaction in Detroit.
Nate McMillan is off to a bad start in Portland. He spent his entire career as a Seattle Sonic, only to turn his back and run to rival Portland. At the press conference to announce his signing the Public Relations woman for the Blazers couldn’t even get his name right. At least his police escort from the airport didn’t arrest any of his new players on the way.