Tuesdays with Smitty is back with an All-Star Edition. As I am typing, the 79th All-Star game under way and over the last couple of days I have been listening to the argument about whether the All-Star game should meaning anything. Translation – Should the All-Star game determine home field advantage for the World Series? My answer – yes.
Before free agency became another member of everyone’s family, the All-Star game was a way to decide which league was better – American League or the National League. Players often spent their entire careers with the same team or in the same league, so this was a chance for the America to see which league was really better. And it lead to memorable moments such as:
– 1941 Ted Williams hit a 2 run Home Run to lead the American League over the National League 7-5. In the at bat before Williams hit the Home Run, Joe DiMaggio actually beat out a double-play ball to keep the inning alive.
– 1970 All-Star game in which Pete “Charlie Hustle” Rose bowled over Ray Fosse at home plate to score and give the National League a 5-4 win. Unfortunately for Fosse, his career was never the same.
– 1934 and Carl Hubbell. Probably the biggest moment in All-Star History, when Carl Hubbell struck out IN ORDER – Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Fox, Al Simmons and Joe Cronin. All 5 batter were destined for Cooperstown. Imagine being able to tell your grandkids that story.
But that all changed in 2002 when both teams ran out of players and resulted in a 7-7 tie. Free agency and Interleague play have changed the meaning of the game. Players constantly change leagues and there the debate about which league is better seems to have lost its luster. So Bud Selig and Co. decided to make the game relevant again – not it determines Home Field Advantage for the World Series. Now the game has meaning again and it is nice to see players treat the game like it has meaning again. Let’s get your thoughts….
Selig had to do something because interleague play to me has ruined the traditional Major League (why do they still reset someone’s stats when they switch leagues now? CC Sabathia is currently 2-0 with an ERA of 2.something. Shouldn’t the stats stay now that the leagues play each other?). Making the All-Star game have an impact on both leagues has made it much more competitive and fun for the fans. I wonder if this would work in other leagues. The NBA Finals have a 2-3-2 format, so homecourt advantage is crucial.
Great info on Carl Hubbell – I never knew that.
I really like that the All-star game now has an edge to it given that WS home field advantage is riding on it. Both sides really seem to want to win more than they did before this incentive was added. Still, some folks are whining that the WS home field should not be dependent on the outcome of this All-Star game. Well, I have a solution that may appease both sides:
1) The league that has the better winning % for inter-league play in the regular season should be awarded home field advantage for the WS. This is a far better indicator of which league deserves it.
2) The members of the winning All-star team should each be awarded a significant amount of money (maybe $50k), half of which will then be awarded to their favorite charities. The losing team gets nothing. I think this should provide the competitive edge we are now seeing.
Thoughts?
Wally-
I like idea #1 and agree that interleague results are a better indicator of achievement, but I am not sure that a money figure can be enough to further motivate players making multimillion dollar salaries…
Muels —
Let’s put it this way … $50k to these players is about the same as $1k is to us Average Joe’s. (Hey … it’s still a new Mercedes for them). So I ask all you “Average Joe’s” out there … if you could play a baseball game one evening and get $1,000 if your team won (vs nothing if you lost), would you bust your ass that night? Furthermore, if a charitable organization was counting on you to fill their coffers for the same amount, wouldn’t you REALLY bust some butt??
“Average Wally” belts out a resounding “YES!” to both Q’s. I’d certainly bust my ass for 3 or 4 hours playing a game to get $1,000 for me and keep a charity happy at same time. I tend to think these guys would do it for $50k and they’re probably already more competitive than the average guy.
I do not like the idea of an exhibition game having such a profound effect upon the World Series or any any championship.
If there was any intensity last night than answer this: how many HBPs occurred? How many batters were moved off the plate? Any brush backs take place? I didn’t watch the game, but my guess is that didn’t happen. The guys on the mound were throwers – not pitchers – last night.
Before anyone suggests that the pitchers must have been doing something right to keep the score down – keep in mind that nobody that played in that game went through their usual pre-game workout. Most of them were soaking in the event with their families – as they should be. They were taking videos with their kids – relaxing and taking a break.
For that matter was Josh Hamilton worth a hill of beans last night?
For me after the introductions the rest of the game is anti-climatic. I always loved seeing the guys out there with the different uniforms. But I have questioned the validity of anything that happens in the MLB all-star game or any professional all-star game.
On another note – I don’t want to cast aspersions on the feat of Carl ‘Meal Ticket’ Hubbell, but Babe Ruth and Jimmie Foxx in the same dugout? What do ya think the chances were a flask made the rounds?
The All Star Game. Once, a treat to see players from other teams you only read about. Growing up in downstate NY in the the 1970’s, only Met and Yankee games were on TV and I could care less about the Yankees. Therefore, I didn’t like the AL so the Royals, the Twins, the A’s where anomalies. I was too busy keeping tabs on Seaver and McGraw, The Big Red Machine and Steve Carlton. But when the All-Star game came around, I was introduced to the Fosseys, the Bretts, the Rod Carews of the AL. Sure it was an exhibition game and it didn’t make a difference and I knew, even then, they weren’t giving their all ( except Pete Rose) but it was still fun. In today’s world of interleague, game of the week ( everyday if you have the MLB Package!) , the internet and fantasy baseball who – especially on this board, hadn’t heard about Josh Hamilton year’s ago?
Bit I digress. The All-Star game aint nothing these days. Sure , there is incentive to be an all star. A lot of players have these written into their contracts. But nothing says you have to play well during the game. Players cannot give their all, they have the rest of their contracts to fulfill. Agents, insurance companies and owners do not want their 100 million dollar investment getting hurt in an exhibition game. It aint good for business. And seeing Mariano face down Nate Mclouth is nothing we have not seen since oh, last week!
It is a shame that the WS is based on the out come of players that are not even on your team. I do disagree with Wally though that if there was a cash incentive for the players and/or charities, they would play harder. That would never be allowed. See my point above about other corporations having an investment in these commodities on the field.
That’s it. Game on.