Thursday, July 14, 2005

All-Star Game Thoughts

Veteran readers will know that I really wanted to attend the All-Star Game. Well, I actually made it into Comerica Park Tuesday night. I even went to FanFest Tuesday morning, so I got a pretty fair look at the All-Star activities overall. I have tons of observations. How I am going to present them here is the bigger question. Grab a beverage, sit back and rest. This could take a while.

Let me start with a big picture view. I know lots of people, even those in Detroit, dismissed the All-Star Game. One sports talk station ran a poll of what their listeners would rather watch: the ever-popular poker or the Mid-Summer Classic? They took cards. I understand the general thought behind the sentiment, but it's a bit misplaced. (Okay, I don't understand the poker craze, but that's a different post and this one's too long now.)

People are turned off by the All-Star Game for any number of reasons. They don't think all the deserving players make the teams. They don't like the "every team gets an All-Star" concept, which is, in part, why some deserving players are left out. I think the biggest reason the ASG isn't as anticipated as it was, let's say, thirty years ago is that it isn't as important to the players.

I can't argue with that. When the two leagues were run as separate, but equal entities, there was no inter-league play (beyond the World Series) and the players needed all the money they could get, the ASG was a harder fought battle. League affiliation meant more as did the check to play. However, while the game itself has diminished for the players, I think the All-Star Game has evolved into a family reunion type atmosphere.

For three days in the middle of the summer nearly everyone associated with the game meets. There is food, drinks, plenty of people you recognize, but can't recall their name, lots of stories of previous events, games for the kids, plenty of picture taking and, yes, an annual baseball game. Even crazy Uncle Bud shows up. Sounds like a family reunion to me.

Now, this perspective encompasses the entire list of All-Star activities. The game itself, much like the family reunion softball game, is more tradition than heated rivalry. (Again, that could be altered somewhat, but that's another post.) Yet, the All-Star Game continues to be valuable.

It's the symbolic halfway point of the season. It's a much needed rest for many players. Many of whom won't get this much time off again until October. It's a mid-season celebration of the sport. Finally, it's a link to baseball's rich history. Few sports can boast of a past as impressive as baseball's. The league should take every opportunity to embrace it.

The All-Star Game may not be the knock 'em down, drag 'em out kind of contest it was fifty years ago, but today's festivities bring all of the sport's primary people together-players, coaches, league officials, owners, media members and fans-in one place for three days of celebration. It's also brings casual fans in that just enjoy a party. That may not translate to a good game or compelling television, but it is important for the sport and still kind of cool.

Quick Hits
* I noticed that Ichiro spent a protracted amount of time signing autographs prior to the All-Star Game. It may have been a half an hour. I'm not sure, but it was a very long time. Not one A.L. player signed for half as long. Ernie Harwell came in a distant second.

* Why weren't the Futures Game and All-Star batting practice jerseys done in Old English style lettering? Too hard too read? I thought that would have given them a distinct Detroit Tigers feel.

* I thought the crowd was kind of, well, tepid Tuesday night. The applause was polite, but understated. Of course, that could just be me.

* Biggest flashbulb events: The first pitch of the game. Every pitch by Roger Clemens and Dontrelle Willis. Yeah, Pudge merited more than the average amount of camera action, too.

* I know there were many not too happy with the Homerun Derby format. Many of the game's bigger sluggers got to avoid the event because of the players representing their home countries. However, I found it very funny how the complaining stopped somewhere around the time Bobby Abreu cranked out number twenty.

* Did anyone else at the All-Star Game notice how far the balls were not flying in batting practice. I saw a fair amount of dingers, including a couple of big bombs by David Ortiz, but none of the incredible shots we saw on Monday night. Coincidence or conspiracy?

* I don't know what the total amount of merchandise sales was, but it seemed pretty big to me. People were buying ASG logoed material in volume. (Yes, I helped that total some.) I think it's safe to say that Detroit was hungry for the All-Star Game after waiting over thirty years to see it return.

* MLB needs to can the "This One Counts" mantra. Actually putting up signs and having it painted on the field was overkill. It's an annoying phrase. Besides, if you have to tell us it's important apparently lots of folks don't think so. Just drop it.

* It was nice of the rain to hold off until the ninth inning. I was really worried that the game was going to get washed about by a leftover hurricane. Imagine the headlines.

* The City of Detroit, the Tigers and MLB deserve credit for putting on a great event. I send a special thank you to all the volunteers and all the security people (private, city, state and federal) for all their efforts.

Kenny Rogers
I was already on record opposing Mr. Rogers' appearance. Seeing him at Comerica Park just made me frustrated. Rogers wants to accept responsibility, or so he claims, but not the punishment. Unless, of course, it's a slap on the wrist. However, accepting responsibility means accepting the consequences. Rogers passed on taking the high road in order to stroke his ego and get a bonus check that is the exact amount of his fine.

I wasn't at all surprised that Rogers got booed. He should not have been, either. I'm sure getting that kind of reaction at an All-Star Game did throw him off a bit. Especially, if his family was in attendance. If they were, I do feel sorry for them. However, Rogers should never have put himself, the sport, or most importantly, his family in that situation to begin with.

Commissioner Selig deserves some blame here, too. I heard him in various interviews blame the restraints of the collective bargaining agreement as the reason he did not act more forcefully or quickly. This, if you remember, was Mr. Selig's excuse to Congress about the steroid issue. The labor agreement just didn't give him latitude to act.

Forgive me, but who negotiated that labor deal? That was Mr. Selig and if he doesn't like the agreement, he has no one to blame but himself. Neither do we.

Dancing With The Stars
I did run into a few celebrities at the All-Star festivities. I chatted briefly with Washington Post columnist/ABC News political analyst/noted baseball fan George Will at FanFest. From a local standpoint, I also had the pleasure of meeting Jamie and Brady, the morning hosts at WDFN, at FanFest, as well.

I exchanged greetings with Steve Garvey (at FanFest) and Richard Schiff of The West Wing (at the game). The only celebrity I hoped to bump into, but didn't, was Billfer from the Detroit Tigers Weblog. I did look for you, B.

Future Hall Members?
The guys sitting behind me Tuesday night were discussing who on the field would be a Hall of Famer? This conversation came about as the 1971 game in Detroit was filled with future Cooperstown members and the guys in row two were kind of disappointed this year's contest didn't have more big names. I thought there were a number of potential Hall of Fame inductees in action in Motown.

Alex Rodriguez, Roger Clemens, Mariano Rivera, Ivan Rodriguez and Mike Piazza seem like locks to me. Manny Ramirez, Jeff Kent, Miguel Tejada, Vladimir Guerrero, Scott Rolen and Gary Sheffield would be very close. (Ramirez would get my vote now.) That's eleven guys. Weren't there sixteen in the '71 game at Tiger Stadium?

Jim Edmonds is darn close to HOF numbers and does anyone doubt that Albert Pujols is headed for the Hall, if he maintains his current pace? That's thirteen would-be HOF members. John Smoltz has to be closing in on a HOF career. He would still need several more solid seasons, but he's close now. Smoltz would bring the total to fourteen.

Now consider the rest of the field. A group that contains, amongst others: Alfonso Soriano, Michael Young, Garret Anderson, Ichiro Suzuki, Roy Halladay, Johan Santana, Joe Nathan, Mark Teixeira, Derek Lee, Amaris Ramirez, Jason Bay, Miguel Cabrera, Carlos Lee, Andruw Jones, Roy Oswalt, Jake Peavy, Dontrelle Willis, Brad Lidge, Billy Wagner and Bobby Abreu. (My apologies to those I omitted.)

Would it be irrational to presume that two of the above group could be Hall of Famers? I don't think so. That would bring the total to sixteen. That's a good a group as in '71, even if none of them managed to bang one off the light tower.

Fulfilling A Dream
I had always wanted to go to an All-Star Game and I can honestly say I was not disappointed. I may be more cynical about baseball, the players and sports, in general, but it was a day to be a kid, again. It was a moment to embrace the first sport I ever loved and remember All-Star Games past. It was living out a boyhood dream. It will go down as one of the best days I will ever have.

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