The Future of MLB All-Star Games

[tBBP]

1. Get rid of Chris Berman

Really, this is a strategy for improving life in general.

I don't know that it's so much strategy as it is a surefire foolproof absolute clincher, right?

[dfwabel]

Dear lord if Toronto gets an All-Star game before Cincinnati, I will never have any respect for Bud Selig ever again.

Wow, from the member who said they would leave during the NCAA Tournament, but is still here starting threads.

Toronto may be out for all ASGs since there is now a ban on strippers are temporary foreign workers.

[raysfan24]

Dear lord if Toronto gets an All-Star game before Cincinnati, I will never have any respect for Bud Selig ever again.

Wow, from the member who said they would leave during the NCAA Tournament, but is still here starting threads.

Toronto may be out for all ASGs since there is now a ban on strippers are temporary foreign workers.

What's that supposed to mean?

[Viper]

The All-Star Game has been meaningless since the advent of interleague play and whatever nostalgic value it may have been hanging on to that was killed off in 2002 by Bud Selig in his pseudo hometown. It's now approaching Pro Bowl levels of absurdity.

Meh, it's still the least crappy of the Big Four ASGs by far. And even the Pro Bowl doesn't hold a candle to the National Lacrosse League ASG for absurdity. For one, the very notion of an all-star game in a relatively obscure sport like indoor lacrosse (where, by definition, there are no stars) is an oxymoron. Second, the lack of defense in that game often goes beyond absurd to borderline-obscene. The final score of the 2011 NLL ASG was 30-26, with even the losing team alone scoring more than the average combined score of both teams in regular-season NLL games (roughly 23).

[infrared41]

So has anyone thought about getting rid of Chris Berman?

[raysfan24]

The All-Star Game has been meaningless since the advent of interleague play and whatever nostalgic value it may have been hanging on to that was killed off in 2002 by Bud Selig in his pseudo hometown. It's now approaching Pro Bowl levels of absurdity.

Meh, it's still the least crappy of the Big Four ASGs by far. And even the Pro Bowl doesn't hold a candle to the National Lacrosse League ASG for absurdity. For one, the very notion of an all-star game in a relatively obscure sport like indoor lacrosse (where, by definition, there are no stars) is an oxymoron. Second, the lack of defense in that game often goes beyond absurd to borderline-obscene. The final score of the 2011 NLL ASG was 30-26, with even the losing team alone scoring more than the average combined score of both teams in regular-season NLL games (roughly 23).

It's the same exact way for the NBA.

[Viper]

The All-Star Game has been meaningless since the advent of interleague play and whatever nostalgic value it may have been hanging on to that was killed off in 2002 by Bud Selig in his pseudo hometown. It's now approaching Pro Bowl levels of absurdity.

Meh, it's still the least crappy of the Big Four ASGs by far. And even the Pro Bowl doesn't hold a candle to the National Lacrosse League ASG for absurdity. For one, the very notion of an all-star game in a relatively obscure sport like indoor lacrosse (where, by definition, there are no stars) is an oxymoron. Second, the lack of defense in that game often goes beyond absurd to borderline-obscene. The final score of the 2011 NLL ASG was 30-26, with even the losing team alone scoring more than the average combined score of both teams in regular-season NLL games (roughly 23).

It's the same exact way for the NBA.

At least the NBA All-Star Game features players that can honestly be called, you know, stars.

[Gfonk04]

1. Get rid of Chris Berman

Really, this is a strategy for improving life in general.

I don't know that it's so much strategy as it is a surefire foolproof absolute clincher, right?

Boy am I late to this party... He's useless.

And no baseball game should ever end in a tie. Ever. It's un-American. That's why we hate soccer.

And home-field advantage has got to go. The best team gets the home field.

[raysfan24]

The All-Star Game has been meaningless since the advent of interleague play and whatever nostalgic value it may have been hanging on to that was killed off in 2002 by Bud Selig in his pseudo hometown. It's now approaching Pro Bowl levels of absurdity.

Meh, it's still the least crappy of the Big Four ASGs by far. And even the Pro Bowl doesn't hold a candle to the National Lacrosse League ASG for absurdity. For one, the very notion of an all-star game in a relatively obscure sport like indoor lacrosse (where, by definition, there are no stars) is an oxymoron. Second, the lack of defense in that game often goes beyond absurd to borderline-obscene. The final score of the 2011 NLL ASG was 30-26, with even the losing team alone scoring more than the average combined score of both teams in regular-season NLL games (roughly 23).

It's the same exact way for the NBA.

At least the NBA All-Star Game features players that can honestly be called, you know, stars.

Can't argue with that.

Here's another question for people. How many of you are actually going to watch the All-Star Game? I'm just going to have it on for background noise.

[aci]

I really like the idea of other competitions.

Fastest pitch would be fun, maybe furthest throw, definitely fastest runner (make a guy hit a pitch and time him from the time he makes contact to the time he touches home plate), and in all truth, that Reading, PA home run derby the Eastern League is having sounds awesome. Bring that the the MLB!

I think the players and managers should pick 30-ish players on each team to play the game, and the fans should vote for the starters out of those players who were already selected to be on the team. I'd also like to see a (fun) rule instituted that says if a game goes into extra innings and one of the teams runs out of either pitchers, hitters or both, they can summon ANY player from their league who is currently in the ballpark to take the field for their respective All-Star team. Could you imagine Tony La Russa looking down his bench and seeing no one there, and someone like David Wright leaning over the railing from the seats and saying "Hey coach, put me in!"?

[DarkJourney]

Fan voting for starters is absurd. I'm a Nationals fan through and through, but David Wright should be starting. The fact that he's not even there is a flat-out travesty.

A travesty, really?

How about people in this country that are out of work, homeless & starving. I think that's a travesty not some dude in a game played by millionaires.

[miamimarlins]

The All-Star Game has been meaningless since the advent of interleague play and whatever nostalgic value it may have been hanging on to that was killed off in 2002 by Bud Selig in his pseudo hometown. It's now approaching Pro Bowl levels of absurdity.

Meh, it's still the least crappy of the Big Four ASGs by far. And even the Pro Bowl doesn't hold a candle to the National Lacrosse League ASG for absurdity. For one, the very notion of an all-star game in a relatively obscure sport like indoor lacrosse (where, by definition, there are no stars) is an oxymoron. Second, the lack of defense in that game often goes beyond absurd to borderline-obscene. The final score of the 2011 NLL ASG was 30-26, with even the losing team alone scoring more than the average combined score of both teams in regular-season NLL games (roughly 23).

It's the same exact way for the NBA.

At least the NBA All-Star Game features players that can honestly be called, you know, stars.

Can't argue with that.

Here's another question for people. How many of you are actually going to watch the All-Star Game? I'm just going to have it on for background noise.

the All-Star Bingo thing they've got going on will keep me watching http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/fantasy/bingo/y2012/splash.jsp

[DaytonBlue]

You mean y'all don't like hearing Chris Berman shout the names of random cities close to the ASG host city. All the way to Omaha! Independence! Columbia! Wichita!

Also, I loved how George Brett shut him down when he corrected his geography, saying that a home run was actually traveling towards St. Louis and not Omaha.

[infrared41]

You mean y'all don't like hearing Chris Berman shout the names of random cities close to the ASG host city. All the way to Omaha! Independence! Columbia! Wichita!

He probably stole that from Ernie Harwell. Harwell used to say "a fan from (insert town in Michigan) got that one" when a foul ball would go into the stands.

[VandyDelphia Mike]

If we must have a voting component, adjust it for modern times. Get rid of the paper ballot and its limitations on who is actually available for voting consideration. Write-in campaigns are silly in this day and age. Set up kiosks in the stadium concourses if people want to vote while at a game. Kind of silly that (rookie phenom of said year) can't muster enough votes because of outdated voting technology.

[CDixonDesign]

If we must have a voting component, adjust it for modern times. Get rid of the paper ballot and its limitations on who is actually available for voting consideration. Write-in campaigns are silly in this day and age. Set up kiosks in the stadium concourses if people want to vote while at a game. Kind of silly that (rookie phenom of said year) can't muster enough votes because of outdated voting technology.

I'm pretty sure that you can vote online, up to 25 times a day? Correct?

[tBBP]

If we must have a voting component, adjust it for modern times. Get rid of the paper ballot and its limitations on who is actually available for voting consideration. Write-in campaigns are silly in this day and age. Set up kiosks in the stadium concourses if people want to vote while at a game. Kind of silly that (rookie phenom of said year) can't muster enough votes because of outdated voting technology.

I'm pretty sure that you can vote online, up to 25 times a day? Correct?

Wait...what???

Well hell, if enough fans voted that many times to get rid of Chris Berman, maybe that windbag might just be back-back-back-gone from future All-Star games.

[Bronxmet]

1. Get rid of Chris Berman.

2. Joe Buck should not be announcing the all-star lineups. I loved the days when the PA announcers did it.

3. More skills competitions, like double-play, outfield arm, and speed challenges.

4. Air the Celebrity/Legends game live instead of on tape delay after the HR Derby.

5. Save the tributes and musical performances for the 7th inning stretch instead of prior to the game.

6. Move the All-Star Game to a Sunday night instead of Tuesday night. Even though teams would lose a high-attendance day, the ASG's ratings would probably go up.

7. Whoever is named to the All-Star team, and chooses to miss the ASG will have to sit-out of one regular season game.

[NJTank]

1. Get rid of Chris Berman.

2. Joe Buck should not be announcing the all-star lineups. I loved the days when the PA announcers did it.

3. More skills competitions, like double-play, outfield arm, and speed challenges.

4. Air the Celebrity/Legends game live instead of on tape delay after the HR Derby.

5. Save the tributes and musical performances for the 7th inning stretch instead of prior to the game.

6. Move the All-Star Game to a Sunday night instead of Tuesday night. Even though teams would lose a high-attendance day, the ASG's ratings would probably go up.

7. Whoever is named to the All-Star team, and chooses to miss the ASG will have to sit-out of one regular season game.

6 will never happen for that reason, and I think 7 is already about to go in effect. Players who miss games must be actually injured .

[pmoehrin]

A couple of skill things may not be too bad, but I think the whole fastest pitch thing is something that will never happen in a million years.

No pitcher in their right mind would ever sign up for something like that. You can blow your arm out doing something like that. Just look at what happened to Matt Anderson.