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A Midsummer Lull That Used to Be A Classic
By Tony Serri
The All-Star game is in a little bit of slump lately. Ratings are down. The American League has won 8 out of the last nine All-Star Games. The latest insult: A-Rod chooses not to participate in the Home Run Derby. Mind you, this is a man who may be dating Madonna, so his judgment in everything has to be called into question. But it's another sign that the shine of the Mid-Summer classic is in full wane.
Here are some of the contributing factors that have dimmed the All-Star classic for me and for millions of viewers who are viewing no more:
Fan Voting - There's been an unusual trend with fan voting. The fans are getting it right. The result is a roster filled with deserving, but unrecognizable players For years it was All-Star tradition that deserving players sit home and whine while the Cal Ripkens, Joe Morgans and Freddie Lynns waltzed in on a wave of ballot stuffing and fan sentimentality. Sure, the Manny Sanguillens of the world would get the shaft, but heck, we got to see Johnny Bench!
Today's fans are armed with up-to-the-minute fantasy updates so they know who is good and who isn't and they are voting according to stat power, not star power I miss seeing the sentimental favorites start the game.
There may not be anymore sentimental favorites to vote in, but I don't want them excluded just because some fan has been tracking .OPS on his IPhone. While fan voting is here to stay, we can limit the fan vote only to a) drunk fans over the age of 40 and b) their fathers. Sure, we may end up with Mickey Mantle getting voted in, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.
NL Boys vs. AL Men - Look at the NL line-up of fresh-faced Jack Armstrongs versus the AL's grizzle-eared veterans. Who would you rather have on your side in a scrap? Underwear-model Russell Martin or Drill Sergeant Jason Varitek? Eager All-Star virgin Hanley Ramirez or Been-Around-The-Block-A-Few-Times Derek Jeter?
Compare the starting outfields. The American League has guys who urinate in scoreboards (Manny), kicked crack habits (Josh Hamilton) and survived playing in Philadelphia (J.D Drew). The NL has some kids named Nate, Matt and Ryan. Kids names. Close your eyes and you can almost picture them piling into your wife's minivan after soccer practice.
The DH rule - There are some cheap thrills to be had watching the likes of Randy Johnson or Pedro Martinez run the bases. But I think the DH has tilted the balance of power in baseball towards the American League and the results are evident in inter-league play.
Its generally thought that American League is at a disadvantage when its pitchers are forced to hit but in reality the National League has a bigger disadvantage because they don't have a DH to plug in. When the National League plays in the AL park, they don't have David Ortiz or Hideki Matsui available. Typically the NL DH is either a bench warmer or a pinch hitter. Meanwhile no self-respecting team (except the Angels) has anything less than at least their 3rd best all around hitter in the DH role.
And since all pitchers, American League and National League basically can't hit at this point the two sides basically trade out for out.
No More All-Star Moments - In 1970 I saw Pete Rose stampede over Ray Fosse's career at home plate. The next year, Reggie Jackson hit a ball out of Tiger Stadium that has just recently passed Jupiter on its way out of the Solar System. Can you name a single All-Star moment from the past ten years?
Last year was a prime example of an opportunity lost. With the game on the line, and Albert Pujols, the best National League hitter on the bench, Tony LaRussa sent up someone named Aaron Rowand to face Frankie Rodriguez, the Angels filthy, but erratic closer. A brilliant power hitter against a brilliant power pitcher and for Pujols not to be up in that situation was inexplicable. Inexplicable, but not inexcusable because LaRussa caught minimal flack for it.
Apparently we have become used to uneventful, meaningless All-Star games. It's sad, because baseball's All-Star game was always different. It was an actual game. Koufax vs. Mantle. Mays vs. Whitey Ford. Now it has become more like the Pro-Bowl or the NBA All-Star Weekend. Another "celebration". Another 3-day infomercial.
Well, maybe Geovany Soto will shut me up and show us something this year. If anyone is watching anymore, let me know.
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