All Star Thoughts

The million dollar question for Major League Baseball: Should every team be represented in the All-Star Game? The answer is emphatically YES. The problem is that Major League Baseball wants the All-Star game to mean something. If it is an exhibition match, why the hell would it matter towards anything? Especially something as important as home field advantage in the World Series.

Here's a suggestion for home field at the WS - maybe something as easy as the team with the best record. Or even the team who has the best record in interleague play. Hell since MLB wants division play to be so dang important (with the unbalanced schedules which I think need to be done away with, but that is for another day) why not the team who has the best record against teams in their divisions. There are so many ways that MLB could decide which league gets home field in the World Series, please quit with the All-Star game. If the fans decide who should start the game, then it should not matter towards anything.

As good of a player as Carlos Beltran is, this year he probably shouldn't have even been an All-Star. Matt Holliday, who could be the MVP of the first half of the season, should have been a starter in the game. Barry Bonds is a great player still, but I really think that the only reason he should have been a part of the ASG, is because it is his hometown and he definitely should have been in the Home Run Derby. People were questioning it, but Placido Polanco was the best 2B in the AL in the first half, well deserving of the start.

One omission I thought was notable: John Maine. He was tied for the league lead in victories (10) and 4th in the league in ERA (2.71). How did he prove his need to be on the roster? By giving up seven runs (four earned) in 4.2 innings on Friday. And the fans did get it right, Chris Young should've been a choice before the fans voted, but at least they put him on the roster. The league leader in ERA deserves it.