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By now you’ve heard the debate raging in the baseball world concerning the All Star fate of one Stephen Strasburg. Should he play? Does he deserve to play? What will that mean for Matt Capps, who’s 22 saves have people backing his campaign for a trip to Anaheim? While Strasburg did not garner enough support for an All Star bid, Omar Infante did. Other notable snubs include Paul Konerko, Rafael Furcal, Jered Weaver, and Joey Votto. The Strasburg debate is only one of the many controversies surrounding the Midsummer Classic.
THIS TIME, IT COUNTS: Every baseball fan will tell you that making home-field advantage for the World Series up for grabs in the All Star game is one of the worst ideas baseball has ever conceived. In a joint venture between FOX and Bud Selig, MLB brass decided that the All Star game needed some kind of incentive to remain marketable. The idea that the AL and NL would compete against each other for the right to home field in the championship was not the right idea. Now managers have to play the game as though it’s a must-win, and not an exhibition. Pitchers are used much more conservatively. Pinch hitters become valuable pieces that cannot be wasted. Every at-bat holds importance.
REPRESENTATIVES FROM EVERY TEAM: Each and every team sends a representative to the All Star game, giving the American League a huge advantage, one that has been working for them since 1998 when the league expanded to 30 teams. With 14 teams in the American League, Joe Giradi doesn’t have to spend two roster spots on undeserving players like Charlie Manuel must do for the National League. Giradi gets to use the very best of the AL, while Manuel has to find space for someone from Pittsburgh, Arizona, and Houston.
STARTERS AS RELIEVERS: The most frightening aspect of the All Star game for baseball execs is the use of starters as relievers. Since the legitimate starters only pitch for two innings, All Star pitchers must warm up in the bullpen to make their appearances. For a pitcher like Strasburg, who would have every Washington executive wincing after each pitch, warming up in the ‘pen and then going onto the field is very different from starting the game. Relievers get used to it; starters become unraveled by it.
HOME RUN DERBY: The Home Run Derby rivals the actual game in popularity, as it features the one thing fans want to see more than anything: home runs. But for some players, participation in the derby could mean problems with their swing and a second-half decline in power numbers. Alex Rodriguez famously backed out of the derby held at Yankee Stadium two years ago, fearing the effects it might have on his stroke. Brandon Inge participated last year, and after failing to hit a single homer during the event, has hit just 12 in his career since.
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