MLB All-Star Game Shouldn’t Determine Homefield In World Series

Tonight in Phoenix, the best of the best in Major League Baseball will take part in the 82nd MLB All-Star Game.  Well, it's not really the best of the best in baseball and this is where the problem starts.

Baseball's Mid-Summer Classic shouldn't have anything to do with home field advantage in the World Series.

It's a mid-season exhibition game for the fans and it should be an honor for the players.

This game shouldn’t need any motivation to make it better.  Why try and make it something it’s not?  Making this game matter was only in response to the 2002 All-Star game tie when MLB looked dumb.  The game is on display and that’s good enough for me.  These guys are professionals and shouldn’t need artificial means to motivate them.

The fans are voting so it's not always a great representation of the game's best players.

A popularity contest shouldn’t decide the fate of the World Series.  It’s not always the top players in the game because the fans just vote for the guys they’ve heard of – not the best players. 75% of fans don’t know who Paul Konerko, Miguel Cabrera or Todd Helton are.  Those guys have no chance of getting in as starters.

MLB rules dictate every team has to be represented. That’s fine, but that doesn’t always mean they’re All-Stars.  Aaron Crow of the Kansas City Royals is basically determining home field advantage.  Orioles catcher Matt Wieters doesn’t care if the AL wins the game since the O's won't be sniffing the World Series this year.

Major League Baseball can't have it both ways here.

They want the game to mean something but then they’re telling every team that if your guy pitched on Sunday, he doesn’t need to play.  So MLB teams are going to have #1 starters pitch on that day.  They don’t want their guys blowing out their arms in a game where they don’t have any control of.

Players aren’t taking it seriously.  Guys are going on vacation instead of going to the game (like Cubs 3rd baseman Aramis Ramirez).  Derek Jeter isn’t going to the game because he’s exhausted. Are you kidding me?

Due to injuries and replacements, there are 84 All-Stars (over 10% of the league).  The more players that are selected, the less of an honor it is.

If the game was really played right for something of this magnitude, you’d have the best players play for 6-8 innings. Most players in an All-Star game play only play 1-2 innings.  Why should a game where there are mass substitutions count for something?

Again, the MLB All-Star Game is my favorite of all the professional sports.  I don't need any other reason to like it other than it's entertaining watching the game's best play each other.