Power Pros Forum

Since we can't really discuss changing the format of the All-Star game until 2012 because of the Labor Agreement, I just want to find out what people are thinking about the current format.

I think that it should NOT count for the World Series. Interleague play or overall record (which was past method) should be used.

I voted it shouldn't count for the WS and it should have expanded rosters.

The fact that the all star game counts toward the world series makes the game a little more competitive and a little more fun to watch I think, although I don't agree that it is a fair way to determine home field advantage.

If they want to keep it this way, they need to expand the rosters (especially pitching) so that they don't have to worry about playing players that are tired. If a player does not think it's best to participate in the game, there should be an extra back-up added to the roster.

Or just rearrange the schedule so that everyone can have enough rest before and after the break.

If it didn't count for the World Series, who would watch it? I guess a lot of people would, but the plays wouldn't try as hard because they'd be playing for nothing.

Well maybe it shouldn't count for the world series

But

Here's a thought why doesn't the world series get played on a neutral field like the superbowl?

It should count for the world series. I also picked the last option but I can see how you would be angry picked for the all-star game and not getting to play, like Okajima.

Or, even more so, Moose. Okajima had a bad year for most of the year and has just started playing. Anyway, I hate the idea that the All-Star game counts for the World Series. It is just meant to be a fun game, that's all. What makes it so stupid the me is the reason it was formed. In the year 2000, Joe Torre and Jim Leland were playing what would have been a 15-inning game. All the pitchers were used up and tired and the players were being overworked. They simply agreed, as they should have, that it's not worth the risk of injury (for the pitcher) or making anyone so fatiqued (like Kazmir could have been) that they can't start/save that week. Comminsoner Bud Selig was angry at their decision and decided to make the World Series count for something so that this doesn't happen again. Now how will this avoid this from happening again? If the situation comes up, of course there going to call it a tie. And then what happens? Despite the fact that I was rooting for the A.L., I was upset that they won because a tie might have made Selig realize that this made no sense and to take away this rule in 2012 (why can't they change it earliar?). An expanded roster might be nice but at the same time pitchers don't want to go to the all-star game and not pitch when they could have been with their families and enjoying a nice, well deserved vacation before going out and playing 70 more games.
A set amount of innings before the game is called off would be great. 14 innings would work well. The style of having everyone play is nice in my opionion as well. They deserve to play and often the guys who don't start (lets face it, 70% of the vote is based on popularity, the other 30% on skill/the year there having. Why did Jeter, Ortiz, or Manny make it in when they were having bad years?) are having the much better year/deserve it more and will play better then the starters.

You make a good point but there is a conflict with the whole Player Vacation thing

Players are not really able to go anywhere except somewhere near the next place they will play so unless they are playing a home game the next time up then it would be hard on the player to go somewhere with his family and then come back after only a day or 2 which if they went on vacation then the jet-lag they would get would be a bit too much for the player to handle if he was a starter and it just might be enough to ruin a couple of games for that player for about a week

Historically the MLB All-Star game was the best of any pro sport because it was the only one that wasn't played like an exhibition game. Even though there was only "league pride" on the line, players played to win and the stars played most if not the entire game. No one had a problem with not all players getting in the game, it was just the way it was.

The AS game IMHO has been diminished by two primary things and three secondary things - The primaries are free agency and interleague play. Players change teams and leagues regularly, and few identify themselves as being a representative of a particular league. And while I like the concept of interleague play, the current format further blurs the league differentiation. The secondary factors are agents, media accessibility, and expanded rosters/every team must be represented. There aren't a great number of different agents representing players, and players tend to be friends with other players they share an agent with. With the media what I mean is, in the old days if you played in one league you didn't see much of players in the other league. You'd read about them in the paper, but it wasn't until the mid-'80s until the Sportscenter daily/nightly national highlight show concept really took off, and probably the early '90s before more people had cable TV than didn't. To some of you guys that might sound like a long time ago, but it really isn't Expanded rosters and requiring every team to have a representative makes the game more watered down because every year there are obvious undeserving players who get selected because someone from their sucky team has to go. The AS rosters have already been expanded from the regular season 25 man to 32. The only reason 32 players are needed is because somewhere along the way "every team must be represented" morphed into "every player must play."

My point is, times have changed. All of these things have combined to make the AS game go from being a great competitive game played by real stars who cared about the outcome even if there wasn't anything tangible riding on it to a friendly exhibition where the stars are looking more to make a quick few inning appearance and then get on a plane and be home before the game is even over. I understand why baseball made the decision to pin WS home field on it, because they're trying to recapture the old days gone by. It isn't going to happen though, and quite honestly if they really wanted to make the game competitive they need to talk to the modern player where he lives - his wallet. Most of the AS players don't care about WS home field advantage. But if MLB put up a $5 million purse to be split among players and coaches of the winning team? I guarantee you'd see some effort and caring put into the game by both sides

Really? I didn't know most of that (I knew about the television, but not the history of the AS). I personally am strongly against every team being represented as it forces players out (for example, moose) who deserve to be in there. The reason again that I support having every player play is because so many of those voted in don't deserve to be in there. In my opinion, like in the old days, there should be no voting by biased fans but rather coaches who can't vote for a player on there team. Perhaps the final vote should be decided by the fans but other then that they shouldn't have a say (the problem with this of course is many a player would lose there interest. Having players like Jeter or Manny in there attract so many more viewers). If they did this, I'm fine with not having every player play although pitchers should be used the same way.

I would like to see the AS game revamped. It kills me that teams have 8 all stars and should only have two or three. Guys like Jason Bay die because they play for bad teams. I'd rather they played the game after the season like the NFL does, that way the people that play really deserve to be there. Every year there is a Brooks Jacoby that gets on the team because he had a hot streak for three weeks in the middle of June.

I would like them to have the starters voted on first. Then find teams that don't have a rep yet and pick them, and then fill out the reserves from there with people that really deserve to be there. Expand the rosters if need be. Even if not everyone plays, being an All Star is a great honor.

I say the All-Star game should allow more pitchers. I mean, it's the best players from both leagues, of course the game will end tied or at least close after nine innings, so they need more pitchers to get through more innings so they don't have to end in a tie like in '02.

Or almost did this year.

A few said that they should set aside (or bolster roster with middle relievers) pitchers for "extra innings only".

I agree.