The All-Star rosters

For those of you who are saying the MLB All-Star Game is just an exhibition game therefore it should be no big deal that more productive players were left off rosters, well tell that to your boy Bud who decided it was a good thing to put home-field advantage in the World Series on the line.

When those stakes are put on the line, it isn't an exhibition game anymore. If the league is going to make the game THAT important, then folks shouldn't be laissez-faire about who is on the roster.

 

Agree, Devin. And people point to All-Star appearances when discussing Hall of Fame worthiness, and it is used as a bonus clause in a lot of contracts.

 

Which is why people who point to All-Star appearances when discussion HOF worthiness are morons.

 

Since the All-Star Game began deciding home-field advantage:

2003: Yankees had home-field advantage. Marlins won the World Series.

2004: Red Sox had home-field advantage. Red Sox won the World Series.

2005: White Sox had home-field advantage. White Sox won the World Series.

2006: Tigers had home-field advantage. Cardinals won the World Series.

2007: Red Sox had home-field advantage. Red Sox won the World Series.

2008: Rays had home-field advantage. Phillies won the World Series.

2009: Yankees had home-field advantage. Yankees won the World Series.

2010: Giants had home-field advantage. Giants won the World Series.

So the team with home-field advantage in the World Series has won 5 of 8 since the all-star game began deciding it. Though in 2004, the Red Sox would have had home-field anyway based on the rotating system used before 2003, so it's really more like 4 of 7.

Part (though not all) of "home-field advantage" is having Game 7 at home in the World Series. You know how many World Series have gone seven games since 2002?

Zero.

 

This is the 2011 All-Star game, not a career-achievement game. Cabrera has been fantastic and Andrus has been very good. Both are MUCH better than Jeter at this point. And it isn't just one bad year by Jeter. This decline showed last year, too.

Of course, there isn't much to be done about the fan votes. I just don't get how the hell Russ Martin is on that team. He hasn't done a damn thing with the bat since the beginning of May.

 

Quoted and supported for correctness

 

LOL, I second that comment.

 

only an idiot points to all star game appearances

 

Hey, JC, don't attack such logic.#cockdian

 

The assertion that "this is an All-Star game, not a career achievement game" is meaningless, except that it makes clear the author wishes the All-Star selection process to be made by a committee of himself. You could stand the statement on its head and say "This is an All-Star Game, not a good first half of the season" game and it would have the same validity.
The game is not like getting nominated to the Supreme Court. It was invented as a marketing stunt, and that's what it still is, as the stupid home field advantage rule proves. Some deserving players get left off every year, and some guys having bad seasons make it every year. People who get upset over those facts take themselves too seriously as well as baseball.

 

It's just a game. Very penetrating.

Baseball loves for people to justify its repeat defects, without having to pay for it.

 

LJB, the All-Star Game is an EXHIBITION game. It doesn't matter even by the standards of regular games. It's a gimmick, and its job is to please the paying customers. This it seems to do well enough. Why get bent out of shape about it? Does it really offend you that fans prefer first ballot Hall of Famer Derek Jeter to promising newcomer Cabrera?