Comments on: Terry Francona nails the central problem with the All-Star Game

By: schmedley69

schmedley69 — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 04:19:25 +0000

Now he knows how National League managers felt all those years when they lost home field because the NL lost to a juiced-up lineup of Red Sox and Yankees players. Too bad, Tito.

By: scubagolfjim

scubagolfjim — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 22:20:53 +0000

Who remembers the game three years ago? Now who remembers the game when Randy Johnson threw a wild pitch toward John Kruk and Kruk's reaction? THAT is what the All-Star Game used to be about: a fun event and a chance to see all of the players selected. The "game that changed everything" was played properly. To hell with the home-field-advantage crap. It's just that. Crap. The managers wanted to use everyone possible in the game, to show appreciation to, and allow the fans, who chose the players, to actually see the people they voted for play in the game.

By: philiplewis1

philiplewis1 — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 21:56:37 +0000

I disagree that they have run their course. The problem is FAN VOTING. People are tired of seeing stuffed ballot boxes and an infield full of Yankees. Revert back to the old way of voting which I believe was by the players for starters with the managers choosing the rest. That way you always had the top players at every position and it was hard to argue with the choices of their peers. also, the best players played the whole game and the starting pitcher almost always went 3 innings which is the max by the way (probably no one knows that anymore since it never applies). It didn’t matter if the game was an exhibition or not. With the best players you get a top game and that’s what drew the crowd.

By: Utley's Hair

Utley's Hair — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 21:45:28 +0000

I don’t believe eagles512 said that it should count for home field advantage.

By: tifosi73

tifosi73 — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 21:26:23 +0000

Just because it is the best all star game (by far), doesn’t mean it should count for home-field advantage of the World Series.

MLB & FOX wanted more ratings and thought the home-field advantage factor would attract more ratings. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/02/sports/baseball-players-union-accepts-change-to-the-all-star-game.html?pagewanted=print .

It doesn’t. Lowest ratings ever….again.

Interleague play has weakened the ASG. I used to love it (before interleague play). Now I certainly don’t and don’t bother to watch it (mainly cause I hate the home field rule). It is still way above all other ASGs.

By: youngyankee

youngyankee — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 18:02:23 +0000

starting 2 games at home, then 3 on the road, then 2 more at home.

2 games on the road, 3 at home, 2 on the road

ALL 7 games of the WS is affected by this stupid home-field advantage.

By: dnc6

dnc6 — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 18:00:05 +0000

church – those intraleague numbers include games in April and early May, when its still cold for some cities, and September, when teams are well out of the race, that frequently draw poorly. Most Interleague games get played on weekends at the end of June/beginning of July. That’s the equivalent of playing on Monday Night Football.

By: jimbo1949

jimbo1949 — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 17:43:40 +0000

just shoot Boomer?
.
What the hell did Esiason do to you?

By: eagles512

eagles512 — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 17:23:54 +0000

I guess I’m in the minority but I still enjoy it and it’s a lot better than the other sports all star games.

By: cur68

cur68 — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 17:16:39 +0000

*sigh*

Edit Function?

By: cur68

cur68 — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 17:15:51 +0000

CFR: Have you tried steroids? I hear they’re all the rage for this sort of thing.

By: cur68

cur68 — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 17:15:33 +0000

CFR: Have you tried steroids? I hear their all the rage for this sort of thing.

By: delawarephilliesfan

delawarephilliesfan — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 17:12:54 +0000

“Bochy clearly managed the game as if he wanted home field for the Giants.”

Mike, that is not the case at all. The NL made 12 offensive subsititutions – 12! Prince Fielder bashed a 3 run home run in the 4th…..and then was benched. Let me say that again – FOURTH INNING. Thats managing to win a game?

Bochy managed the game to get everyone in, just like my little league coach did. I’m not trying to criticize Bochy, not at all. And I am sure he did want to win the game. But lets not pretend here – every All-Star game is managed so that everyone gets in the game

By: churchoftheperpetuallyoutraged

churchoftheperpetuallyoutraged — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 16:43:52 +0000

If Interleague Play was such a great draw…

Courtesy of Maury Brown at Biz of Baseball:

The 2009 Interleague average is 16.1 percent higher than this season’s current intraleague average of 28,727 per game.

Since its inception in 1997, Interleague Play has drawn 12.0 percent more fans than intraleague games; Interleague Play has averaged 33,260 fans per game, compared to the intraleague average of 29,706 fans per game during the same span

http://www.bizofbaseball.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3370:inside-mlb-attendance-interleague-2009&catid=56:ticket-watch&Itemid=136

By: dnc6

dnc6 — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 16:04:19 +0000

If Interleague Play was such a great draw, you would think that MLB would start putting those games on weekdays in April and May to help get people in the park instead of during the nights that already get the biggest crowds and just perpetuates the self-fulfilling prophecy.

By: mogogo1

mogogo1 — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 15:31:17 +0000

The home field advantage thing is a stupid idea. It’s completely contrary to what the All-Star Game needs. It needs to be a fun event and having home field riding on the game completely flies in the face of that. Fans vote guys onto the team to see them play, not have part of them ride the bench just in case the game goes to extra innings.

And if they want to stop guys from skipping the game, that’s incredibly easy to fix. And, no, it doesn’t involve bribing them to show up. They just need a rule that as long as a guy is ambulatory, he’s going to physically be at the game and all the events associated with it. If the guy has to be there for introductions, has to be in the dugout for the game, has to be hanging around watching the home run derby, etc. he’s almost certainly going to decide it’d be more fun to actually take part. And if he really is hurt and can’t play, then at least his fans have gotten a chance to see him associated with the game, so it’s still a win.

By: Chris Fiorentino's Rash

Chris Fiorentino's Rash — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 15:26:58 +0000

I’m doing ok. The rash started when my head swelled after a few winning seasons from the Phils. It ran from my head to my boys down below.
Its really affected my love life with the gentlemen. Can’t get a piece at the YMCA to save my life…
I use the spatula when I work at Gino’s to scratch but no relief. The heat from the horse meat only temporarily relieves the itch..

Any suggestions? Rivals piss has not helped as much as you would think…

By: psousa1

psousa1 — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 15:13:10 +0000

Well it is still the most talked about all star game of all the major sports. I got a little sick and tired of the media whining “Have it mean something”. WTF do you want it to mean? Losing manager gets beheaded? Losing team has to run throught parking lot in their jockstraps? Who cares! These so called writers sound like they need counseling because of the MLB all star game. They want the top players to play more innings? Does anyone remember the attituded by managers, GM’s and owners that permeated the all star game around the mid to late 80′s? “Don’t play my guy too long” Anyone remember Steinbrenner going nuts because Dick Howser (when he wasy the all star manager and defending champ Royals manager) played Dave Winfield for 9 innings? I think it was 1986. Steinbrenner went nuts. After that every owner, GM and manager had the all star manager’s ear telling them not to play their guy for an extended period of time. That’s what did it. That is why they had to expand rosters so nobody played more than a few innings. So Bud Selig put WS home field as the carrot of winning the game – so what. People say “Well it should be determined by record” It’s not like the two world series teams have common opponents and playing the same competition (save for some interleague games).

By: Utley's Hair

Utley's Hair — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 15:00:15 +0000

Tito the chipmunk—seriously, just look at his cheeks—speaks the truth.

The whole idea of tying homefield advantage to an exhibition game which boasts starters voted on by fans—thereby making it no more than a popularity contest with a tiny bit of current performance thrown in with eye of newt—and a mandate that every team must have a representative, regardless of performance, is ASININE. And it always was. If Selig feels the bizarre need to tie—interesting term, if I do say so myself, based on the whole reasoning—ASG results to anything, maybe it should be to the location of the next year’s ASG.

As for the World Series, either go back to alternating years, or base it on interleague play results, whether MLB-wide or head-to-head or even the interleague record of the teams involved.

I like the ASG. I always have. I just hate what Selig has done to it.

By: Utley's Hair

Utley's Hair — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 14:49:43 +0000

Yup. Jonny’s right. Minka’s been dogging Jeter to regrout the powderroom tiling—though Jonny might be better versed in doing that.

By: paperlions

paperlions — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 14:49:17 +0000

Would you rather start the WS on the road or at home? If you have home field advantage, you start at home…which can (but need not) dramatically affect how the series unfolds. Some teams are great at home and crap on the road. Some teams have rosters tailored to their home parks and have large advantages at home.

No it doesn’t always matter, but the advantage is not just limited to game 7.

By: Jonny 5

Jonny 5 — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 14:44:20 +0000

I’ve decided to just live it. I’ve found it makes me happier to just accept and move on. Like when the weather just sucks. Yeah, kinda like that.

By: Jonny 5

Jonny 5 — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 14:38:47 +0000

Powder room. It was the Powder room Len. A symbol of the rich and famous.

By: churchoftheperpetuallyoutraged

churchoftheperpetuallyoutraged — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 14:37:30 +0000

Francona is upset because this effects his team more than the other contenders

Except every since the “THIS TIME IT COUNTS” has been instituted, no WS has gone to 7 games. It’s a red herring argument, and MLB should just give the team with the most wins home field.

By: churchoftheperpetuallyoutraged

churchoftheperpetuallyoutraged — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 14:34:13 +0000

Interleague Play might be a gimmick, but there’s no way MLB will ever get rid of it due to the attendance numbers that come in.

By: mox19380

mox19380 — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 14:32:05 +0000

while I agree in principle. What team is going to want their player’s going nine innings, particularly a player. I’m here in Philly and all the radio DJ’s kept talking about is the outrage that would manifest if Halladay had been asked to go more than 2innings… and the Phillies are obviously a team competing for WS and should have a desire for the homefield

As much as the league has tried to make it a competitve game in the eyes of most managers not involved it is still purely an exhibition.

I see the game being better if they go further from realistic and make it more fantastic. Juiced Balls, maybe offer two outs for a strikeout. But I see more anger and outrage from teams if players are truly asked to play this like the 163rd game of the season

By: dapperdan50

dapperdan50 — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 14:25:42 +0000

By Tuesday, I’m already desperate for baseball and I STILL don’t watch the ASG. I don’t think that waiting for Wed. or Thurs. is going to make a difference.

By: ricofoy

ricofoy — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 14:18:33 +0000

Will Selig just retire already? This guy is worse than a Supreme Court Justice – he’ll have to die first. Hopefully, I outlive him.

By: larryhockett

larryhockett — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 14:17:31 +0000

I thought it was obvious that interleague play killed the All-Star Game. When I was a kid in the 70s and 80s, I loved the All-Star game. It was a chance to see players from my favorite team take on the stars of the other league, which was something that never otherwise happened. Now we get to watch Roy Halladay take on David Ortiz. So what, we just saw that a few weeks ago. Take away interleague play and the All-Star will be fun and interesting again.

By: mikedi33

mikedi33 — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 14:09:49 +0000

Bochy clearly managed the game as if he wanted home field for the Giants. While it is not the ideal way to determine home field, I think it makes more sense than just rotating home field between leagues like it use to be. Francona is upset because this effects his team more than the other contenders. Gonzalez in right and Ortiz at first is an advantage fot the NL. I think overall team record should determine home field and that creates more decisions for managers in Sept.