Earlier this week I was talking baseball with a friend of mine, and he brought up the topic that Major League Baseball needs to mandate that Bryce Harper and Mike Trout make the roster in the All-Star game next month. Although I agreed with his suggestion, I had to admit that I have not watched an All-Star game in five years, spending that time over the All-Star break on “Date Nights with Mrs. NatsGM” in hopes of staying out of her doghouse for the second half of the season. However, the topic of the All-Star Game stuck with me and as an enthusiast of All-Star Monday Night’s Home Run Derby, I amassed some general suggestions to improve the rest of the MLB All-Star game festivities.
1) Make the All-Star Game a Fan-Friendly Exhibition
My loss of interest in the All-Star game coincided with Bud Selig’s decision to allow the winner of an exhibition game to decide something as important as home field advantage in the World Series: this decision needs immediate reversal. Return this contest to an exhibition game and cap it at a maximum of 10 innings, thus eliminating many of the fears of overusing pitchers. Rather than the winning league receiving home field advantage in the World Series, or a cash incentive, find another creative “perk” for the winning team. I am open to suggestions, but I am thinking along the lines of bragging rights for the winning league – perhaps only featuring the winning league players in advertisements for the following years All-Star Game?
In addition, Major League Baseball needs to move 1st pitch to 8pm (and not the television coverage starts at 8pm but there is a boring 20 minute preview show followed by 20 minutes of player introductions) to help bolster the audience on the east coast, especially kids. The Mid-Summer Classic is a 3-hour infomercial for baseball, and they should do everything they can to maximize their audience and far too often, the clock reads 11pm on the east coast and the game is still in the 7th inning, meaning many kids (and working, non-nocturnal adults) are fast asleep before the 9th inning. It is a shame to think of the number of people who were snoring away rather than watching Mariano Rivera pitch.
2) Tweak The Roster Selection
I think Major League Baseball has done a nice job of creating voting interest by allowing the fans to vote for the starting hitters for each league, and the leading vote getters (regardless of numbers that season) automatically make the roster and start the game. This is a game for the fans, and is a nice component of the game. However, one change I would make would be installing the designated hitter in the game regardless if it is an American or National League park, and having the DH slot be chosen by the top non-qualifying vote getter in each league (i.e. the 2nd leading Shortstop, 4th leading Outfielder, etc.).
After the batting lineup is chosen by the fans (8 fielders and a DH), the manager should then select the 9 hitting reserves and a 12 man pitching staff, for a total of 30 All-Stars. Furthermore, each manager will no longer be forced to select a representative from each team, as this rule is archaic, and to improve the game we must choose the best, most exciting players in each league and allow them to shine. Next, as has been done in past years, after the 30 names are announced, 5 excellent players that were not selected should be highlighted and the fans allowed to vote one of these 5 players onto the roster as Player #31, or Mr. Overlooked – this gimmick fuels additional chatter about which player deserved inclusion and creates further fan interest in the game.
Finally, after the roster is set at 31 players, I would call for the institution of 1 final roster spot, chosen by the Commissioner of Baseball, and Player #32 should be chosen “for the good of the game”. This player could be a legend of the game that is expected to retire at the end of the season (i.e. Chipper Jones) or a young player that would generate further interest in the contest, such as Bryce Harper or Mike Trout. Is there any fan that would not support this Player #32 clause into the All-Star game, even if their stats do not warrant selection? These few changes would improve the quality of each roster and further bolster the fan’s stake in the game, a sure way to generate interest.
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3) Make the Experience Easier on the Players
I know, most fans already think professional baseball players have it pretty good, but if the players (both All-Stars and non All-Stars) are considered a bit more thoroughly, perhaps the quality of play will improve and number of questionable player absences will decrease. Major League Baseball should make the edict that the Sunday games prior to the All-Star break all begin at 1pm in their respective time zones to allow for easier travel for the players. Sunday Night Baseball’s place on ESPN’s schedule will now be filled with the Futures Game or alternative programming if they wish.
Next, baseball should significantly decrease the media responsibilities placed on the players during All-Star week. The superstar-caliber players in the All-Star game have media responsibilities almost daily, and spending notably less time Monday and Tuesday with the media could further appease the players. To that point, do any of us really need another Derek Jeter media session? With no disrespect to reporters and journalists, if Major League Baseball relaxed the media component of the game, I believe the players would respond in kind with a more inspired effort between the lines.
Finally, Major League Baseball should mandate that the All-Star break consist of Monday through Thursday, giving everyone within baseball an additional day to rejuvenate themselves. The additional day would allow the players participating in the All-Star game to enjoy a small break themselves and gives all players another day to heal their bodies and prepare for the 2nd half of the season.
What have I missed? What would you alter about the All-Star game if you had the power to do so? I am curious to hear other opinions, so I encourage you to post your thoughts in the comments sections below.
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