IT COUNTS!! WHAT?

Something to think about:

The All Star game should not “count.”   The concept is ridiculous.   Why should a game count if:  

•  fans  vote for the starters -- 25 times for every email address they can create
• the managers pick almost all the rest -- um, even though some players get contractual bonuses for making the team
• fans then vote again to pick the last player – a player who, a la Nick Swisher can campaign  to make the team. 
• every team has to be represented even though they may not have a legitimate all star
• a retired manager can manage
• players can opt out because of “injury”
• etc.

If alternating home field advantage is too logical, why not let interleague play (another dopey idea) determine home field advantage?  Whichever league has the better overall record would get the home field advantage.  After all, interleague games ALL actually count.  Players try to win becaue they are real games that really count. These games actually have  a bearing on what teams get into that World Series.    

Anyone who thinks that the commissioner did this “the road to October starts here” thing for any other reason than caving in to outraged fans and media when the 2002 “Midsummer Classic” ended in a tie (11 innings couldn’t satisfy people) probably thinks that fans and media have a right to run baseball.  Hmmm – as far as this instance, apparently they do. 

More on my thoughts on media in another post.  For now, I just hope that no one who might frighten the commissioner starts suggesting  the home run derby count as well.

I’ll get into interleague play and the designated hitter another time – but anyone  who argues against it for the sake of tradition  had better also be arguing against the All Star game counting and interleague play.