The All Star Game. The Mid-Summer classic. A great game to watch. The best All-Star event in all of sports. What's not to love? I'll tell you. It's a popularity contest. Every season, there are only a few players from each position that deserve the title "All-Star". They have earned it. But how often do they get the opportunity to hold that title? It depends on who you play for. The All Star game isn't about All-Stars, it's about how many bandwagon Giants and Cardinals fans you can get to vote 25 times over and over again. When I watch an All-Star game, I want to see the very best, with no exceptions. And that will never happen as long as fan voting comes into place. But why stop at fan voting? Even the pitchers selected are inflated because the manager and players vote in the All-Stars. I have a question. How many players upon receiving a ballot check out the stats and numbers to decide who should really make it? Or do they think of their friends, and players they know are doing well, but may not realize how well another younger star is playing. Then there is the managers, who of course are very homerish with their choice players. The reason I make such a big deal about it is because home field advantage in the World Series is determined through this one game. One game played by players selected by the fans determines something as large as momentum in the World Series, and which team gets the chance to host a game seven. If I wanted to, I would complain that MLB should change that. But that's not what I want. I like that Home-Field is tied to it. Thats what keeps baseballs all star game the only exciting and competitive all star event in all of sports. The players have something to play for. So naturally, that's not my complaint. My complaint is simply don't let something as big as home field advantage in the biggest series of the season rest in the arms of the fans.
The other problem with the All-Star game player selection is that every team has atleast one All-Star on their leagues roster. That is unfair as well, in the fact that some teams flat out suck. Some teams have no all-stars. Sure, every team has atleast one great baseball player. But not every team has an all-star. So why should some bum from a team like the Astros get to take the spot of a deserving player on another team. Why deny that player the right to fight for home field in the World Series. This situation to me is alot like every kid getting a trophy in little league. Every kid shouldn't get a trophy. If you suck, too bad. Go practice.
My Solution? Every city holds a fan vote to decide which sports writer/radio host not on the teams payroll gets to elect All-Stars. Each city gets 2 people. They fill out an entire roster. Develope a system of points. All 30 cities submit their 2 entries, and you determine the All-Stars through that. It's not complicated, actually quite simple. Will it ever happen? No. But it would make everything fall into place.