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| Thursday, July 13 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Put the classic back in All-Star Game Special to ESPN.com | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Suggestions for improving the All-Star Game while waiting for major
league executive Katy Feeney to call and ask me to replace Mike Piazza on
the National League roster ...
Tuesday's All-Star Game was among the lamest in years, and not just
because there were so many injuries that Feeney literally called players at
home Monday afternoon to see whether they could play the next night (Joe
Girardi, after all, might be hitting .304, but his more important
qualifications were being by the phone Monday and finding a babysitter on
short notice.)
No, the problem is the All-Star Game already has been in decline for the past decade. The best players only appear if given a contract bonus, plus
a subpeona requiring their attendance. Even then, they show up as if
reporting for a root canal and don't care whether their team wins or not.
The lack of enthusiasm shows on the field, and if this keeps up, the
All-Star Game soon will become nothing more than the Pro Bowl in July. But
it's not too late. The game can still become the Midsummer Classic again
with a few simple changes.
1. Don't require that every team has a player in the game.
Two words: Bob Wickman.
Look, not every team deserves representation. If a team doesn't have
a genuine All-Star, perhaps embarrassing it with no All-Star representation
will prompt them to actually try next year. Remember, we're talking about
the All-Star team, not the House of Representatives.
2. Don't worry about getting every player into the game.
Over the past decade, the most pressing concern to managers
has evolved from winning the game to making sure every player gets into the
game. They make so many moves that by the end of the game, the lineup cards
resemble the map of the human genome, only harder to decipher.
Sure, it's nice when everyone can participate, but it shouldn't happen at the expense
of the competition. This is the major league All-Star Game not a Little
League game. Manage to win, not to avoid a lawsuit. No fan is going to be
too offended if Mike Sweeney spends the game on the bench if it means a more
spirited game.
Actually, come to think of it, no fan would even notice.
3. Make the outcome count.
When the All-Star Game still mattered, the National League and
American League teams hated each other with a passion rarely seen outside
the Republican national convention. Now, due to free agency, the
proliferation of televised games, interleague play and the merger of the
league offices, the rivalry is about as fierce as a Leo Buscaglia seminar. Group hug, everyone. Group hug.
Put some league pride back into the game by placing something of
value on the line: Let the winning league decide whether the designated
hitter is used in the World Series. If there was something at stake, perhaps
the players would care about whether they won or lost again.
And finally ...
4. Wheel Ted Williams onto the field before every game.
There wasn't a Kleenex available in New England last July when Teddy
Ballgame rode in on the cart to throw out the ceremonial first pitch. The
game needs that drama every year, so make the beloved Williams an annual part
of the game. Better yet, make him a participant in the home run derby.
Even five years after he dies, he would bring more enthusiasm to the
gig than Ken Griffey Jr.
Box score line of the week Oakland's Mark Mulder had a beauty last Thursday night when he allowed 15 hits in 6.2 innings, the most hits allowed this season (reliever Elmer Dessens allowed 14 back in May). But this week's award goes to Toronto reliever John Frascatore who threw three pitches Tuesday, allowed no hits and still gave up two runs. His puzzling line: 0 IP, 0 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K The two batters Frascatore faced both reached base on errors, one by Frascatore. Lies, damn lies and statistics Anaheim's Darin Erstad has the most hits at the All-Star break (144) since Ralph Garr had 149 for Atlanta in 1974. Erstad has 88 more hits than elected starter Cal Ripken Jr. .. The last time Ripken did not play in the All-Star Game, Ruppert Jones did, and Carl Yastrzemski, Jim Kaat and Manny Mota were still in the majors that season (1982). ... Edgar Martinez had 66 more RBI than fellow All-Star Joe Girardi. ... After placing Tony Gwynn and Chris Gomez on the DL last week, the Padres had more salary on the DL ($28.7 million) than on the active roster ($27 million). That includes the $6 million they're paying Randy Myers, who hasn't pitched since 1998. ... Atlanta's pitching staff was 13-15 with a 5.13 ERA in June, its first losing month since 1996 and its first month with an ERA over 5.00 since 1990. Atlanta starters have allowed 10 or more hits in eight games and 13 hits in four. ... Al Leiter must love Turner Field. He faced five batters in the final game of the playoffs there last year and didn't retire anyone. Then he allowed the first three batters he faced in the All-Star Game to reach base, allowed two runs and took the loss. ... Florida's Ryan Dempster was the 10th Canadian-born player to make an All-Star team. Win Ben Grieve's money Today's category is: MIDSUMMER TRADITIONS THAT DO NOT INCLUDE ADAM SANDLER RELEASING A REALLY BAD MOVIE. Who played in the most All-Star Games? From left field When you put 70 players (including injury-replacements) on the All-Star team, it's hard to imagine missing anyone. Here's a look at the top players not invited to the Midsummer Classic:
Answer Benefitting from a stretch when baseball played two All-Star Games a season, Hank Aaron, Stan Musial and Willie Mays each played in 24 games. Jim Caple is the national baseball writer for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, which has a website at www.seattle-pi.com. | ALSO SEE ESPN.com's All-Star Game coverage | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||