Stars Are Out

On Tuesday, July 12th, Major League Baseball held its annual All Star game where the best players from the American League play against the best players of the National League. This years game was held at the home of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Chase Field. The National League was able to come out of the contest with a 5 - 1 victory thanks to a key three run blast to center field by Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder.

The game was a great success as it lived up to the expectations of the masses worldwide, it was a worthwhile event for sure. What made the game interesting was that it was real baseball being played at its best. There wasn't really an incident of show boating but rather the players were playing like it was a crucial game in their teams season. This is most likely due to the fact that the result of that game will be crucial for a lot of teams in the second half of the season. Teams looking to make a playoff run would really want to win that game as it provides home field advantage in the World Series. So since the National League won their champion will play host to the American League champion at the 2011 World Series.

The MLB All Star game is easily the best game of its class when compared to other professional sports in North America. Why? Simply because the players actually go out and play with a competitive mindset instead of just putting on a show for the fans. Their game is the only one that has a "prize" for the winner that actually makes a difference in the long run. The NHL, NBA and NFL provide nothing for the winner of their game which gives the athletes no incentive to play their best. The game is much more exciting when the best players are playing their best. From a financial aspect the MLB is not only selling out at the All Star game but their viewers at home are dramatically increased. This helps bring back interest in baseball after its fall thanks to the '94 - '95 strike.

This is not knocking the other professional leagues in any way it's just simply pointing out that the MLB is well ahead of its fellow leagues. The other All-Star games turn into a joke within five minutes of viewing with the minimal effort and contact. Viewers lose interest very quickly and will eventually start channel surfing. The solution would be to do what the MLB does and give the players incentive to win in order to bring out a strong competition.

Fans like to feel involved as well so having them vote for their favorite players gives them a sense of involvement. It's human nature to be interested in something that you have involvement in so more people are drawn to the game. Fans choose their favorite player from both leagues for each position except for the pitcher but do have the option of a write in.

The only thing that the MLB needs to change is the fact that players have the option to opt out of the game if elected. The idea of the All Star game is that the best players are playing against each other in a competitive atmosphere. Their cannot be an All Star game without all stars, it simply does not work. Players that opt out should perhaps face a fine from the MLB as a penalty for not playing. In the case of Seattle Mariners ace, Felix Hernandez, he fell prey to the Sunday before rule. Felix pitched on Sunday right before the break which did not allow for enough rest in between games. There is not much that can be done to change that rule, the pitcher's health is obviously most important. Teams could potentially change their rotation but most will not do that if they feel they will not make it to the world series anyway.