All Star Thoughts

For better or for worse, I always love the All-Star break in Major League Baseball. From the fact that I can bust out the classic "what are the only two days of the year with no professional sporting events? trivia question to the fact that I simply need three days worth of staring at my fantasy team to figure out what to do next, the midsummer classic is always something to look forward to. This year, I spent an inordinate amount of time googling what previous years warmup day jerseys looked like (seriously, if you have a good source for All Star jerseys that date back more than 5 or 6 years I'd love to see it!). But in between failed google attempts, I managed to actually catch some of the festivities. Naturally, here are my thoughts...

• Celebrity/Legends Softball Game: Jennie Finch looked damn good for only being 2 weeks post giving birth. I only know this because Erin Andrews told me about 400 times. Seriously, though... If the biggest celebrities that a professional sports organization can pull are an American Idol winner 5 years removed, the ugly Jonas Brother, and the dude who can read minds from Heroes (a show that got cancelled almost a year ago), then maybe we should just leave the Celebrity Softball games to the people at MTV Rock and Jock. Seriously, that show event should be back on the air right now. Corbin Bernson and Dan Cortez are bigger celebrities in my eyes than Blonde Hair Kid #5 on Glee or whoever those guys were out there. As for the legends, Ozzie Smith looked about 90 years old, Luis Gonzalez looked considerably less steroidy, and Rickey Henderson looked like he could probably help a team in the 2nd half.

• HomeRun Derby: Whoever had the idea to choose captains and then let them pick their own teamates should probably lose their job. People watch the HR Derby to see mammoth blasts that they typically wouldn't see during a regular season game. Not line drives from a 5'8" Second Baseman. Prince Fielder conceded the Derby to the Ameican League the minute he decided to field a team full of his buddies rather than Homerun hitters. Mike Stanton and Justin Upton are the two guys I want to see jack the ball a mile into the air. At the very least, let Ryan Howard take a crack at it. Matt Holliday? Rickie Weeks? David Ortiz did his job by picking the biggest hitter in the game in Bautista, and a powerful contact hitter in Gonzalez.  

• Bud Selig: There's some real Star Wars action going on here where someone elected Chancelor Selig emergency powers and he's used them to appoint himself Commissioner for life. That's the only explanation I have for how his actions are still supported by his fellow managers. When discussing new ways to spice up the game, Selig actually suggested that next year he may try having the DH in interleague games at National League stadiums and have the pitcher hit at American League parks. Why? He also suggested what people have been saying for almost a decade: using instant replay to determine fair/foul plays down the outfield line. I just don't understand what he's done that positively impacted the game.

• All Star Game: The "Why isn't ________ playing?" story has been covered a thousand times already and while I don't think that 84 people should really be able to call themselves "All Stars" (Scott Rolen, really?), I understand the reasoning. What I don't understand is how Bruce Bochy is getting away with effectively resting his "All Star" pitchers while working those of his biggest competition more than anyone? Tim Lincecum and Ryan Vogelsong were both chosen as representatives for the Giants and yet neither of them saw any game action. Meanwhile, three of the leagues top pitchers in Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, and Jair Jurrjens were worked harder than anyone. No one else on either team besides those three pitched more than one full inning, and they threw 19, 25, and 23 pitches respectively. Was is because they were fresher? No, Because Lincecum & Lee both started on last Saturday and Vogelsong and Halladay both started last Friday. Bruce Bochy was simply protecting his own arms (while simultaneously seeing to it that Lincecum made his $100,000 incentive bonus for being on an All Star team despite only a decent performance thus far). Brian Wilson, the 3rd Giants pitcher on the team (who also landed $25,000 for his inclusion), was only used because Starlin Castro made an error on a routine ground ball and Joel Hanrahan had to come out. The cameras showed no one warming in the NL bullpen when Hanrahan had one out. Wilson came in and threw only 9 pitches. It just screams of overworking your opponent and protecting your own guys.