When it's just a game

I'm pretty sure this is the third time I'm going into a post sans title, and I'm also pretty sure it's the third time I've made that clear before I started my post. Anyway, this one will be about the MLB All-Star Game - not exclusively last night's game, but the concept of the event, too. Last night's game was won by the National League, holding the American League to one run for the second straight year. The NL won 5-1 behind solid pitching from their bullpen, as well as a key 3-run blast by Prince Fielder to answer the first run of the game, put up by the AL in the top of the 4th. With the victory, the National League pennant winner will have home-field advantage in the 2011 World Series.

The reason this is so is because the All-Star Game "counts" now. Until 2002, when the All-Star Game ended in a 7-7 tie, it was merely an exhibition, something for everyone to enjoy. But after the tie, Major League Baseball and the players agreed to award home-field advantage in the World Series to the representative of the league who won the All-Star Game. Frankly, I think this idea sucks. Home-field advantage should go to the team who deserves it the most - the one with the best record in the regular season. The NHL, NBA, and NFL all do it, and it works. (Actually, I quasi-scratch that. The NFL's championship is played at a neutral site, so home-field is only good through conference playoff play.) Luckily, there has been one instance where the World Series team with the worse record had home-field advantage - the Red Sox in 2004, who had 7 fewer wins than the Cardinals. So maybe it's not as bad as I thought, after some quick research. With no World Series making it to a seventh game since the rule change, the decision to make the All-Star Game count hasn't really made a significant difference in determining a World Series champion. But even if having the game count hasn't left a noticeable impact, it shouldn't count. I couldn't find a YouTube video of the intro, but at the end of the clips, there were All-Stars saying that this game was about the fans. And they're absolutely right. It's not about playoff implications, and it shouldn't be that way. Let the All-Star Game be fun in the way it's supposed to be fun.

(Editor's Note: I made it through the entire post, and I'm still without a title. Time to make something up on the spot.)