While we're on the topic I wanted to talk about the actual All Star Game.
Major League Baseball is going to have a drastically different schedule starting in 2013 and I think it is going to change the feel of the All Star Game. The game has been a fun way for fans and players to see members of the opposing league who they wouldn't normally see during the season. However, once the schedule changes there will be interleague play everyday. The perpetual interleague play will take away from the value of seeing the other league.
This is a problem Major League Baseball is bringing on themselves. The excitement of seeing the best Tigers or Angels players simply won't be there if the National League team has already played them during the season.
But there are ways to save the All Star Game from spiraling into oblivion. The most obvious thing is to remove World Series home field advantage from the game. With the trend of players dropping out for whatever reason they come up with it would make sense to make the game a fun exhibition again. Don't make it seem like the players being "honored" are really just given more work to do. If being an All Star is really an honor than the league should be doing whatever it takes to make the entire week fun, relaxing, and an event players will look forward to.
As for making it exciting to see players that won't be so unfamiliar anymore, the only thing that comes to mind would be an NHL-style draft. Maybe it's because I'm still hyped up about the NHL All Star Weekend, but I really enjoyed that draft. I enjoy that the NHL makes it a full exhibition game with team captains picking the teams. It really makes it fun to watch completely mixed teams and even teammates playing against each other. It wouldn't make any of the players less familiar but it would mix up the leagues an put players together that otherwise never would be.
The NHL has the entire All Star celebration perfect. I hate seeing MLB's fading away. I know when the game actually comes around I'll just be happy it exists, but watching the hockey this weekend reminds me of everything that could be added.
Major League Baseball is going to have a drastically different schedule starting in 2013 and I think it is going to change the feel of the All Star Game. The game has been a fun way for fans and players to see members of the opposing league who they wouldn't normally see during the season. However, once the schedule changes there will be interleague play everyday. The perpetual interleague play will take away from the value of seeing the other league.
This is a problem Major League Baseball is bringing on themselves. The excitement of seeing the best Tigers or Angels players simply won't be there if the National League team has already played them during the season.
But there are ways to save the All Star Game from spiraling into oblivion. The most obvious thing is to remove World Series home field advantage from the game. With the trend of players dropping out for whatever reason they come up with it would make sense to make the game a fun exhibition again. Don't make it seem like the players being "honored" are really just given more work to do. If being an All Star is really an honor than the league should be doing whatever it takes to make the entire week fun, relaxing, and an event players will look forward to.
As for making it exciting to see players that won't be so unfamiliar anymore, the only thing that comes to mind would be an NHL-style draft. Maybe it's because I'm still hyped up about the NHL All Star Weekend, but I really enjoyed that draft. I enjoy that the NHL makes it a full exhibition game with team captains picking the teams. It really makes it fun to watch completely mixed teams and even teammates playing against each other. It wouldn't make any of the players less familiar but it would mix up the leagues an put players together that otherwise never would be.
The NHL has the entire All Star celebration perfect. I hate seeing MLB's fading away. I know when the game actually comes around I'll just be happy it exists, but watching the hockey this weekend reminds me of everything that could be added.
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