Major League Baseball’s all-star game is approaching and in all honesty, I am kind of excited. I like baseball’s all-star festivities, especially compared to the other main sports in the U.S. And if you don’t mind, I’m going to tell you why. Actually, what do I care if you mind?
First, the NFL’s Pro Bowl is a joke and everybody knows it. Nobody wants to play and when they do play, it’s like playing a game of chess, except every piece is a pawn. You can’t really do anything, you’re just there. The NFL should continue to pick the team, but the players shouldn't have to play. What they should do is play a game of flag football. I know they do some stuff like that, but the flag football should be their main event. 7-on-7 flag football with no contact blocking, just like we played in college intramurals. I might consider watching it that way.
The NBA all-star game is cool…if you're 11 years-old. I used to like it, but with age, my feelings for it have waned considerably. Sorry Kenny Smith, the dunk competition is not back. Just because we now know for sure you can blow out a candle on a cupcake AND dunk a basketball at the same time doesn’t mean we needed to know it. If he had taken a bite of the cupcake, that would have been cool. Has anyone tried eating during the dunk? Now I would watch that. Imagine Gerald Green preparing for his next dunk. He gets out a ladder and one of his teammates climbs it with a big leg of turkey in his hand. His teammate holds it out and Green makes his approach. He jumps, bites off a huge hunk of turkey meat and then dunks the basketball. That would be cool. For his next dunk, mashed potatoes and gravy.
Anyway, I got off track. The dunk competition is lame, as is the skills competition and the three point contest. And the game itself just doesn’t do anything for me. It always makes me realize that no matter what the stage, I like some defense. And is there a bigger joke than the NBA all-star game MVP? “Congratulations on being the most valuable player in a game with absolutely no value!” I understand it has value to some fans, but for me, very little.
Then there is MLB’s midsummer classic. It’s my favorite, but it is not perfect. The all-star game tie in 2002 was incredibly lame, MLB’s rule that each team must be represented is dumb, Chris Berman’s “back, back, back” is annoying (I think that is the general consensus these days) and Bud Selig’s rule to give the winning league home-field advantage in the World Series is flat out unfair. The team with the better record should get home field advantage in the Series. That is why you play the regular season.
Despite its fallbacks, there are four reasons why I like MLB’s all-star game.
Reason #1. The homerun derby. It does take too long and Berman does annoy me, but there is nothing better than watching baseball’s finest homerun hitters try to hit the ball farther than any ball has ever flown. Not only that, but when the balls don’t leave the park, its amusing watching a dozen 14-year-olds try to catch a towering fly ball.
Reason #2. Ken Griffey Jr. The only three time champion of the Derby has the most beautiful swing I’ve ever seen and when he used it in the derby it was must see TV. It is my opinion that he be in every homerun derby until he retires. Fenway 1999 was magical. I hope leading up to next week's derby ESPN replays some of its older derbies so we can all see Griffey again.
Reason #3. The ballparks. Unlike football and basketball, every park is different and you get to see the whole park, even on TV. I love the slide that Milwaukee’s Miller Park has out in left field. Minute Maid Park’s cream colored wall with arches in left field. And even back to the warehouse in right field of Camden Yards. That has been engrained into my mind by Ken Griffey Junior Presents Major League Baseball for Super Nintendo. Over the course of the homerun derby and all-star game, we become familiar with every part of each ballpark and it’s traditions like the sausage race in Milwaukee. Football and basketball all-star games can’t compete with that.
Reason #4. The players are competing on both sides of the ball. The pitchers are still trying to get the batters out, fielders are playing defense and the hitters, you better believe they want to hit. As a game, it more closely resembles an actual game than either the Pro Bowl or NBA all star game does.
So there, Major League Baseball’s all-star game is officially the best…according to me.
