The MLB All-Star Game 2009 rant

Congratulations - AGAIN - to the American League for winning the summer classic where fans get to see the best players in baseball. American baseball that is... you wonder how many more Ichiro's there are in Japan that are just as good but prefer to stay in Japan.

OK, so I'm a traditionalist. I grew up watching Mays and McCovey playing for the San Francisco Giants. I like the National League. I like that the pitcher has to bat. I like that if a pitcher beans a guy, he has a chance to get up to the plate and get beaned himself. In my humble opinion, the designated hitter has forever changed the game when you try to compare the two leagues. Specialization has created better players at two specific positions, pitcher and designated hitter. When they can concentrate on those skills, it's natural that the average player in those positions would be better in the American League than their counterparts in the National League.

I also abhor the idea that the All Star Game should determine home field advantage for two reasons. First, see above (it just ain't fair). Second, why penalize a team in the National League that may have won more games than the American League champion and not give them home field advantage? Look at the NBA. The team with the best record over an entire season gets home court advantage in each playoff series. That's fair. MLB would give home field advantage to a team that is tops in a weak division over a more successful team that wins the wild card spot. What's up with that?

I understand that home field has not made a difference in the past 6 World Series, but come on. Since when do we give laurels to someone for being mediocre? Oh that's right we do it every day. Kids are learning that just showing up gets them a prize, treat or some phoney baloney ribbon. So why should baseball be any different? Because of the guys that made the game great - Ruth, DiMaggio, Yaz, Mays, Aaron, Gibson, Koufax, Feller, Seaver, Ryan, just to name a few.

So here's my solutions

1. Stop using the All-Star game as a carrot for home field advantage in the World Series. It's an insult to the players that play well as a team.
2. Take the top four teams in each league and create playoffs like the NBA - the team with the best record (#1) plays #4 and #2 plays #3 (with #1 & #2 getting home field advantage). And of the two teams that play for the pennant, the one with the best record gets home field.
3. Like many traditionalists, I vote strongly to get rid of the designated hitter in the American League. It has poisoned the parity between the two leagues.
4. Ironically, I'm okay with interleague play during the season. I think that it fosters the crosstown and intradivision rivalries.

So that's my rant against baseball and "GO GIANTS!!!"