MLB All-Star Game - a complete joke?

1998 Yankees · 07-03-2012, 04:38 PM

Major League Baseball's All-Star Game is close to becoming a complete joke. I have nothing against the San Francisco Giants and I'm not even a Mets fan but I have to admit this irks me:

Quote:

But perhaps there’s more reason to question the process when Pablo Sandoval, who missed five weeks with a hand injury, overtakes the New York Mets’ David Wright for the NL starting spot at third base. Wright ranked second in the NL in batting average (.354) and on-base-plus-slugging percentage (1.006) through Sunday. His 50 RBI were double Sandoval’s total.

Sandoval was one of three San Francisco Giants who surged into starting spots in the final week, as the team mounted a voting campaign that was so successful, Freddy Sanchez came in fourth among second basemen with nearly 2.3 million votes even though he has been out all season because of injury.

“I was getting nervous,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy joked. “I didn’t have Freddy all year, and here he was going to get a shot to start the All-Star Game.”

Just ridiculous.

Groucho Marx · 07-04-2012, 03:33 PM

I've never agreed with letting fans vote in starters. Especially in this era where the winning league gets home field advantage in The World's Series.

1998 Yankees · 07-05-2012, 12:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Groucho Marx

I've never agreed with letting fans vote in starters.

The process is a crock of crap in that:

Quote:

MLB's Advance Media's marketing group . . . trades page views for accurate fan voting by allowing multiple online votes by individuals each and every day ASG voting is enabled.

Mets GM Alderson Rips MLB's All Star Voting Process on Twitter » Bob's Blitz

Slackker · 07-05-2012, 11:52 PM

Major League Baseball itself is kind of a joke these days.

The DH. All-Star game tie. The AS game determining WS homefield afterwards. Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds. The rest of the steroids 'scandal'. Crazy prices for a league that has 81 home games. Expansion watering down rosters, specifically pitching. The Mets. The Pirates. Ron Santo. Pete Rose.

I'm very thankful the Olympics start in a few weeks.

The only reason I still care about baseball is a little game created by a fellow named Markus. Some of you may have heard of it.

Le Grande Orange · 07-06-2012, 01:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Slackker

I'm very thankful the Olympics start in a few weeks.

Let me get this straight—you criticize MLB for steroids and then welcome the Olympics? You do realize the degree to which doping is a problem in the Olympics, do you not? Want to take a guess at how many athletes in the Olympics will be disqualified for testing positive for a banned substance? (Never mind all the substances for which there are no reliable tests.)

The Game · 07-06-2012, 02:53 AM

I'm surprised more Cardinals didn't make the ASG. When I went to a game a few weeks ago the season ticket holder in front of me filled out just the NL ballot and only Cardinals on over 100 ballots. She said she does close to 100 every game along with 3 email addresses online for another 75 votes. I gave her the 25 ballots that were given to me since I had voted 50 times online, thinking that she would have been fair about it but she said she was unfamiliar with anyone's stats in the AL. I voted 20 or so times for 1 of my players in the final vote and he didn't make it.

BaseballMan · 07-06-2012, 11:40 AM

I dont mind fans voting but maybe there should be a minimum of games played from the 2nd half of last season and the first half of this season.

1998 Yankees · 07-11-2012, 09:05 AM

Had zero interest in this game, especially since the currently best pitcher in the NL was not chosen to start. Yet another example of the arbitrariness involved. Who won? Who cares?

CD1083 · 07-11-2012, 10:06 AM

The game could have been more competative, but I thought it was a good game.

The KC crowd was great IMO.

TribeFanInNC · 07-11-2012, 11:35 AM

I'll agree with the sentiment that the way the MLB allows multiple voting online really skews the results. I would rather see only one vote per person. Sure, people can still game that system as well, but less so than turning it into 'American Idol' voting. In general, I'm fine with the fans voting for the starters, but the method to the madness is what I don't like.

I think the All-Star Game is great for specific moments more so than the game as a whole. The outcome isn't the point, despite Bud Selig's attempt otherwise. Seeing Cal Ripken hit a homer and win MVP in 2001 is awesome. Seeing Fernando Valenzuela blow guys away in 1986 (I think he K'd 5 in a row). That's why the All-Star game is good. There is still some good there in my opinion.

Goody · 07-11-2012, 12:09 PM

Vote with cell phones to one of those numbers like they use for during the game trivia questions. Only allow 1 vote per day from each cell #.

legofarley · 07-11-2012, 01:47 PM

Does anyone else wonder if the NL would've scored as many runs in an NL park?

Also, does KC suck so bad that even the AL All-stars can't score runs there?

(note: I'm a Mariners fan - I feel your pain KC. At least the All-Star from KC got to play this year. Felix Hernandez just sat in the dugout the whole game.)

jotro · 07-26-2012, 10:25 AM

Home field advantage, skewed fan voting, steroids, egos, and poor choices in starting pitching aside, I think anything that keeps Joe Buck and Tim McCarver employed is bad for baseball and America at large.

The Game · 07-26-2012, 04:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jotro

Home field advantage, skewed fan voting, steroids, egos, and poor choices in starting pitching aside, I think anything that keeps Joe Buck and Tim McCarver employed is bad for baseball and America at large.

Joe Buck and Tim McCarver are 2 of the better announcers. I like them more then Skip Carey, Joe Morgan, the fat guy from SF & Hawk Harrelson.

Mark D · 08-01-2012, 08:08 AM

These people are in charge of putting the starting lineup of a game that will judge what team gets an extra home game in the World Series?

One game should not be the judge of something as important as the World Series. Fans should not be in charge of putting the starting team on the field for that one game, and players from teams that have no chance of making the World Series should not have to be part of deciding the fate of the World Series unless they are great players.

Le Grande Orange · 08-01-2012, 03:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark D

These people are in charge of putting the starting lineup of a game that will judge what team gets an extra home game in the World Series?

One game should not be the judge of something as important as the World Series.

As opposed to the arbitrariness of a club belonging to one league or the other? Because that's how it used to be—World Series home field advantage simply alternated between the leagues each year. I see little substantive difference between awarding it to the league winning the All-Star Game and simply alternating it annually.

Below is the league to which the World Series home field advantage in a given year was assigned, and in parentheses what it would have been had the old alternating method been continued.

2003: AL (AL)
2004: AL (NL)
2005: AL (AL)
2006: AL (NL)
2007: AL (AL)
2008: AL (NL)
2009: AL (AL)
2010: NL (NL)
2011: NL (AL)
2012: NL (NL)

Over the ten World Series, each league should have had home field advantage five times had it been alternating. As it happened the AL had it seven times. So basically the AL had it two more times than would have been the case otherwise. Not exactly a huge difference. Indeed, six of the World Series had the exact same home field advantage assignment. So only four saw a change from what would have been the case from alternating. Of those, three went the AL's way and one went the NL's.

eriqjaffe · 08-01-2012, 04:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Game

Joe Buck and Tim McCarver are 2 of the better announcers.

That really says a lot about the relative quality of announcers these days, doesn't it?

dsvitak · 08-01-2012, 10:28 PM

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

You youngsters need to look up the 1959 All Star voting, and discover why it was taken away from the fans, as a direct result OF the 1959 voting.

07-04-2012, 03:33 PM	#2
Groucho Marx Minors (Double A) Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Barsoom Posts: 148	I've never agreed with letting fans vote in starters. Especially in this era where the winning league gets home field advantage in The World's Series. __________________ "I am opposing a social order in which it is possible for one man who does absolutely nothing that is useful to amass a fortune of hundreds of millions of dollars, while millions of men and women who work all the days of their lives secure barely enough for a wretched existence." - Eugene V. Debs - "If you've ever said this sentence, "I like him because he's a straight talker", you're as dumb as sh1t" - Jim Jefferies, on Trump supporters -

07-11-2012, 01:47 PM	#12
legofarley Major Leagues Join Date: Jan 2011 Posts: 460	Does anyone else wonder if the NL would've scored as many runs in an NL park? Also, does KC suck so bad that even the AL All-stars can't score runs there? (note: I'm a Mariners fan - I feel your pain KC. At least the All-Star from KC got to play this year. Felix Hernandez just sat in the dugout the whole game.) __________________ El Jimbo - OOTP fanatic since V. X & Official Fan of Justafan

08-01-2012, 08:08 AM	#15
Mark D Bat Boy Join Date: Aug 2012 Posts: 12	These people are in charge of putting the starting lineup of a game that will judge what team gets an extra home game in the World Series? One game should not be the judge of something as important as the World Series. Fans should not be in charge of putting the starting team on the field for that one game, and players from teams that have no chance of making the World Series should not have to be part of deciding the fate of the World Series unless they are great players. __________________ Play the Best Baseball Games Online

07-05-2012, 11:52 PM	#4
Slackker All Star Reserve Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Connecticut Posts: 777	Major League Baseball itself is kind of a joke these days. The DH. All-Star game tie. The AS game determining WS homefield afterwards. Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds. The rest of the steroids 'scandal'. Crazy prices for a league that has 81 home games. Expansion watering down rosters, specifically pitching. The Mets. The Pirates. Ron Santo. Pete Rose. I'm very thankful the Olympics start in a few weeks. The only reason I still care about baseball is a little game created by a fellow named Markus. Some of you may have heard of it.

07-06-2012, 02:53 AM	#6
The Game Hall Of Famer Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Inside The Game Posts: 30,937	I'm surprised more Cardinals didn't make the ASG. When I went to a game a few weeks ago the season ticket holder in front of me filled out just the NL ballot and only Cardinals on over 100 ballots. She said she does close to 100 every game along with 3 email addresses online for another 75 votes. I gave her the 25 ballots that were given to me since I had voted 50 times online, thinking that she would have been fair about it but she said she was unfamiliar with anyone's stats in the AL. I voted 20 or so times for 1 of my players in the final vote and he didn't make it.

07-06-2012, 11:40 AM	#7
BaseballMan Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 6,522	I dont mind fans voting but maybe there should be a minimum of games played from the 2nd half of last season and the first half of this season.

07-11-2012, 09:05 AM	#8
1998 Yankees Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Yankee Stadium, back in 1998. Posts: 8,645	Had zero interest in this game, especially since the currently best pitcher in the NL was not chosen to start. Yet another example of the arbitrariness involved. Who won? Who cares?

07-11-2012, 10:06 AM	#9
CD1083 All Star Starter Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 1,590	The game could have been more competative, but I thought it was a good game. The KC crowd was great IMO.

07-11-2012, 11:35 AM	#10
TribeFanInNC Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 4,019	I'll agree with the sentiment that the way the MLB allows multiple voting online really skews the results. I would rather see only one vote per person. Sure, people can still game that system as well, but less so than turning it into 'American Idol' voting. In general, I'm fine with the fans voting for the starters, but the method to the madness is what I don't like. I think the All-Star Game is great for specific moments more so than the game as a whole. The outcome isn't the point, despite Bud Selig's attempt otherwise. Seeing Cal Ripken hit a homer and win MVP in 2001 is awesome. Seeing Fernando Valenzuela blow guys away in 1986 (I think he K'd 5 in a row). That's why the All-Star game is good. There is still some good there in my opinion.

07-11-2012, 12:09 PM	#11
Goody Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: South Korea Posts: 3,530	Vote with cell phones to one of those numbers like they use for during the game trivia questions. Only allow 1 vote per day from each cell #.

07-26-2012, 10:25 AM	#13
jotro Minors (Double A) Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Brooklyn, NY Posts: 179	Home field advantage, skewed fan voting, steroids, egos, and poor choices in starting pitching aside, I think anything that keeps Joe Buck and Tim McCarver employed is bad for baseball and America at large.

08-01-2012, 10:28 PM	#18
dsvitak Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2002 Posts: 5,345	The more things change, the more they stay the same. You youngsters need to look up the 1959 All Star voting, and discover why it was taken away from the fans, as a direct result OF the 1959 voting.