All-Star Thoughts

The thoughts aren't All-Star level, let's be clear on that

I used to really love the All-Star Game. I got actively into baseball a little late (1987, when I was 11) and the first ASG I remember is 1989. I started recording the game that year and did for much of the next decade. It was appointment viewing, in part because (since I didn’t see many Cardinal games) it was one of the only times to see Ozzie Smith.

Even after I got away from recording the games (and I wish I hadn’t tossed them out on a recent move, because it’d be nice to convert those over from VHS to watch some of those legends again) I still watched the game. The home run derby was cool when that came along but seeing these legends all together in one shot was pretty awesome.

I’ve gotten a little away from the ASG, probably in part because I can see the Cardinals every day, but I still try to watch when I can. Yadier Molina’s been usually a constant, so it’s always good to see him and hear other players rave about him. We’ve had Adam Wainwright out there, of course Albert Pujols was a mainstay when he was a Cardinal, and all in all it’s fun to see “our guys” interacting with others.

In the past, I’ve been pretty passionate about certain parts of the All-Star Game. I’m a fierce proponent of fan voting, arguing that it doesn’t matter if the “wrong” players start, this is a fan game and it should be who they want to see. With managers filling out the rosters, it’s rare a truly deserving person that’s not a borderline case gets left off.

I was very much against having home field ride on the All-Star Game, especially if they weren’t going to actually treat it as a game. If you were going to do that, you had to go back to the old way of playing, where the starters stayed in the game (Stan Musial twice got five at bats in an All-Star Game) and the honor was being there because you might not play in it. When you are treating it as an exhibition, having such an important thing as the World Series being tied to it is ridiculous.

So that said, some general musings about the current state of the ASG.

• In 1989, the starting pitchers were Dave Stewart and Rick Reuschel. Both of them went three innings, which was kind of the standard. I'd like to see the game return to that. Of course, that limits that pitcher from then probably starting on Friday when the schedule picks back up, but it’d be nice if the starting nod meant that people could see that pitcher more. Last night, Max Scherzer and Shohei Ohtani both just went one inning. They combined to see six batters. If you tuned in late, you missed it.
  
  I mean, Corbin Burnes went two innings after Scherzer. I don’t think any All-Star reliever should pitch more than the starter. At least the AL just threw everybody for an inning. Seeing Burnes more than Scherzer feels like a violation of what the All-Star Game is about.

• The lack of exposure goes for the hitters as well. In fairness, things didn’t really start changing in that manner until the fourth or fifth, but still Fernando Tatis Jr., a guy you want to market to the casual fans and those that don’t usually tune in, got two at bats and was done for the night. I’m not saying that you get back to the old-school idea of starters going the distance in the ASG, but some guys should get more play. These are the guys the fans want to see, so they should be out there more than those that lost in the voting. More than that, though, you need to make exceptions for the Tatises and Guerreros (at least Vlad Jr. got three AB). There’s not an uproar if Brian Reynolds doesn’t go deep into the game except in the Reynolds household. Let the superstars play and keep the stars in reserve.

• Voting this year seemed weird. Of course, I’ve not been overly enamored with the whole “25 votes a day” thing from the past. Obviously, you have to have internet voting, though I wish it would be supplemented with voting in the ballpark like the old days. (Heck, make it unlockable in the Ballpark app if you are there or something if you don’t want to mess with paper.) Multiple votes seemed over the top, though.
  
  That was pretty normal, though, compared to two levels of voting, one to narrow it down to the finalists, one to get the starters. What was the purpose of that? Just vote for the starters. Next thing you know we’re going to have ranking choice voting and we will have to start the voting in spring training to make sure it is done in time.

• I’m a little bit torn on how seriously to take this game. On the one hand, I think a real game played with star players would be pretty awesome. Can you imagine regular strategy but being able to take out Scherzer in the sixth and replace him with Craig Kimbrel? Or sending up Manny Machado to pinch-hit in a tough situation in the eighth?
  
  On the other hand, I really liked seeing the fun the players were having last night. The Nelson Cruz selfie from a couple of years ago seemed to have kicked it off, but we saw more smiling and goofiness last night than you would ever see in a serious game. Vlad Jr. giving Scherzer a hug after almost decapitating him was cool. The interactions of the two teams did allow for it to feel like a backyard game, which is probably the best way to appeal to a larger audience.

• Colorado still loves Nolan Arenado. We knew that from watching the series a week ago but it was awesome to see the biggest ovations on this stage for a current Cardinal.

• I had no idea Rockies fans had that level of animosity against everyone in the NL West. I could probably understand the Dodgers, but I think they even booed the Arizona representatives. I don’t think St. Louis fans would have done that for the Pirates if it was Busch. Sure, Nick Castellanous would have heard it and the Cubs as well, but can’t think they’d have said Boo-urns.

• I realized how out of touch I was with the game in general. I knew most of the players, but some of the pitchers especially in the AL I had no idea who they were or, if I wasn’t looking at their jersey, what team they were employed by.

• Speaking of uniforms, who in tarnation decided it was a good idea to have the Derby in regular uniforms and the game in some generic kit? While the general look of the uniforms was better in person than the pictures posted a couple of weeks ago, why didn’t they just use those for the Derby like they have for the last decade and a half? Watching the game and seeing the players in their normal home or road outfits was always nice and cool. Making them all look alike was a terrible call.

• Interestingly, the NL staff struck out 12 and walked just two while the AL staff walked four and struck out three. The NL put the ball in play, for all the good it did them. It looked a lot like the Cardinal offense we’ve seen much of the season.

• Kris Bryant definitely would have gotten the Goat for the NL if you wanted to assign it. Two at bats, no hits, one strikeout, five left on base. A hit in either one of his AB would have made the game a bit different.

The draft is done. The All-Star Game has passed. Now it’s time for the stretch run and a flurry—hopefully—of trade activity. Unfortunately, we have two completely dead days before all that!