Home Field Advantage?

So the All-Star game is here. The players the fans want to see, the players the managers picked, the players the other players picked and at least one representative from each team. I am excited.

The one thing I dislike about the game is that it is played for home field advantage for the World Series. This is supposed to be an exhibition game, not mean anything, but that is not the case. The truth is, however, we fans are responsible for this change, we have no one to blame but ourselves.

The change occurred a few years ago when a game ended in a tie because all the pitchers were used up. On the one hand, if managers did not believe in bringing in pitchers to pitch to one batter, or even pitch for just one inning, then this would not have been an issue. I hate the way the game has changed over the years, how in a low scoring game, you still see games where a total of six pitchers or more were used. On the other hand, what is so terrible about a game ending in a tie? Every player got into the game. The fans got to see a good game, if memory serves correctly, an extra inning game, and got to see their favorites play. Why then did the fans boo when it was announced they were calling the game a draw? Why was there a protest?

The Commissioner of Baseball, Bud Selig, needed to address the displeasure of the fans. He came up with something that forced both sides to play the game as if it meant something, which it does. I do not fault baseball, or Bud Selig. It is the fans who are to blame for this change. Hopefully, we’ll learn from this.

As for the break, hopefully it will allow the Mets to recharge their batteries and come out of the starting gate strong, following the break.