The Midsummer Classic, or more commonly known as the MLB All-Star Game, will be seeing changes this coming summer. Following a new CBA between the league and the players, the All-Star Game will no longer decide home-field advantage for the winning league.
Dating back to 2003, the winning team between the American League and the National League was granted home-field advantage in the World Series for the teams that made it to the Fall Classic. In 1925, a coin flip decided which league would receive home field advantage in the World Series with the leagues alternating every year until 2002.
The MLB All-Star game was the only all-star game that had any meaning behind it. With the major sports in America, the NFL Pro Bowl, the NHL All-Star Game and the NBA All-Star game all mean nothing besides look at how flashy I can be.
In the NFL, the Pro Bowl is at the end of the year, I understand that the players’ bodies are tired and sore. With that in mind, players just nonchalantly play the game and give little to no effort what so ever. You are not allowed to blitz and the defense basically just stands there and the offense either throws bombs or does fancy trick plays. So basically, the Pro Bowl means nothing.
The NBA All-Star game is in the middle of the season and has no meaning at all besides look at what I can do. The NBA is mainly just a show of crazy dunks and alley-oops with the players shooting three pointers at the half court line with the game ending any were from each team scoring 150 points to 200 points.
The NHL All-Star game, up until last year, was a lot like the NBA and NFL where it was just a show. Last year it was changed to a 3-on-3 tournament between all the divisions in the league. So, this is more of a bragging right. This makes it more fun to watch, yes, the players still do fancy trick plays, but they have a reason to play and it isn’t just a bull crap midseason break that the players just screw around for no reason to play.
As stated earlier, the Midsummer Classic was the only all-star game that mattered and had something worth playing for. This could not be all that bad, as long as the MLB committee doesn’t screw it up. Now, instead of getting home-field advantage, each player on the winning team will receive $20,000 as a bonus on top of the salaries already. This is close to the average of about the $24,000 per day that a player makes during the season.
I can see why the change. The last 11 of the 14 All-Star was won be the AL and nine of the last 14 World Series were won be the home team. The change for determining the home team is the team with the best record.
This past year, the Cleveland Indians were the home team over the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs had the MLB best record of 103-58 and Cleveland finished 94-67. It has happened before and will likely happen again. Besides, would the Cubs have chocked away a Game 7 at home? Possibly.
I like the changes to determine the home team in the World Series, I just don’t want to see the All-Star Game get screwed up. Baseball is my all-time favorite sport and I highly enjoy watching the All-Star Game, I just don’t want to see it go downhill and not mean jack.
I understand having fun, taking it easy and enjoying being out there, but for all that is good, don’t screw this up MLB.