2008 MLB All-Star Game Thread

[93Devil]

Mays didn't even acknowledge the crowd when introduced, at least not on camera. That's a big no-no, unless he's got dementia, which someone mentioned here awhile back.

Steinbrenner's entrance was uncomfortable, until Whitey Ford gave him a kiss. That got me.

I don't buy the dementia thing. He found his way to Yankee Stadium. Willie is just a bitter old man for no good reason.

Does anyone think his Godson (and his treatment by MLB) might have something to do with this?

 

[Batman]

As far as rosters go, if you can get every position player in the game, then that's great. But with pitchers, it depends on the game. If one side is up by four or five after four innings, I have no problem going with one pitcher an inning the rest of the way to get as many as possible.

But when its close like tonight, don't burn K-Rod for one out in a tie game in the ninth.

My steadfast rule is that the home-town guys have to play above all others. Outside of that, I think seniority and star power should rule -- unless someone goes to the manager and gives up their chance to play for someone else. Sorry Brian Wilson, but no one wants to watch you pitch. I don't care if it's potentially your only chance.

Except between K-Rod and Rivera, they threw two innings combined -- which is what you'd expect from them. It turned into a wash. The game went 15 freaking innings. Even in a regular-season game you're going to be stretching the pitching thin by then. Maybe some other guys could've gone longer earlier in the game. But it seemed like around the eighth inning or so, when the possibility of extra innings was looming, both managers handled the situation pretty well.

 

[Armchair_QB]

Mays didn't even acknowledge the crowd when introduced, at least not on camera. That's a big no-no, unless he's got dementia, which someone mentioned here awhile back.

Steinbrenner's entrance was uncomfortable, until Whitey Ford gave him a kiss. That got me.

I don't buy the dementia thing. He found his way to Yankee Stadium. Willie is just a bitter old man for no good reason.

Does anyone think his Godson (and his treatment by MLB) might have something to do with this?

I was the one who brought it up. I'm only going off of the feeling I got watching him at that press conference/photo op at the 04 game. Obviously I'm not an expert, and I only saw him for a short period of time, but I watched one of my grandmothers decline thru dementia/alzheimer's and what I saw that day reminded me of her.

 

[goalmouth]

Where the heck was Stan Musial in the HOF tribute? Isn't he one of the five greatest living HOFers?

Oh, that's right. He gives his autograph away for free if you ask. MLB can't have that.

 

[Batman]

Where the heck was Stan Musial in the HOF tribute? Isn't he one of the five greatest living HOFers?

Oh, that's right. He gives his autograph away for free if you ask. MLB can't have that.

So does Bob Feller, and he was there. He was also probably complaining about the game starting at 8:30 instead of 2:30 and how anyone who pitches less than 10 innings a night is a pussy.

 

[beefncheddar]

I'd love to know the point at which All-Star reserves went from "happy to be here" to "I better farking play."

And for all the bitching and moaning Buck and McCarver seemed to make about the roster size, what the heck good would it do to have one, or two, or four more players? All that's going to do is give a manager that many more guys to burn early in the game.

I'll apologize in advance if this is a d_B (because I haven't made it through the whole thread), but aren't there two very simple ways to solve the we're-running-out-of-guys issue?

1. Don't freaking play everybody.
2. If a pitcher threw on Sunday, allow him to come to the game and suit up ... but not be on the active roster. Unless he's got the OK to go at least two innings.

It drives me crazy to hear people (not necessarily here, mind you) talk about how fans want to see their guys play. Well, guess what? Since the game doesn't start until damn near 9 p.m., for the most part the only fans that give a rip about seeing their guys play were in bed long before those players ever got in.

 

[Steak Snabler]

Where the heck was Stan Musial in the HOF tribute? Isn't he one of the five greatest living HOFers?

Oh, that's right. He gives his autograph away for free if you ask. MLB can't have that.

I think Musial has been in ill health for some time. He was always a big hit at the Hall of Fame reunion in Cooperstown each summer, but hasn't shown the last couple of years.

And damn, Bob Feller looked good for an 89-year-old man.

 

[Write-brained]

Where the heck was Stan Musial in the HOF tribute? Isn't he one of the five greatest living HOFers?

Oh, that's right. He gives his autograph away for free if you ask. MLB can't have that.

I think Musial has been in ill health for some time. He was always a big hit at the Hall of Fame reunion in Cooperstown each summer, but hasn't shown the last couple of years.

And damn, Bob Feller looked good for an 89-year-old man.

I bet he could still throw his age.

 

[Boom_70]

Where the heck was Stan Musial in the HOF tribute? Isn't he one of the five greatest living HOFers?

Oh, that's right. He gives his autograph away for free if you ask. MLB can't have that.

Maybe he was busy working on the Budweiser merger.

 

[goalmouth]

Where the heck was Stan Musial in the HOF tribute? Isn't he one of the five greatest living HOFers?

Oh, that's right. He gives his autograph away for free if you ask. MLB can't have that.

Maybe he was busy working on the Budweiser merger.

I will courteously respect your right to misspell Polonia while getting Budweiser correct.

 

[Bubbler]

OK, someone explain this to me. Somebody (Shotty?) brought this up in the thread earlier tonight, and Murray Chass brought it up in his initial not a BLOG! entry on his site, too:

There are ways to create a more meaningful way of determining homefield advantage for the World Series if that’s what they really want to do.
<snip>
One way would be to reward the team with the better won-lost record. But that idea wouldn’t work logistically. Baseball can’t wait until days or even a week before the World Series is scheduled to start to determine where Series game will be played. Airlines and hotels don’t work that way.

That logistical argument makes no sense to me considering that, A) You don't know the two sites of the World Series until a few days before hand anyway; B) Home-field advantage on short notice seems to work fine for the NBA, NHL, and to a lesser extent, the NFL, in the conference playoffs.

 

[KP]

Mays didn't even acknowledge the crowd when introduced, at least not on camera. That's a big no-no, unless he's got dementia, which someone mentioned here awhile back.

Steinbrenner's entrance was uncomfortable, until Whitey Ford gave him a kiss. That got me.

I don't buy the dementia thing. He found his way to Yankee Stadium. Willie is just a bitter old man for no good reason.

Does anyone think his Godson (and his treatment by MLB) might have something to do with this?

If he's that pissed about MLB's treatment of Bonds then he shouldn't have gone to the game.