I didn't even flip by the channel.
My interest in the all-star game probably began waning when I started playing fantasy baseball and hated the three days of no player stats to follow.
What really sealed the deal, though, was when they ended the 2002 game in a tie because they ran out of pitchers. Obviously, managers were trying to get everyone into the game instead of playing to win.
If they didn't take the all-star game seriously, why should I?
The all-star game was created in an era when there was no television. Even with the advent of TV, fans in flyover country were lucky to get more than one game on TV per week. The all-star game provided fans a chance to see a Roberto Clemente or Willie Mays or Bob Gibson one more time when they might see them three times a season before the World Series.
Now, virtually every game is available on TV (except games that conflict with FOX's Saturday broadcast - thanks for nothing, FOX).
SportsCenter, Baseball Tonight and other cable shows offer almost instantaneous highlights.
Today's players treat the all-star game less seriously than a spring training game. Do you remember Pete Rose barreling over Ray Fosse to score the winning run back in the 1970s? Fosse was never the same player after the injury.
Say what you will about Pete Rose's off-field problems, he played baseball to win. That's the way today's players should approach the all-star game, but it will never happen.
If the all-star game were to go away I wouldn't miss it a bit.
Am I full of it? Tell me where I'm wrong in the comments section of this post.
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