How to Improve Baseball's All-Star Game: Add the Minor League Lifer Game

Many years ago baseball's All-Star game was a big deal. Players wanted to play in it. Players played hard in it. Players played so hard that they got injured or in the case of Pete Rose, they injured other players while running the bases. That's not the case anymore. The All-Star game has been diluted into part of a side show and is played as casually as a game of Sunday afternoon croquet. After the 2002 game was allowed to end in a tie, Major League Baseball commissioner attempted to give each squad more incentive to play hard by giving the winning league home field advantage in the World Series. Watching Alex Rodriguez jog home from second base on a single to right field and be easily thrown out showed me that home field advantage isn't enough incentive.

Why is the game played so casually?
There are a number of factors that brought the game to its current lowly state. Cable television and national broadcast rights has brought baseball to TV sets a lot more frequently than it used to. For some players back, even as recently as the early 1980s, their only chance to play on national television was during the All-Star game and they had every intention of playing hard. That's not the case anymore as players are on potentially on TV multiple times a year.

Salaries have also played a role. Up until the dawn of free agency in the mid-1970s, the All-Star game could be used as a showcase for your talents. A big season would be the only means of getting a decent raise and a strong showing in the All-Star game would help make your case.

Interleague play should share some of the blame. Up until the American League teams began playing National League teams during the regular season, the only time to see top players from rival leagues square off was during the World Series or the All-Star game. What slugger wouldn't be pumped to face the top pitcher from the other league? Now that he might face that guy in the regular season every other year, whatever drama was built into the match up has been eliminated.