The Final All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium

The game started with a living legends ceremony on the field, with the largest collection of Hall of Famers anywhere ever outside of Cooperstown itself. The All-Stars of today want out and met the Hall of Famers of yesterday. Future Hall of Famers including Manny Ramirez, Chipper Jones, Derek Jeter, and Alex Rodriguez shook the hands of guys currently enshrined forever in Cooperstown. That was a great moment that should go down in Yankee Stadium history.

Now, the game itself was pretty good too. It lasted 15 innings, tied for the longest all-time and we almost saw JD Drew and Evan Longoria, I guess he really can do it all, have to pitch because the AL ran out of pitchers. The game ended a little less dramatically than the last 15 inning All-Star game, with a sacrifice fly in right scoring Morneau from 3rd, but nonetheless this game ranks with the greatest All-Star games in history.

My favorite part, as a Red Sox fan, was seeing JD Drew, who had a game tying 2 run homerun in the 8th as a pinch hitter, win the MVP in Yankee Stadium, in front of thousands of Yankee fans. This just adds to the rivalry between the Sox and Yanks. Not only were 7 Red Sox players present in the game, and in the Yankees locker room, and Terry Francona got to sit at the sacred Yankee Manager Desk, but the MVP was a Red Sox, in a game that will likely end up winning the Red Sox home field advantage in the World Series and possibly help them win a 3rd in 5 years.

Many people are saying there is something wrong with the all-star game format because position players almost had to pitch. I don't see a huge problem, but I do like the idea of a National Baseball Week. Monday would be an off day and a travel day. Tuesday would be the futures game. Wednesday would be the homerun derby. Thursday is the all-star game, so his way no one can complain, oh he pitched Sunday, he can't pitch. This way starters can go longer and there would be no need for position players to have to pitch. Friday would be an off-day and teams would begin play again on Saturday.