The Old Coach is not a big fan of Pro All-Star games in general. Clearly the ASGs of the NFL and the NBA are a joke. Pro football players playing a game where the main objective is not to get hurt makes a mockery of what football fans love about the sport. After all, it’s a contact sport. Participants should be putting their skills on display in order to win a game against other top players.
And basketball is even worse. Playing a game where there is no defense to stop what is basically a dunk contest is not my idea of how basketball games are meant to be played.
Baseball is the last holdout among pro ASGs because they haven’t altered the basic rules of the game. Trying your best to win the game is still important. Unfortunately, Major League Baseball has succumbed to the need for glitz and glamour with a hyped-up Home Run Derby and interviews with players while on the field during play.
First, I’ll address the Home Run Derby. I’m old enough to remember the original weekly TV show Home Run Derby from the 1960’s. It was a one-on-one competition between two MLB sluggers (one from the American League and one from the National) that was televised in 26 episodes. Each week the winner stayed on and the loser went home. It brought together some of the baseball legends of that era, including Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Ted Williams, Hank Aaron, and Harmon Killebrew. I loved that show.
The modern version of HRD as part of the festivities to the All-Star Game was developed by ESPN in the 1980’s. The format has undergone several revisions over the years until it has become the event that we now have with 8 players being selected to compete in elimination rounds. The hitters have 3 minutes (plus a possible additional minute for bonus time) to try and hit as many homers as they can until they get to the last man standing.
And that is what I find issue with. This current format is not healthy for the players. Swinging for the fences maybe 36-48 times in a 3-4 minute span is physically taxing for players who normally don’t take that many swings in a week during the season. If you make the semi-finals, that’s another 48 hard swings. And finalists can wind up with close to 150 swings when all is said and done. Just look how the finalists were completely gassed this year. Add dozens of more swings in the cages in between competitions and you have a greater potential for injury.
When Orioles’ Adley Rutschman was selected to participate this year, I cringed. I had seen how some HRD competitors from years past had come off the All-Star break having trouble getting their normal stroke back for a few games. Thankfully, he was able to put on an impressive display in the first round by hitting from the left side, then switching over to the right side for his 27 dingers without having to tax himself to the point where he could be hurting his second-half of the season performance.
I know there are fans who liked miking up the players on the field for this year’s ASG, but I’m not one. I’m old school, I guess. I think that it takes away from the player’s concentration on the game. Baseball requires players to be able to adjust mentally on a pitch-by-pitch basis. What’s the count? If the ball is hit to me, where will I want to throw the ball? Who’s at the plate? How fast are the runners? Having to answer inane questions by broadcasters or engage in conversations interferes with their mental preparation for each pitch.
The Old Coach was pleased that the Orioles were well represented at the ASG with four all-stars, but I am just as happy that the rest of the O’s will get the four days’ rest before a tough second-half schedule. The Birds could reach 91 wins by playing .500 ball over the last 73 regular season games. If they continue to play solid baseball over the next 2 1/2 months, the playoffs are definitely a possibility.