The All Star Game Is Upon Us

Some ideas I have for the All-Star Week:

• Stop having the game count for something. It's ridiculous. I rather it be rock, paper, scissors or heads or tails. How about this? Just make the best record have the advantage? With interleague play and an unbalanced schedule, it's not more unfair than having record decide who gets home field in the League Championship Series when those teams may play only two series during the year. And since the play different teams in interleague play and different strengths in their own division, it's not like those teams have an equal footing. Just give teams a reason to keep on winning at the end of the season even when they clinch. What could be better for baseball?
• Add a skills competition to the All-Star Week. Cycle competition. Imagine guys like Jose Reyes, Carl Crawford, Chone Figgins, Juan Pierre and, even Brett Gardner, racing around the bases to see who can score the quickest. Fastest Pitch. Warm them up and let them rip. 5 Pitches. Fastest ones advance. Fielding Competition. Have two guys from the other league alternate hitting hit groundballs to the fielder until they let one get passed them. I don't know which ones of these you could do. But there is much more skill than hitting a home run in baseball and you might as well bring it out if you can.
• Shrink the Home Run Derby. Two rounds. 4 from each league. Best in each league makes it to the final. Let it fly.
• Get rid of the pitcher hitting. I can sort of understand keeping this during real games, but you can't have it during an All Star Game. Who watches to see Roy Halladay or Dan Haren hit? What if one of these guys gets hurt hitting or on the basepaths? Just stupid if you ask me

A little All-Star Game version of the links before we get the Midsummer Classic started:

• Rob Neyer gives his all time AL All-Stars. Did we really need a Seattle Pilot? I think that some of these are a little bit of a stretch but I think overall, it was a nice job.
• The OC Register has a different type of All-Star team -- the all-tainted All-Star team.
• President Obama will throw out the first pitch with all the other living presidents there. Think security will be tough?
• The New York Times says that some players have prepared questions for the Commander-in-Chief
• Joel Sherman has some ideas on how to improve the Home Run Derby
• IIATMS has some thoughts on the Home Run Derby as well
• So does Shysterball's Craig Calcaterra (via NBC Sports)
• Bert Blyleven says that Bud Selig has given the All Star Game meaning again. I have to disagree. This sounds like a man kissing butt to feel like a Hall of Famer. What meaning does the game really have?
• The Star-Telegram says that Bud Selig can't have it both ways: meaning it can't be an exhibition and count for something (basically what I said above).

Enjoy!