This weekend comes to the annual break in July for the Major League Baseball (MLB) All Star Game. Those who were voted in to their League’s team will report to Washington DC after Sunday’s game, but many will travel back to their hometown for a little break.
Of the 3 major professional sports leagues (MLB, National Football League and National Basketball Association), Major League Baseball puts on the best All Star Game every summer. Here’s why (in no particular order):
One: Representation of Every Team
Unlike the NFL’s Pro Bowl or the NBA’s All Star Game, MLB requires that every team will be represented at the All Star Game by at least one player from all 30 teams. This way, it truly is the best of all the players from the entire sport.
Recently, this rule has been “controversial” amongst some beat writers because they believe the All Star Game should be the best players in the sport for the first half of the season. Because MLB wants all 30 teams to have at least one player, it takes away the chance for some who truly have earned it, but instead has to give their spot up for another player who has to represent his team. Yes, this may be true, but if MLB wants to showcase the best of their sport from the first half of the season, I think it all 30 teams should be there.
Two: Matchups
With the current stars of today’s game, you dream as a fan to see the best of the best players on a team, even for one night. As fans, you want to see Max Scherzer face Mike Trout. Or Chris Sale to face Bryce Harper. Power versus power. Outside of the playoffs, you never get to see these kinds of pitcher/batter matchups.
Three: “The Midsummer Classic”
There’s something special about this event taking place in the summer. Even though it may be extremely hot and humid around the country, the summer season is a time where students are out of school, families are traveling and people are out and about to enjoy the warm weather. With the baseball season in high gear, this gives fans the chance to watch the game on a warm evening with their family or friends. With the country being in the middle of the year and summer and baseball being in the midpoint of the season, what can get better?
Four: Tradition
Like above, summer time is the time to be out and about. And the MLB All Star Game definately does that by going all out with the traditions that go on every year.
I personally have many memories of watching this game every summer. The pregame ceremonies mostly contain of the player introductions by Joe Buck. The camera goes down each foul line, stopping at each player one by one: “From the (team), (player’s name)” *cheers from the crowd*
For these players, this is a big honor to be at the All Star Game. Not just for them, but to represent their team and city.
While the NFL and NBA make special jerseys for their All Stars to wear (and to sell some jerseys), the MLB All Star Game features the real team jerseys that the players wear every day with a little All Star Game decoration on them.
For 2018, this will be the 89th time the American League All Stars have faced against the National League All Stars, dating back to 1933 that this tradition first started. Fans get to see all of the American League teams wear their visiting uniforms while the National Leage teams will wear their home uniforms.
Nothing gets more Americana than seeing both teams standing along the foul lines with the American flag covering the outfield as the best of the best face off.
Five: Going 110%
While watching the NBA All Star Game, the game itself has turned into all offense with a dunk contest (not counting the acutal one the night before). Often times the score exceeds over 300 points with players only running with half effort.
The NFL Pro Bowl is getting worse, effort wise. Linemen set up for the snap, then just stand straight up with no rush from the defense. In both games, these players just want to avoid an injury with fans losing interest every year. Thought the NFL has changed up the Pro Bowl the last couple years, like the failed “Fantasy”-like style, it has never caught on with fans.
With this game now an exhibition game with no real meaning to it (probably just bragging rights), the players can slack off a little. But this being the All Star Game, they don’t.
In any baseball game, the pitcher still has to throw the pitch. The batter still has to hit the ball. And the baserunner still has to run. Thankfully, there hasn’t been an incident where a player has gotten injured during the All Star Game, but the effort to win the game is going all out.
Final Thoughts: So with those five reasons, I still believe the MLB All Star Game is the best All Star Game of any sport. Yes, it doesn’t count for anything and it’s truly for entertainment, but many qualities of the game are still present. It comes at the perfect time of the year during the summer. Its a time where baseball fans can relax and see the best players play against each other. And the veteran stars get to play with the young upcoming stars get to be in the spotlight to showcase the best of MLB for one night.
When you get these players together, you truly don’t know what to expect. Like from 2017 when Nelson Cruz decides to take a picture with Umpire Joe West with the help of Catcher Yadier Molina:
Like every July, I will sit down and enjoy this year’s All Star Game while not just reflecting on what happened in the first half of this season, but will enjoy seeing the stars of both leagues battle out against each other in our nation’s capitol, Washington DC. Even though these guys deserve a break, playing over 100 games in 16 weeks, it is all an honor for them to be in this game and it will be an honor to watch.
BaseballMickey 