All-star week…the good, the bad, and the Ortiz!

At long last, All-Star festivities are upon us and have taken Kansas City by storm! Let’s set the scene for tonight’s epic clash of MLB Titans. Kauffman Stadium…a beautiful ballpark filled with beautiful ladies, baseball fans, and MLB superstars itching to showcase their skills on the grandest of stages! Wait…let me rephrase…MLB superstars itching to get the hell out of there and get some much needed R&R.

While the disinterested attitude isn’t prevalent across the board, surely there are some players soaking it all in but for many of the players, this is old news…simply showing up is a formality to acknowledge a flawed fan voting and selection system. This post is dedicated to the all-star week…what’s good, what’s not…and my two cents.

The good:

-          David Ortiz: It is undeniable that this guy is having a good time whenever he’s at an ASG. Watching him last night involved in the derby, in which he wasn’t even competing, was highly enjoyable. Let me preface my next sentence by noting that I am a staunch heterosexual but Ortiz has a smile that’s infectious…you can’t help but feel all warm and cozy inside. Watching him last night brought back memories of watching Shaq at the dunk contest where Vince Carter put on an absolute clinic.

-          Kauffman Stadium: Looks like a real good place to take in a ballgame.

-          The effort: I like that in MLB, unlike pretty much every other sport, the players TRY TO WIN. This definitely enhances the enjoyment of the game. I have no problem with awarding the winner home field advantage in the playoffs…it’s an interesting solution to add some spice to the game.

-          The trade rumors: gotta love this time of year for good ol’ fashioned speculation. Gotta love how everyone, myself included becomes a qualified general manager…makes for great reading and false hope (Yu Darvish anyone?)

The bad:

-          The Yankees: The source of all evil. I hate that, because their market is so gigantic, they get their players voted into the game…deserving or not. If we look at the numbers should Granderson be in the game over our beloved Edwin Encarnacion? NO! EE has a better AVG (.295 vs .248), OPS (.947 vs .854), RBI (58 vs 48) and they are tied at 23 HRs…I guess Granderson has 11 more runs scored but an All-star that does not make.

-          Berman: Watching the HR derby gets tiring real quick. While I give the panel some credit for being able to sustain their feigned excitement for HRs, listening to Berman say “back back back back back” is worse than forgetting to wash the suicide wing sauce off your hands prior to using the mens room.

-          The hiatus: I get that there needs to be an ASG and that the players can definitely use the break. The problem is that there is nothing going on in the world of sports and I have to go 3 days without any action in my fantasy league. BRUTAL!

-          Kansas City…Missouri…how does that make sense?

Moving on…let’s look forward to a solid wrap up to the season and let’s hope that the Jays can turn some heads at the trade deadline that will carry them to the Promised Land. This city is yearning for a winner!

Blogaroo time …

Just a few thoughts about the 2012 ASG:

I think we’re all in agreement that the ASG is a meaningless affair, and that trying to validate its existence by awarding home field advantage is ridiculous.

I heard Gregg Zaun say that in 2006 when the Cards won the World Series, they finished the season with 80-something wins and were awarded home field throughout the playoffs because the NL won the ASG. The kicker is that the Yankees had 100-something wins and were by far the best team during the regular season. I’m all for kicking the Yankees while their down, but I feel that the best team during the season should be awarded home field in the playoffs.

Anyways, this is a philosophical difference that I think people will continue to debate.

About last night’s HR derby: truth be told, I’m a fan. I liken it to watching Blake Griffin in the slam dunk competition. I know it means nothing, but it’s interesting to watch what is possible. Take for example Mark Trumbo’s blast off the roof of the structure in left field! Because of that, I believe it is now apt to refer to Trumbo as Paul Bunyan or Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter because dude can swing a stick.

Another thought I had was, are there any ribs left in all of Missouri after John Kruk and Andrew Jones got to town. The banter between Kruk and Nomaaaaaaaa (my twin) was entertaining as well.

Who would have envisioned seeing four players on an Albert Pooholes team yucking it up and high-fiving without seeing Pooholes. For the record those players are Weaver, Wilson, Trout and Trumo. All of whom are deserving of being there.

Lastly, and somewhat more seriously, watching the ASG in Kansas City made me aware that revenue sharing between teams actually works. Take the Royals for example. Kauffman stadium is an amazing ball park, and the Royals are a very talented, young team with the likes of Moustakis, Gordon, Perez, Hosmer etc. I imagine that a large part of the money the Royals received from teams like the Yankees and ‘Sox went into renovating the stadium and improving team scouting.

Let’s look at a couple other examples. The Bucs, currently first in the NL Central, also play in a gorgeous park (PNC) and have a team built around excellent scouting. The Orioles, currently second in the AL East play at Camden Yards – my choice for nicest ball park in the league.  The Orioles boast a young core of players, namely Weiters and Jones, and have a bevy of pitching prospects coming up the pipeline.  All three stadiums ranked very high on ESPNs nicest ballparks in North America list.

It appears as though these three teams are following a similar formula; first build a facility which is beautiful and will attract fans, and second invest in minor league scouting and marketing of those players.  It’s almost too bad that during the dreary years of the Jays, the team wasn’t quite bad enough to take advantage of the revenue sharing opportunity. It’s encouraging to see perennial cellar dwellers; the Bucs, O’s, and Royals doing well and having a bright future.

Another thought goes out to those who disagree with the rule that every team has to have a representative at the ASG. I encourage this rule - infact I embrace it. Think about what would happen if this rule didn't exist ... the entire AL starting line up would consist of Yankees and 'Sox players. As a Jays fan I already have to watch 30 games against these teams, none of whom I'm excited to see. The only reason I'd watch the game is to see guys I don't get to very often, mainly NL players or the AL teams on the left coast.

In lieu of my lack of interest for the ASG, who do you think is being sent home on Hell’s Kitchen tonight ?