FanHouse All StarGame

The All-Star Game rosters were announced Sunday, and both the American League and National League rosters seem to be missing some names. Baseball fans unwittingly exhibited the follies of the democratic process when they failed to vote for guys like Adam Lind, Kevin Millwood, and Adam Dunn.

Of course, All-Star snubs are an annual ritual. All told, the rosters aren't bad. In today's Dugout, it's revealed that they could have been far, far worse. Read it after the jump.

Even before their first game in 1998, the Arizona Diamondbacks had tried to land an All-Star Game in Phoenix. They had a nice new park to offer, and Major League Baseball seemed to be awarding All-Star Games to cities with new stadiums.

But Arizona kept striking out. The Diamondbacks had to see All-Star Games played in stadiums opened after Chase Field (neé Bank One Ballpark): Safeco Field, Miller Park, Minute Maid Park, Comerica Park, PNC Park and AT&T Park.

Friday word came out that Phoenix is finally getting its All-Star Game, in 2011.

I hate pretense. It's something that almost ruins NCAA athletics for me. Everybody carries on like Division I athletes are amateurs, that everyone follows an archaic recruiting guidebook, that no one cheats or slips people a little money here and there. None of it's true, of course, and it's people that argue for the NCAA in comparison to, say, the NBA, that spout that convenient and annoying tripe. At least in the NBA, there is no pretense of amateurism. People are paid what the market (either rightly or wrongly) values them, something the NCAA will never do for its thousands of revenue-generating athletes.

Which is all a long way of saying: I hate pretense. The same issues infect the MLB All-Star Game, making it an almost painful experience sometimes. I love the idea of the game: these are the world's best baseball players (or most of them, anyway) competing on one field one time a year. There's something special about that.

What's not special is that Major League Baseball and Bud Selig, embarrassed by the tie-game debacle in 2002, have suddenly contrived "meaning" for the game -- the league that wins gets home-field advantage for the World Series. This is supposed to make players care about playing, but has the net effect of making me care far less about the actual game.

Peter Gammons tossed out an interesting blind item in his ESPN Insider blog this weekend:

As it turns out, the reason the 2002 All-Star Game ended up tied was that a pitcher on one of the two teams was imbibing in the clubhouse and was not in condition to pitch, hence the game ended.

And that's how home-field advantage is decided in the World Series, not by regular-season excellence. But then again, what owner thinks about the guys who spend their money on tickets?

Interesting theory, and given Gammons' stature (if anyone is connected enough to know the whole back story, he's the guy) I'm willing to accept it as fact. I'm calling B.S. on his "not by regular-season excellence" assertion, though, since home-field advantage was never decided by a team's record but by alternating between leagues each year.

But still, just who was the player who single-handedly (or not -- maybe he was double-fisting?) gave meaning to the outcome of America's favorite exhibition game?

New Orleans is still officially the home of the 2008 All-Star Game. Remember that. But with the whole fiasco over the hip-hop crowd, and perhaps some concerns over how NOLA will go, the NBA got to thinking. According to The Sacramento Bee, the league has considered taking the game outside of the U.S.A. because of it.

Oh, my bad, this is all because of what a success Las Vegas was:

Building off the interest and excitement of holding the All-Star Game in Las Vegas last month, the NBA has discussed the historic move of taking its mid-season showcase overseas in a merger of its powerful marketing and international appeal, The Bee has learned.

Talks have been preliminary, without so much as a target city or timeline, according to a senior executive. But the league is clearly open to the concept, even with the accompanying logistical issues that would likely include extending the All-Star break from the current window of four days to compensate for jet lag and travel time.

Now, I'm not going to get all conspiracy-minded and tell you that this is an all-out cover-up. Obviously having it in Vegas--a non-NBA city--opened all sorts of commercial doors for the event's future. But anyone who has followed the fallout knows that, at this point, there's no way that the failings of 2007 aren't playing a factor.

New Orleans, New Orleans. You have dealt with immeasurable sorrows. You were supposed to host the 2007-08 All-Star Game. And then Players Association chief Billy Hunter expressed misgivings, major figures like Shaq and T-Mac followed suit, and soon even Rafer Alston's worries were a news item.

Apparently, Billy Hunter has decided to actually get some first hand information. From Ken Berger at Newsday.com:

The fallout from players' association chief Billy Hunter's comments questioning New Orleans' ability to host the 2008 All-Star Game continued late into the week, with NBA Commissioner David Stern meeting with Hunter on Thursday, according to two people familiar with the situation.

Hunter is scheduled to leave Tuesday for a two-day visit to New Orleans, which is trying to rebuild and combat a serious crime problem 18 months after Hurricane Katrina. Hunter and Stern are expected to meet again after the trip.

Imagine that. Instead of people relying on news channels and Spike's snapshot of a disaster, someone with some influence is actually going to investigate the city of New Orleans. Maybe he'll hear about something called Mardi Gras, and how well that went...or maybe he'll get to tour all the neighborhoods that are still in shambles. I don't think this is an easy decision, but at least now it could be an informed one.

With the All-Stars filing into Las Vegas, the Phoenix Suns sent a camera crew to soak in the action (you rock that popped collar, Memo!) and talk to some big-name stars ... like Bo Outlaw!

In all honesty, Outlaw was an entertaining interview, but was I the only one who detected some genuine nervousness when asked what he thought about having the game in Sin City? "Uhhh ... (uncomfortably long pause) ... I'm just anxious to see how it's going to go."

So are the rest of us, Bo.