The MLB All-Star Game

My favorite sport is definitely basketball, I say all the time that I feel the way about the NBA that most Americans feel about the NFL (how ironic that both are now locked-out) For those that don't know, I am a Huge Yankee fan, I was a Yankee fan before I could walk, my father was also a huge Yankee fan, so despite my love for basketball and the NBA, baseball will always have a special place in my heart and when it comes to All-Star Games, its not even close, the MLB Summer Classic is by far, hands-down, the Best of all the All-Star Showcases around, and there are several reasons.

For starters, Baseball, more than any other sport pays proper respect to the games tradition, and players from the past, each year during the All-Star game, Major League Baseball pays homage to the game of the past, while at the same time enjoying the current players. The All-Star games of recent years have been ways for the casual fan to learn more about the history of the game, showing highlights of All-Star games from years past, and catching up with those same players now. The All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium a few years ago was one of the greatest moments in sports for me, not only was the game itself riveting, a 1-Run, extra innings affair with the American League winning, but the broadcast on FOX was wonderful, the 4-Hour game was filled with highlights and memories from the historic Yankee Stadium.

Then there is the other reason the MLB All-Star game is far superior...the game itself doesn't really change. The NHL All-Star game is vastly different than a regular season game, it is understood there will be no hard checking and certainly no fighting, in the NBA, defense is not played at all, except for maybe late in the 4th quarter, and the NFL, well, enough has been made about how terrible the NFL's all-star game (called the Pro Bowl) is, in place of tackling, players hug, the Pro Bowl in recent years has become a joke, so much so there is talk of eliminating it.

The festivities start tonight, with everyone's favorite event, the Homerun Derby, then Tuesday night is the actual All-Star Game this year being played in Arizona. Last year the National League snapped the long winning streak of the American League, which gave the Giants Homefield in the World Series and thusly a huge advantage (another reason I enjoy the MLB over the others, is something is actually at stake). This year there are plenty of returning players, but several newcomers, and most importantly, plenty of Yankees, the player I'm happiest for is "The Grandy Man" Curtis Granderson, making his second all-star appearance, this year starting in the outfield, Granderson, unlikely as it may be, has been the Yankees best hitter this season, and deserves his spot on the team.

While some old-timers may claim that in fact the All-Star game is different from the game that is played during the regular season, they have a point. While in the past it wasn't uncommon to watch Roger Clemens go out and pitch 6 innings in an All-Star Game, those days are long gone, with the modern worry about pitch-counts and rest between starts, each pitcher goes 1 inning...2 max, and while I'll agree, it's definitely different than a regular season game, its close, and when compared to the other major sports version of the All-Star game, close is good enough.