MLB: Follow high school’s lead

The best part of the All-Star Game festivities is already over, now we must endure the game itself.

The sad part is that I once cared about the All-Star Game, which has its 79th installment scheduled to start around 7 p.m. today at Yankee Stadium.
 It lost its luster for me before the infamous tie game in 2002.
That, of course, was the game at Miller Park in Milwaukee — Bud Selig’s backyard — when the teams were deadlocked at 7 in extra innings when Selig pulled the plug and declared it a tie.
That game has served as a sparkplug for an unnecessary debate that rages each year since that game.
The fallout was Selig, in an effort to get egg off his face, determined that the All-Star Game should decide home-field advantage for the World Series.

I think part of the reason I used to enjoy the All-Star Game so much was the exhibition format.

After these phenomenal players have endured the rigors of just over half a season, they all seemed to enjoy the moment of playing a few innings for fun.

Technology is another factor. I loved the All-Star Game at a time when I rarely got to see the game’s best players in action. Sure I could catch a few highlights on ESPN, but to watch an entire game or even a few innings was nearly impossible.

Even catching a game on the radio was tough if the team wasn’t in your market, but that’s all changed. I regularly watch multiple games on MLB.TV and Sports Editor Kyle Smith can listen to any game he wants through XM Radio.

But the exhibition format is what has always made the game so fun. The best in baseball gather to show their skills and have fun doing it.

That is gone now, thanks to Selig’s vain attempt to undo the damage he did in 2002, which simply adds to the negative legacy he’ll leave when his days as commissioner are done.

It all could have been avoided on that fateful day in 2002 if Selig was familiar with the rules of high school or Legion baseball in most states.

Then, he could have stood up from his perch near home plate and shouted, RE-ENTRY!

Why not throw out the MLB rules for this exhibition and allow players to come back into the game?

Not only would the game have more interest for fans because their favorite player may not be done after the third inning, it would guarantee that the fans would get to see every all-star in action.

Last year, National League Manager Tony La Russa chose not to use St. Louis first baseman Albert Pujols — a guy that’s easily one of the top five players in baseball.

La Russa said the decision was strategic in case the game got extended, but that problem would be negated if players were allowed to come back into games.

I think it’s a simple thing MLB could do to re-enhance the All-Star Game experience, and it would probably help add to fans’ interest. Plus Selig could still keep the home-field factor and the ultra-lame theme, “This one counts.”