The MLB All-Star game

I have to make a complaint about the upcoming MLB All-Star game. First off, they need to change the name of the game because if it was in fact an "all-star" game then it should be played by players who are all stars.

Last time I checked Mark Redman of the Kansas City Royals was not an all-star player. Mark who? Exactly. I saw this guy's pitching numbers before his start against the Blue Jays and there's probably about 100 pitchers not playing in the so-called "mid-summer classic"that have far better numbers than Redman.

However, the geniuses in the MLB front office say that each team has to have a representative, regardless of how unworthy that team may be. I mean come on, does a futile organization like Kansas City really deserve to have an all-star representative? There is no one on that team who deserves a spot.

So instead you have actual all-stars like Curt Schilling and Francisco Liriano (who should be the starter in the game because he has been the best starting pitcher in baseball so far) sitting out because every team has to be represented. It's a joke.

Secondly, this whole new idea about giving the fans the chance to vote for the last two position spots (one for each league) has got to go. It is an absolute travesty that a meathead like AJ Pierzynski is going to the all-star game over AL studs Liriano (already mentioned) and Travis Hafner.

Nomar getting voted in on the NL side isn't as big of a joke as the Pierzynski vote but the NL spot still should have gone to Chris Young or Billy Wagner.

You want to make that last spot open, make it a vote where the MLB players themselves vote. I can guarantee you that the write players get voted in then. As far as I'm concerned you just took the "class" out of the mid-summer classic by adding Pierzynski to the mix.

And finally, please, for the love of everything that is good about the great game of baseball, remove the stipulation that awards home field advantage in the World Series to the league that wins the all-star game. It, along with requiring every team to have a rep and with providing AJ Pierzynski with an all-star jersey, is a joke.
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Moving on from baseball- it was a sad week for me as a moment I've been dreading for twenty years now occured this past Monday. My boyhood idol, Steve Yzerman, announced his retirement after 23 years in the NHL. I've been a Stevie Y fan since I was 9 years old. Cheering for the Red Wings will never be the same.
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Finally, some quick thoughts on the almost-completed World Cup of Soccer. After watching a few of the World Cup games this year I have vowed that I will never again complain about hockey players diving anymore. My goodness are these guys ever a bunch of Nancy's. I grew up playing soccer and I've taken my fair share of kicks to the shin and elbows to the face. It might sting a bit but to go down like you've just been hit by a Skud missile is absolutely ridiculous. It's downright embarrassing really to see these grown men flopping around on the field like a bunch of jellyfish swept up on the beach after the tide's come in. Be a man. Stand up and take the hit.