How Far Did You Make It for the All Star Game?

[Redz]

whole thing.

Another tie would have been disaster for MLB.

I was really curious to see what would have happened.  The tie a few years ago was kind of a gutless solution, and now that they have the home field in World Series on the line they would have had to have done something.  I was wondering if they would have put a position player in at pitcher.

I still like the idea of having a Home Run derby along the lines of the NHL shootout.  Choose 5 guys, give them each one shot at a homer.

According to somebody on ESPN (I can't remember who; it could have been hurdle), MLB was asked at the time what would happen in the case of a tie, and the response was "the game will resolve itself". I think that meant that it was being played until there was a winner, one way or the other.  That's the way I prefer it.  If you need to have a position player out there pitching underhand, you do it.

Yeh, I agree with that Roy.  Anything's better than a tie, and playing it straight added a sense of urgency that clearly had an effect on the level of play.  It was the closest thing I've ever seen to a playoff type game in an All Star Game.  In playoff games you get that same urgency.  Seeing that urgency with the many of the best players in the game at every position, was great (Uggla aside )

[klg05]

Hmm, I'm not sure J.D. would have won the MVP if he had pitched an inning!   Apparently, he was the next in line.  Who would have played right field then?  Scott Kazmir? They were out of bench players.

[Redz]

Hmm, I'm not sure J.D. would have won the MVP if he had pitched an inning!   Apparently, he was the next in line.  Who would have played right field then?  Scott Kazmir? They were out of bench players.

As long as he didn't pull a Canseco...It sure would have been interesting.  I guess Kazmir would have gone into RF...Actually they could have inserted the DH

[rondofan1255]

It was about 12 AM here when it was in the 13th inning or 12th. I went to sleep, and I was hoping Kazmir wouldn't have to pitch. I remember Brandon Webb had offered his services, and Kazmir was stretching at that time.

It was a great game. I watched the first 12 innings, and I thought that the commentators were spot-on about Dioneer Navarro being a slower runner, saying beforehand that this might come into play.

The guy JD Drew hit the HR off of seemed like a really good pitcher.

[Big Ticket]

Technically I made it all the way.... although I watched the 2nd inning and then to my surprise the game was still in the 13th inning when I turned on the tv for a nightcap, but I watched through the conclusion.

Straight West Coastin' baby!

(My Twins had quite a weekend). 

[Andy Jick]

it was funny, they kept putting selig's face on the screen late in the game...the guy acted like he wanted to be anywhere else but in that stadium...

awesome game, maybe the best of my lifetime.  even the last play of the game was almost too close to call.

btw, there is no need to "expand" the rosters (mccarver's idea)...as was mentioned earlier, let the (starting) pitchers go 3 innings.  as a rays fan, i know that it was preferred by tampa's management that kazmir not pitch at all.  here's a novel idea: if a guy starts prior to the game then he should be in street-clothes and open up another spot for a fresh arm. 

[Kwhit10]

I go to bed at 10 so I can get my 7 hours of sleep, so not much of it.

[Redz]

How about Michael Young's career All Star Game credentials.  2 game winning RBI's (and that one that almost was where Navarro was gunned down at the plate).

I think the best play of the night was the one that didn't even count.  Guzman, who was playing 3rd for the first time in his career, made a nice play on a close foul ball and threw around the runner to home, where Martin made a sweet scoop.

[Big Ticket]

The solution to me is pretty easy.  Allow position players to re-enter the game after they've been taken out once the game hits the 11th or 12th inning.  Put the big boppers back in and runs should come before too long. Or they could just get rid of the stupid "this time it counts" idea and let games end in a tie once the managers decide there is no more pitching.

Yeah, people were upset when it was a tie in 2002.  That was the gut reaction.  If the MLB had let people settle down for a few days, they would've gotten over the tie once their team started playing again.  No need to overreact and add a silly stipulation that could cause even more of a disaster (see last night).

[Steve Weinman]

How about Michael Young's career All Star Game credentials.  2 game winning RBI's (and that one that almost was where Navarro was gunned down at the plate).

I think the best play of the night was the one that didn't even count.  Guzman, who was playing 3rd for the first time in his career, made a nice play on a close foul ball and threw around the runner to home, where Martin made a sweet scoop.

Great point, Redz.  The Guzman play was absolutely outstanding.

How 'bout the Nats doing everything in their power to preserve homefield advantage for the NL? 

Somehow, I don't think they're sweating too much over the loss in that sense.

-sw

[Jon]

I didn't watch the first 7 1/2 innings, but I watched the last 7 1/2.

[Andy Jick]

bases loaded and NOBODY out...aaron cook induces 3 ground balls to get out of the inning...amazing.

is dan uggla now the official chuck knoblach? 

the guy may never recover from this...what happened to that guy last night?

[Cman]

To be honest, I didn't bother watching it.  For the last several years I have stopped watching the All Star games (MLB and NBA). 

[libermaniac]

I went through TIVO hell again.  I forgot to set up the recording, so I called my wife to do it.  I didn't ask her to choose to go an extra few hours because that's too complicated while she's trying to get the kids dressed for school.  I thought I'd be home in time.  Turns out I didn't get home in time.  The morons who set up the tv schedule had the all-star game as a 3 hour broadcast only!  And, that includes the 40 minute pre-game.  Who in their right mind would think an all-star game could complete in 2:20?  Anyway, when I got home (at 8:30 PST), I quickly set it up to record the rest and realized I had 30 minute gap .... I set it up to go an extra hour.  Turns out I missed all of Papelbon's pitching (I'm bummed, that's mainly what I wanted to see), then, my extra hour ran out in the 12th inning.

[libermaniac]

bases loaded and NOBODY out...aaron cook induces 3 ground balls to get out of the inning...amazing.

is dan uggla now the official chuck knoblach? 

the guy may never recover from this...what happened to that guy last night?

Ya, that was sad.  Fortunately for him, his miscues didn't directly lead to losing the game.  Although, his offensive miscues surely did ... but that's not going to scar him.  I bet he shrugs it off and laughs about it later.