Gregg Doyel

The All Star game would not be pointless if it was returned back to its initial intent: An exhibition game for the fans. I love these media people. Most of them probably never played organized baseball, or they didn't even get past little league. Now they go to games for free, and afterwards they spend their time second-guessing the people who have forgotten more about baseball than they will ever know.

The All Star game should be an exhibition game with no post-seaon ramifications. At least one player from every team should participate. The starting players should be selected by gthe fans. The fans, remember them condescending columnist? These are the people who pay for tickets to take their kids to watch Ryan Freel play. These are the people who get gouged at the concession stand and still come back to another game. The fans, the most thankless people of baseball. If the fans want to vote in Ken Griffey to another All Star game even though his best years are clearly behind him, so what!!!? It's an exhibition game. Without the support of the fans, Griffey and all of the rest of the players are not millionaires. Without the fans, shallow columnists have to actually go out and get a real job like most of the fans who are spending their hard-earned money in ballparks all over the country.

Gag me you say? I'm all in favor of it!

wow doyel just wow you are a frickin moron...did u ever think that not only does it determine homefield advantage in the world series but its just fun for the fans to watch and to see all their favorite players in one game...i have a new article you should look into writing and its called CBS Sportswriter Gregg Doyel's ariticles are stupid, ridiculous, and he is a dumba**....why dont you do some research on that and post an article on that doyel you idiot...there are a lot of unemployed people out there that im sure would do a better job than what your doing on this website i would rank you worst than your boy pete prisco at writing garbage

Why is it so bad the All-Star game is for home field in the World Series. It used to be decided by whether it was an even or odd year. Now that is really compelling. It is year 02, so the AL gets 4 home games. Next year the NL gets home field. That doesn't hold any meaning whatsoever. This really happened because guys older than me complained that the all-star players didn't care about the game as much as players they grew up watching. Pete Rose ended someones (Fosse's) career because it meant so much back then. Players in the 90's and 2000's, baseball purists deemed were too lackadaisical. Now the game means something, presumably to make the players and managers care who wins. It at least gives incentive to players on teams in playoff contention to try and win, so if they get to the WS they'll get home field advantage. Letting them play for pride would just be too risky I guess.

I agree. Get the fans out of the voting process. My guess is that 90 percent look at it as a popularity contest, while the other 10 percent actually pick players who deserve to be in the ASG.

If you let baseball people (managers, players, etc), make the selections, people will still come to the ASG. It will still be a sellout. MLB won't lose any money (except for internet advertising on the ballot). You can make that up by upping ticket prices, which is as common as raising taxes in California.

Doyel you seriously need to shut your mouth because all you ever do is whine. The media this, the media that. YEAH, the media is pretty bogus but you're a writer so who gives a crap? We don't go onto this website to hear your latest squeal-plea, we come to read good articles with some solid content.
This was a very pointless retort, why don't you write something worth reading.

Greg Doyel getting paid to write sports columns is almost has bad a Steve Franscis getting paid 15 million to  sit at home and do nothing.  In fact I wish CBS would pay Doyel to sit at home and do nothing so we would have someone else with better articles here.

To bad to. Doyel is getting paid for this.

Pick 28 players. Get the fans out of the selection - they don't know their a**es from a hole in the ground. Play nine innings - if it is a tie - so what? No deciding home field junk. It wasn't broke until a bunch of jerks (The Selig Gang) tried to fix it.

Um, whats the point of 13 pitchers for one game? Half of those pitchers are starters. If you're gonna pick that many pitchers make the majority of them relievers, guys that know how to warm up quickly and only throw an inning or two. If you want more starters then make the all-star game like the rest of the season, a 3 game series. This way the starters can work on their usually day and maybe go 5 innings tops, then bring in relievers. They're going to throw on their off day anyway. Plus, no one really cares who wins or who gets home field advantage. Most of the starting fielders aren't even all-stars, the fans just know the names. You want a real all-star game? Let the players and managers vote the team in and do it like they used to, if you start the game you finish the game, unless there is some reason you can't.