As Kevin Garnett raised his NBA All-Star Game MVP trophy over his head, I knew right then and there that no one would remember. For one thing, Michael Jordan played in his last All-Star game, a game highlighted by the controversy over the fact that he would not accept a starting spot until game time and a halftime show with Mariah Carey dressed in modified versions of his rookie and current uniforms.
Secondly, who cares about the All-Star Game when fans have the Slam Dunk contest, Three-Point contest and the Rookie vs. Sophomore challenge? By the time the game comes, people just want it to be over.
The All-Star Game in itself is pretty much useless. Whether it is for football, basketball, hockey or baseball, fans come to see the festivities and contests, and the game is only an afterthought. It makes sense to think like that, because there is no reason to follow a game that has no meaning to it.
Next season, however, this will change. Major League Baseball is raising the stakes of its own Midsummer Classic for obvious reasons. Last summer's MLB All-Star Game ended up an 8-8 tie after both teams ran out of pitchers. Fans and players left angry because, for the first time in baseball history, they left the game without it decisively ending one way or another.
So, to hopefully keep that from happening again, baseball is introducing a new twist to its next game. The winner of the game, whether it is the American or National League All-Stars, will give their representative in the World Series home field advantage in the best of seven series.
I'll be somewhat anxious to see what kind of action Comiskey Park will field next season (I know it's now called U.S. Cellular Field, but I know it as Comiskey, not U.S. Cell. Just like I call it Candlestick and not 3Com Pac Bell Park or whatever it is). I want to see if players come out swinging for the fence and try to give the fans a show instead of putting more energy into the Home Run Derby.
Now the thought of this kind of addition into basketball and hockey would be a good idea (football has their All-Star Game after the season is over, which is not like baseball, basketball and hockey, which do theirs at the midway point of the season). I'm not saying that these respective All-Star games were bad or anything. I actually liked the NHL game because it was so close and ended with a shoot-out. Basketball also had a great game into double overtime with the West winning 155-145.
Give these players something to play for, and the level of entertainment will go up. And that's what everyone wants out of their respective All-Star weekend, right? More entertainment.
