15 innings caps an interesting ASG

A few quick thoughts from the all-star game.

1. Without Josh Hamilton having the greatest round in home run derby history - that is probably the worst derby ever. I mean when the biggest name is Lance Berkman and there are two second basemen it doesn't exactly shape up to be Griffey vs Thomas.

2. Look I hate to see a tie as much as the next guy. But I would have been worried if Verlander threw on Sunday and was asked to take the ball from the 15th inning and throw until the game ended - Kazmir was the last AL pitcher. Baseball is the only sport where you can really affect a team's second half success by having a long exhibition game. To fix the extra inning fiasco in the future I propose the following: (first, I must admit this isn't my idea, but the owner of the idea does not have a blog). To make things fair: Add 2 AAA pitchers and catchers for each league to the all-star roster. You tell the pitchers, "there is no way you getting into the game until we have thrown every all-star, and when you get in the game there is no way you are coming out until the game is over". The catchers would have a similar fate, and they could catch in the bullpen during the game.

Pros: Managers won't have to save a pitcher or two in case of extra innings. Each all-star can have their own moment. Its a great insurance policy. The AAA guys would have a ball. Just being around the All-stars for a few days. I would even be fine with the AAA players coming from the home town's team. This would cost MLB a total of 4 plane tickets.

Cons: We wouldn't get to see Bug Selig sweat for making the dumbest rule in sports - the Winner of the ASG gets home field advantage in the WS. I heard Mr Selig defending this on Mike and Mike the other day by claiming that it wouldn't work to award home field advantage to the team with the best record because there wouldn't be enough time to setup accommodations for the world series. What a load of crap. Bud, you don't know where the first game of the WS is going to be played until the LCS is over! Are you telling me Denver really started making game 3 world series plans last year because the AL won the all-star game? Brutal. If Morneau had been thrown out at the plate last night, how long would it have taken for Bud to call the game this time? Would Francona of left Kazmir out to pitch the rest of the game? Pretty convenient for the Red Sox that the last pitcher left for the AL was Kazmir, no? (know that I don't blame Francona, it just interesting)