Things That I Love: The MLB All-Star Game

I remember when I was a little kid and I knew nothing about baseball. Well, I knew two baseball players: Kirby Puckett and Kent Hrbek. I never saw Kent Hrbek in an all-star game as his only appearance was in 1982, but even during the Twins lean years, I could always look forward to seeing Puck in the all-star game and doing something awesome. Even after Puck retired, it was still a thrill to see that one Twins player in the all-star game even if it was Ron Coomer, it was still a Twin dammit! For this and other reasons I love the MLB All-Star game.

This game just feels really pure compared to other sports. The players want to be there. All teams are represented. The fans really enjoy it. Not to mention it's in a feel good time of the summer, right when baseball is starting to peak interest. When you compare other all-star games, there is no comparison.

In the NBA, it's a ballerfest. Guys such as LeBron James and Kobe Bryant don't play defense and try to score 200 points a piece. It's a horrid game and usually it's not even that fun to watch. There might be a slam dunk that's pretty sweet, but it's not intriguing at all.

In the NFL, it's even worse. A majority of players selected to the pro bowl don't even go because it's at the end of the season, when they're truly beat up. Not only that, but you can't connect with a player in the NFL like you can in baseball. Even when Adrian Peterson won the Pro Bowl MVP trophy in 2007, it wasn't that interesting. Sure it was cool, but the game gets treated like a vacation. Who wants to watch that?

The NHL is a random goal scoring fest...I guess there's not much else to say here. I want to see a fight in the ASG here. That would be pretty sweet.

The MLB All-Star game just feels intriguing. Is it because the home field advantage in the World Series is on the line? Maybe. But I think why the MLB game is so intriguing is this...there is NOTHING else going on in the sports world. Baseball takes the spotlight for one night.

Also because every team is represented, all fans have something to look forward to. Just like me as a young kid, I could always count on a player from the Twins in the all-star game. It's a great way to get some young players such as Zach Grienke and Adam Jones noticed.

The same goes for the stadium. Recently, MLB has been showing off some kick ass stadiums. PNC Park in 2006, AT&T Park in 2007, Old Yankee Stadium in 2008, and of course New Busch Stadium this year. MLB also seems like they'll show off Angel Stadium in LA in 2010, Chase Field in 2011, Kaufman Stadium in 2012, a NL park in 2013, and hopefully Target Field in 2014. It's always awesome to see what the new stadiums are starting to look like.

So if you have the chance Tuesday night to check out the all-star game, I recommend it. Even if you're not a baseball fan, check it out. It's always a good time to check out and now that we know none of these guys are on steroids...well, at least we think they're not. Oh well. Just check it out.