The first half of the MLB season came to a close yesterday afternoon as teams finished their final games of the weekend, and packed up for a four-day hiatus from one of the most demanding schedules in sports. With just under 100 games played for every team, the All-Star break brings a welcome reprieve from the non-stop contests day-in day-out for these guys who spend more time with their teammates than they do their own families. Four days may not seem like a lot, but when you never have more than one day in between games, and often play anywhere from three to ten games in a row, four days can feel like an eternity. However, not everyone in the league gets a break from baseball as the games best players gear up for the All-Star game and all of the festivities that has to offer. Though as the years pass by, it seems All-Star Week loses a bit of it’s intrigue as the rules, schedules and player’s interest devolves.
It is no secret that across the four major professional sports in North America, the All-Star games have become more about the publicity and less about the competition. The NBA All-Star game has become a hollow replication of the Harlem Globetrotters where players more try to score the sexiest buckets, hit the deepest threes and drown the nastiest dunks in a “game” format. They have changed the format of their game numerous times, including when they had players as captains who drafted teams instead of playing the traditional East vs. West. In 2022, the All-Star game final score was 163-161. Not a single shred of defense was played, and shocker, people didn’t tune in. In the NFL, they have completely abandoned the All-Star game format and moved to skills competitions. Players were halfway playing, and halfway just trying to stay healthy. There was no rushing the passer, no true tackling just bear hugs and, again, defense was nowhere to be found.
The best way I can put into words this transition is the athletes went from actually wanting to participate and compete in the games to feeling like they were being forced into the role of All-Star. Now, the argument has shifted to these players not giving their full-on, 100% effort because there was no true upside. There was no monetary reward (or at least not one big enough to make a difference in their lives) for participating. Pride of being an All-Star has left the building and these guys won’t lift a finger unless it’s to sign their name on the back of what better be a very big check.
The MLB is really the only “true” All-Star game where players treat it like an actual sanctioned contest. There’s a low risk of injury, and baseball is still considered America’s pastime and has always been the last to change. However, that doesn’t mean that change hasn’t been seen. The MLB All-Star game used to determine homefield advantage for the World Series, it gave the players a reason to compete. It was perfect, players of teams in the hunt felt like they could single-handedly earn their franchise and city the crucial extra home games should their club make it to the final series of the season. But the MLB scrapped that because it felt like an unfair way to determine such an important aspect of the World Series. That doesn’t mean guys stopped trying, but it did definitely take some of the wind out of the sails. Where we have also seen change has come in the first, and most electric event MLB All-Star weekend sees in the Homerun Derby. And those changes have killed one of the greatest nights in the MLB season.
The Homerun Derby format used to be the games heaviest hitters, stepping up to the plate with 10 outs to flirt with while trying to leave the ballpark as many times as possible. It was simple, it was powerful and it was fun. So easy to follow; Hit a homerun, if you don’t, out. Now, hitters have an allotted amount of time on the clock to hit as many homeruns as they can, but must wait until the ball lands before the next pitch is thrown. If they hit two homeruns over a certain distance, they are awarded an extra thirty-seconds to try and add onto their total. It is bracket play where they coordinate matchups between hitters, ultimately crowning a champion after three rounds. Not exactly as cut and dry as it once was. One of the big proponents in changing the format was time constraints, ESPN wanting to have scheduled programming so they implemented a way they knew exactly when the Derby would begin and end. In the previous setup, you could essentially have a guy swinging until midnight if he kept leaving the yard. They also tried to drum up more excitement in terms of the matchups between two hitters, hoping to create a sense of rivalry. But it hasn’t exactly worked. The Homerun Derby is supposed to be a brainless experience. We want to sit on our couch and watch guys hit moonshots, we don’t want all of the different scenarios and situations that arise with the brackets and the T-Mobile :30 second bonus segments on the back end. It has become too much. There’s something beautiful about watching the best hitters in the world swing out of their shoes, but with the time limits we can barely follow the ball leaving the park because the hitter has to swing again so quickly. There’s just too much going on for an event that should be so simple.
Tonight, we get another rendition of the new-look Homerun Derby, it will get underway at 7 PM CT, and will be broadcast on ESPN. I am curious if people share the same sentiment that I do and miss the old days of the Homerun Derby when Sammy Sosa was nearly hitting balls completely out of the stadium and balls landing in the upper region of the 300 section. I will still tune in, but it simply won’t be the same.
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