hecklongtree

Well, the Midsummer Classic is over and, once again, the American League won. And, since Baseball Commissioner Selig decided that the All-Star Game winner gets home field advantage in the World Series, that means that, once again, home field advange will go to an American League team.

Bud Selig implemented that rule after the 2002 All-Star Game, when, to please the fans, both mangers used up all their players. When the game went into extra innings, neither side had any pitchers left. Selig decided to let the game end in a tie. The All-Star Game had become, in Selig's view, uncompetetive. The managers were more concerned with getting all their players in the game than they were with winning. For that reason, he decided to award home field advantage to the All-Star Game's winner as an extra insentive to win, beyond simple league pride.

Selig's decision was really an over-reaction, since nothing like this ever happened before. There was only one other All-Star Game that ended in tie, in 1961,and that game was stopped because of rain.

A better, more fair rule, is simply to give home field advantage to the team with the best record. That would reward the team that played the best baseball all season long.