Tonight’s All Star game in Pittsburgh almost seems anti-climatic after last night’s Home Run Derby contest where David Wright almost won hitting a total of 22 home runs. When I was a kid the All Star Game was huge. The ratings were great and the games typically were very exciting. So why is the game so ho-hum now? Except for the huge crowds that are drawn to the stadium, no one watching on TV much cares anymore and that includes the most ardent baseball fans.

I’ll give you three reasons why the game isn’t a must see as it was years ago. Number 1: Years ago, the All Star game gave viewers a chance to see super star players who played their games out of town. A player like Willie Mays for example, came to New York two or three times during the season. The only other time you could see him was on NBC’s Saturday game of the week and the All Star game. Today with ESPN, TBS, and local affiliates, there is so much baseball on television you can see just about any player in the game a couple times a week. If you are fortunate enough to have some extra cash, you can get all out of market games by ordering MLB Extra innings through your cable or dish company or you can purchase games on the internet. So the exposure for baseball and its stars is tremendous today. It is no longer necessary for the baseball fan to make plans to watch a single game in early July to see the stars of the game.

Number 2: Inter-league play has taken a lot of the magic out of seeing the National League players versus the American League players. Let’s face it, it would certainly be more interesting to watch David Wright and Carlos Beltran playing against Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez had they not already played 6 games against each other. Inter-league play while generating huge revenue numbers at the gate has taken a lot of starch out of the All Star game.

Number 3: The fans shouldn’t vote for the players or the game should not determine home field advantage. Personally I would continue to let the fans vote and eliminate the home field advantage thing. The problem with home field advantage being determined is simple. Sure, David Wright, Carlos Beltran, and Paul Lo Duca have a vested interest in winning because the Mets could be one of the teams in the World Series. But how does Jayson Bay or Scott Kasmir get it up for the game knowing that who ever has home field advantage will have no effect on them because they will be watching the World Series like the rest of us—on TV.

If home field advantage is to continue, then the players should at least pick the All Star team. Shouldn’t the leagues be putting the truly best players out there to compete? And who knows better than the players themselves as to who the best players are? The voting is a joke because you can vote for your favorite player as many times as you like. Oh, I know there is a 25 vote limit but that’s per email account not per person.

The All Star game or should we call it All Star week has become an event. With the celebrity softball game and Home Run derby, the game itself is almost an afterthought. A large part of the crowd is made up of corporate owners, clients, and of course TV celebrities who are there simply to plug a new Fox television series or movie. Watch tonight and see how many of these Hollywood fools are in attendance that does not know a baseball from a football. They’re simply there because some studio exec told them to sit in the first row and look pretty for the photo op to hawk the new show.

I will watch tonight for one reason, the Mets have three players in the game. I’ll be honest, the game just doesn’t do it for me like it once did. The baseball execs know it too otherwise they wouldn’t have added Home Run Derby and the other bells and whistles 10 years ago. Friday and the second half of the season can’t get here fast enough. Rest up Mets.

Notes: I certainly hope the Mets brass had enough sense to put their All Stars in the classic pin stripe uniform with the royal blue caps. Please no black jersey, not tonight!

The last All Star game at Shea Stadium was in 1964, the first year the stadium opened. That is unbelievable, 42 years since an All Star game was hosted in New York by a National League team. The Yankees have had the game twice since then. The powers that be should be ashamed. Don’t give me the “well Shea is a dump” garbage. The game has been held in a lot of the cookie cutter dumps over the years. Hopefully the Mets will host one when the new stadium comes on-line in a few years.