FOR THE FANS

BY MIKE RIFKIN

All-Star Games are a fun exhibition to watch the league’s best go at it for nine innings to prove who is superior. They used to mean something to the players, but they always have meant something to the fans. But over the course of time the game itself has been overshadowed in every sport. In Basketball everyone looked forward to the dunk contest and the three point contest, in Hockey people loved the skills competition and in Baseball everyone loves the Home Run Derby. The Derby unlike the dunk contest would give you the best of the best, and who didn’t love hearing Chris Berman saying “Back, Back, Back gone”. 

They’ve gone back and forth on changing the rules to the derby, when it was fine. But something has changed this year for the All-Star week, and at a time where Baseball can ill afford to shoot itself in the foot they have. This year’s Home Run Derby is going to be on Netflix, so if you don’t have Netflix you can’t watch. At least when it was on ESPN and people couldn’t watch, they could go to a bar or something and watch. 

I’m not even just mad at the suits of the game, I’m angry at players too. If you know me you know my stance on fan voting, I think it’s stupid and people only vote for their favorite team’s players. But, I will get off my soapbox for that right now, I am mad at players for skipping the game itself. Over the weekend the Dodgers announced Shohei Ohtani was scratched from his scheduled start and would miss the game due to Knee irritation, and he would skip the All – Star Game. So Ohtani’s knee’s bothering him and he can’t pitch or play in the ASG, but he can still DH for the Dodgers the past three days and hit a couple of homers. Now, this is not me taking a shot at Ohtani, I get it the Dodgers are looking to threepeat, something that hasn’t been done since the Yankees of the 90’s. But I feel bad for the fans who have spent the money to go see the All-Star game because this could be their only chance to see Ohtani in person, because we know when the Dodgers come to town, those ticket prices are outrageous. Ohtani isn’t the only one, how about Vladimir Guerrero Jr., he’s not playing due to back issues, but he was in the Blue Jay lineup on Sunday. Now, I get it he’s not having the best offensive season, but the fans voted these guys in. How about Pitchers : Jacob Misiorowski, who was scratched from his start Sunday isn’t going due to arm fatigue, now if he did pitch Sunday he would be unable to pitch in the game. Cam Schlittler of the Yankees, who is having a breakout season just isn’t going to focus on the second half. Like I said I get it, for these guys they all want to win a Championship, and not care about the exhibition. 

As a fan we want to see the best, that’s why we vote for the ASG  and players have every right to turn it down. But with a lockout looming and we don’t know if there’s going to be Baseball in 2027, this is a bad look for players and owners. Because whether it’s the derby being on Netflix, players opting out of the ASG, or a lockout the people who lose aren’t the owners or the players, it’s the fans. The Fans who fill these Owners’ stadiums and pay the players’ salaries, and by the way it’s gotten really expensive to go to these games, the fans are the ones who lose in all of these scenarios. So to the fans, when you watch the game Tuesday Night just remember that during the CBA negotiations both sides will be playing victim, when the real victims are the fans.