Reading through Gus' latest Baseball Barometer (so thorough, by the way, that he even gives the heads up on a player in Japan to keep tabs on) I was reminded of something regarding the All-Star Game. Gus mentioned how in the '80s you had to get cable just so you could watch good N.L. teams when they played the Braves on TBS. That's true. And I think it's related to why the All-Star game has seemingly lost much of its luster. There's all kinds of talk about how to add intrigue and excitement to the All-Star Game, including the goofy notion of making it the U.S. vs. the World. What all that talk misses, though, is that back in the days before 24-hour news, cable TV, the Internet, interleague play, etc., the All-Star Game was really the only time you could watch baseball stars on television. There was one Game of the Week, but other than that (and This Week in Baseball, I guess) you had to go to the park to watch baseball. And, of course, if you lived in an A.L. town, you never got to see N.L. stars and vice versa. So, the All-Star Game became intriguing because finally you could watch your favorite players from around the league. Now someone can live in the Aleutians and watch any game any day. Thus, the All-Star Game just isn't that important anymore. Which also means folks should stop wringing their hands over the boredom and just accept that exhibition games tend to be a little boring.
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