The suspense was killing you, I’m sure:
And the #FinalVote winners are … Yu Darvish and David Freese! Watch them in the #ASG on FOX on July 10. And thanks again for voting!
— MLB (@MLB) July 5, 2012
Good for them. Even better for Bryce Harper when, inevitably, a member of the NL squad goes down with an “injury,” requiring MLB’s most marketable young talent in decades to have to go to Kansas City for next week’s game. Purely by coincidence, I’m sure.
And once again, let me note the wonderful, over-the-top disconnect between Major League’s official position regarding the All-Star Game — it determines home field advantage for the World Series and thus, by definition counts for something truly important — and its practical approach to it: the All-Star Game is a marketing, public relations and philanthropic opportunity, and the Final Vote’s greatest utility comes from driving traffic to MLB.com and followers to its Twitter account:
ONE HOUR LEFT!! You have one hour to vote as many times as humanly possible for #FinalVote right here on Twitter. Let’s goooooo
— MLB (@MLB) July 5, 2012
To be sure, there is nothing wrong with baseball using the All-Star Game this way. Indeed, in a day and age in which fans can see any player whenever they want and the distinctions between the National League and American League are approaching non-existent, that may very well be the highest and best purpose for the Game as opposed to some actual semi-serious competition like it was decades ago.
But given this, it is high time baseball take away the one thing that doesn’t fit with all that is today’s All-Star Game: actual baseball consequences. Take the World Series home field advantage out of the equation. Let the 98% of how Major League Baseball approaches the All-Star Game — fan-friendly fun, promotional event and money maker — rule, and stop making something that matters like home field advantage in the World Series be decided by things that do not matter:
Hey, @RareBishop, you just won a jersey for your Bourn vote! 1.5 HOURS LEFT. Keep voting and we’ll give more stuff away twitter.com/MLB/status/220…
— MLB (@MLB) July 5, 2012
That’s fun and all, but seriously guys, it should have no bearing on the World Series.