All Star Votes and WS Home Team

by Shanghai Badger on Apr 30, 2008 4:14 PM CDT

As Al noted, the voting has begun. Being relatively new to this community - not having found the site until last off season, I don't know what the consensus is on this, but

I think the ASG deciding home team for the WS is completely asinine. It's an exhibition game. This is thin-skinned Selig's overreaction to a media overreaction.

A more fair determinant would be best overall record. Bud told me in a letter that it couldn't work because of needing to make hotel reservations, etc. in advance - BS! It's not narrowed down any more this way.

So, here's my proposal to stop the madness. Vote for the AL (American League, not Al). Vote often. Vote for the worst player at each position -- maybe we could keep a little board of who to vote for. If fans of NL contenders did this enough (heck, even if the other league did, too), the game would become such a farce that MLB would HAVE to make a change.

Thoughts?

Poll

How should MLB determine WS home team?

Best overall record

35 votes

League with best interleague record

7 votes

Alternate years

9 votes

Current "system"

12 votes

63 votes | Poll has closed

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of SB Nation or Al Yellon, managing editor (unless it's a FanPost posted by Al). FanPost opinions are valued expressions of opinion by passionate and knowledgeable baseball fans.

Tweet Comment 24 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

Somewhat of a moot point...

In terms of impact on the World Series, the home field advantage hasn’t actually mattered. We’ve had three sweeps and a five-game series in the last four years.

I agree that it’s stupid to have home field determined by an exhibition game. It was a knee-jerk reaction to an unfortunate situation a few years ago. I was fine with the alternate years theory. I don’t know that league with the best interleague record is fair because the matchups aren’t equivalent and the sample is relatively small. Best overall record isn’t fair because of unbalanced schedules. So honestly, the alternate years approach is as good as any other. But, then again, having the All-Star game decide it just isn’t that big a deal.

by SouthernCub on Apr 30, 2008 5:18 PM CDT reply actions

I already did my max 25 votes

And lets say all cubs players are at least getting 25 votes.

My 08 Cubs record 4-0
My 08 W.Sox record 0-2 (I havent seen a sox win in 3 years)
Updated April 26th

by Rudey on Apr 30, 2008 5:32 PM CDT reply actions

Oh yea

and go FRANK THOMAS

My 08 Cubs record 4-0
My 08 W.Sox record 0-2 (I havent seen a sox win in 3 years)
Updated April 26th

by Rudey on Apr 30, 2008 5:32 PM CDT up reply actions

First Base: Lee, D., CHC
Second Base: Utley, C., PHI
Third Base: Wright, D., NYM
Shortstop: Ramirez, H., FLA
Catcher: Soto, G., CHC
Outfielder: Fukudome, K., CHC
Outfielder: Griffey Jr., K., CIN
Outfielder: McLouth, N., PGH

Bleeding Cubbie Blue since 1985.

by Bricks and Ivy on Apr 30, 2008 6:34 PM CDT reply actions

Same for me

except Griffey

by dr stabbingworth on Apr 30, 2008 9:09 PM CDT up reply actions

I've got the same

except I’ve got Chipper instead of Wright.

So nobody has to see the scroll bar on my posts!!!!

by McRipper on May 1, 2008 11:29 AM CDT up reply actions

Hey, the Mets got Rickrolled

by an elaborate internet voting campaign. I bet it could work.

by dr stabbingworth on Apr 30, 2008 9:10 PM CDT reply actions

Can you share more of that letter from His Royal Assness, King Bud?

I’ve heard that “we need to make hotel reservations” arguments before, but never with any details or supporting evidence. I’d love to hear some of his logic as to why it’s so much more difficult to make reservations in 8 cities as opposed to 4.

Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."

by ballhawk on Apr 30, 2008 10:01 PM CDT reply actions

More from Bud

The note in question was the second from him that I got in 2003. After reading your post, I went searching—I found the first one. Will look for the second one that has the hotel commentary later.

Some info on the first one – it was a response to a letter that I sent January 17, 2003, according to his response. I sent it to his house (he was dumb enough to have his home address listed on the online UW Alumni directory—he doesn’t anymore. And no, I will NOT be giving that address out). I’ll leave the jokes/commentary to the audience:

“As for the All-Star Game, you are entitled to your opinion. However, most people in baseball believe it is a good thing. It now merely rotates, as you know, which is clearly a no-brainer. What we need to do is to put excitement back into the game, as that is what Arch Ward and Kenisaw Mountain Landis envisioned in 1933. The All-Star Game has lost its luster over the last twenty-five years.”

by Shanghai Badger on Apr 30, 2008 10:09 PM CDT up reply actions

While the rotation idea...

... isn’t necessarily a good one, neither is the ASG idea. It’s an attempt to make the ASG more “meaningful”, because these days, when league identities aren’t as strong as they were years ago, players don’t take the ASG as seriously as they used to.

The best idea would be to let the league with the best interleague record have the home field.

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al Yellon on May 1, 2008 3:44 AM CDT up reply actions

Yikes

Looking through the drawer that the letter was most likely to be in, I found a picture of myself on the field during a picture day—I think it was in 2000. I am down the left-field line, pretending to jump to catch a foul ball in the seats. I’d forgotten about that . . . .

by Shanghai Badger on Apr 30, 2008 10:15 PM CDT reply actions

And here we go:

“I also appreciate your thoughts on Interleage Play. I don’t believe it has taken away from the All-Star Game. This year I think you are going to see that we can restore the All-Star Game to the great luster that Arch Ward, sports editor of the Chicago Tribune, had in mind in 1943 (sic). There is no other way to determine home-field advantage. Logistically, it is an impossibility to wait until the end of the League Championship Series to determine who gets home-field advantage with the best record. We need many thousands of hotel rooms and other things, and that is the precise reason the National Footbal League schedules the Super Bowl at a neutral site. While one can say it is not a perfect solution it certainly is better than what exists now and, quite candidly, the best solution that FOX, all the clubs and ourselves have come up with. We believe you will see it work very well this year for the All-Star Game in Chicago. Hopefully the managers will manage differently and the rosters will be selected with greater care. The objective no longer is to get everyone in the game, but rather to win the game.”

by Shanghai Badger on Apr 30, 2008 10:21 PM CDT reply actions

Logistically, Bud's an idiot

I’m not asking him to wait until the end of the LCS to start making reservations. I’m saying that whenever MLB does make their reservations for the cities in the league that won the AS game, what’s so hard about making them for the cities in the other league too? And I don’t even want to get into discussing the merits of MLB needing thousands of hotel rooms. Maybe if MLB and Fox would quit sucking up to and goober-smooching with all the VIPs, celebrities and Ashton Kutcher, they wouldn’t need so many rooms.

Argghhh – time to put away the keyboard for the night. Mustn’t let Bud Lite ruin my beauty sleep… Thanks for sharing the letters though – at least he (or some minion on his staff) took the time to respond to you.

Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."

by ballhawk on May 1, 2008 2:13 AM CDT up reply actions

And so, my annoyance is two-fold

The ridiculousness of the WS home-field advantage being decided by an exhibition game (in some years, home field has made a HUGE difference—see Minnesota 1987, 1991 – even though that’s before this arrangement) and the disingenuous argument.

The ASG ratings have not gone up, no one talks about it, it doesn’t make me more likely to watch, etc.

The most likely real reason is, Bud was embarrassed, and instead of doing what he should have, saying “It’s not a real game and you saw free baseball, people”, he let himself get bullied.

by Shanghai Badger on Apr 30, 2008 10:24 PM CDT reply actions

In some years, yes.

However (and I have NOT looked this up)—over the last 20 years, how many WS have been won by the team with home field?

Anyone want to do the quick math?

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al Yellon on May 1, 2008 3:44 AM CDT up reply actions

A quick glance at http://www.baseball-almanac.com/ws/wsmenu.shtml

The last 20 Series of alternating – 1982 through 2002 (no WS in 1994):
Home team 17, Visiting team 3

The next 5, under this format:
Home team 3, Visiting team 2

by Shanghai Badger on May 1, 2008 6:35 AM CDT up reply actions

So IOW..

.... this new format has done little to help the home team, especially since there have been three sweeps in the last four years and the other one (2006) went only five games.

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al Yellon on May 1, 2008 8:49 AM CDT up reply actions

Yes, although that's 5 vs 20

And the old format didn’t make much sense to me, either

by Shanghai Badger on May 1, 2008 8:55 AM CDT up reply actions

And, the question that you'd asked wasn't about the format

It was about home field advantage

So, in the last 25:
Home team 20, visiting team 5

by Shanghai Badger on May 1, 2008 8:59 AM CDT up reply actions

So it HAS changed since the home field was given in this way.

But I think home field isn’t as important in baseball as it is in, say, the NBA.

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al Yellon on May 1, 2008 10:05 AM CDT up reply actions

I dont think it matters if all the fans voted for the worst AL players

Don’t the managers and other players really have the ultimate say anyway?

"We Are Not Fair Weather But Foul Weather Fans, Brothers In Arms In Streets and The Stands." -Eddie Vedder, Someday We'll Go All The Way

by ryanbrixenivy on Apr 30, 2008 11:43 PM CDT reply actions

Nope

They have some input, but not all.

by Shanghai Badger on May 1, 2008 6:36 AM CDT up reply actions

I think that's just for the reserves

but the fans vote the startes. I think.

So nobody has to see the scroll bar on my posts!!!!

by McRipper on May 1, 2008 11:32 AM CDT up reply actions

3-3-1 Format Offers Better Advantage Than 2-3-2

While this will never happen, having the team with the home field “advantage” have the first 3 games, then go on the road for 3, and come back home for the 7th game (should the series go 7), would make that “advantage” more meaningful. 2-2-1-1-1 is fairer but would involve too much travel. Under the 2-3-2 system, if the series only goes 5 games, the team that supposedly did not have the “advantage” will have had 3 of the 5 games at home. For WS home field “advantage”, I would go with the league with the better record in interleague play. That’s the best test in determining which league is better. We would know by the end of July, which league would get the “advantage” in the WS in that case.

by memphiscub on May 1, 2008 7:43 AM CDT reply actions