ARLINGTON, TX – There was supposedly a bunch of All-Stars down here a few days ago, but in all honesty, who are these guys? Even a hardcore fan would have a hard time recognizing these so-called superstars while hanging around the hotel lobby, where they’re housed.
Before ANALytics took over, this mid-summer classic was played by the greats. The players who were part of this were bonafide Hall of Famers or borderline Hall of Famers. The uniforms that are now designed by Nike are hideous, and I’m sure there were at least 20 translators that were not acknowledged during the pregame introductions.
Players like Mays, McCovey, Aaron, Rose, Jackson, Killebrew, and Kaline would fight the manager to leave them in for the full game.
Today, these strikeout-producing, .200 hitters don’t even want to be there. They’d rather take the four days off and get ready for the second half of the season. The home run leader, who plays for that Bronx team, won’t even participate in the Home Run Derby. Neither will that Japanese 700-million-dollar man.
There was no HR Derby during the All-Star festivities when baseball was baseball. If there was one, players would have to be weeded out to participate because all of them would want it.
For the gathering that showed up last week, let them all think they’re All-Stars. The past stars – like Alomar, Jeter, Ortiz, Ramirez, Bonds and many more – try not to laugh at them. One thing is for sure, these ain’t my All-Stars!
