Cleveland Indians All-Star Jason Kipnis Thinks Fans Shouldn’t Vote, Is He Right?

Clayton Kershaw is the best pitcher in the game today, but he’s not a 2015 All-Star as of this moment. Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

The All-Star Game Shouldn’t Decide Home-Field in the World Series

Coming full circle to the root of Kipnis’s argument for why fans shouldn’t vote for the starters is the relatively recent decision by Major League Baseball to have the All-Star Game decide home-field advantage in the World Series.  Perhaps it’s just me, but this rule seems to do more harm than good.  It sure doesn’t seem to get fans more interested in the game, which was something former commissioner Bud Selig seemed to think it’d do.  It also never really made sense why an exhibition game should decide something like home-field. The way the game is set up there’s no guarantee that a player from the eventually pennant winning team will even play in the game that will eventually decide whether his team will have home-field advantage or not.

I understand why MLB added this provision. The tie-game in Milwaukee back in 2002 was a bit of a black-eye on the game. Fans were upset and baseball needed to act. But I think there were many options they could have turned to instead of the one they did.  Why not let the game finish in a tie after 9 innings, but then have a mini Home Run Derby decide the winner?  Pick one or two guys from each team, give them a couple swings and team that finishes with most home runs wins.  I mean, what fan doesn’t love watching a walk off win, especially on a home run?

Next: Conclusion