So the National League won the mostly one-sided All-Star Game and gets home field advantage for the World Series. With the pitchers the American League was throwing out there, is it any surprise? It seemed like every healthy AL elite pitcher happened to pitch over the weekend and was therefore unavailable for the All-Star Game. This begs the question: Did NONE of the top NL pitchers pitch over the weekend? It's clear which league wanted home field advantage and it wasn't the league that could lose the most without it. As a result, the NL puts Halladay, Lee, Jurrjens, and Kershaw on the mound while the AL answers with Weaver, CJ Wilson, and a handful of relievers. It might have actually been a game if the likes of Price, Sabathia, Shields, Hernandez, or Verlander toed the rubber.
Should the All-Star Game decide home field advantage for the World Series? I say no. It's an exhibition game played by two teams of players who are not used to playing together. They don't even wear the same uniform! The Home Run Derby has more "league solidarity" than the All-Star Game itself, with the "American League" and "National League" jerseys. The team on the field in the ninth inning bears little resemblance to the one in the first inning (and don't even get me started on extra innings) It's played more like a spring training game than a regular season or playoff game. Let home field advantage be decided by which team has the better record.
Beckett was a last-minute scratch after his knee started barking again during warm-up. The Red Sox party line, including Beckett himself, says the decision not to pitch was precautionary, but if they were really taking precautions, he wouldn't have been in Arizona tonight to begin with. We'll see if he makes the start on Sunday in St. Pete.
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