The Best All Star Game......

......still could be better.  The Major League Baseball All-Star game is next week and I, as an avid life long baseball fan, always get amped for the game and it's festivities.  The MLB All Star Game is by far the best All Star game in professional sports; there is no debating that.  The NBA is fun, but not competitive.  The NHL is also fun but the goalies might as well be cardboard cut-outs because the D is non-existent in that game, and don't even get me started on the ridiculousness that takes place every February in the Pro-Bowl. So I say all of this with a wink and a smile because Baseball has already done too much tinkering with the game by making it "mean" something. So let's instead take on the whole event; All Star weekends and festivities. The Home Run Derby, the Future's Game, and even the Old Timers Softball challenge are all cool events, but to be honest it's getting a little dry.  I mean how many homers can you watch and get excited about it, and the future's and old timers games pale in comparison to the actual All Star Game itself.  So they need to spice it up a bit. Here's what I offer as ideas to make the MLB All Star weekend better.

*Home Run Derby - They should have only two rounds in this competition.  It's entirely too long, and anti-climatic.  Someone always goes off in the first round with like 60 homers, and then they wind up losing in the end.  Here's what I suggest; you take the top 3 home run leaders from each league and have them be the teams.  You have a first round play out like you do now and have the six sluggers do battle.  Then you take the top guys from each team and you do an old school TV version of Home Run Derby.  Remember that show?  It was way before my time but it used to come on WWOR during Mets rain delays and I felt like I was getting a window into the past (sidebar: they should revive that show with today's stars.  Even funnier would be to revive it with yesteryear's stars. Watch Yogi and Bench go at it, yikes). Anyway the format of that show was to have a 9 inning game consisting of homers only. So each guy gets 27 outs to make things happen.  And it sets up some drama.  If "Papi" hits four dingers in the top of the 9th to take the lead, then Prince Fielder has a last shot to tie or pull ahead. Also it will keep these guys from getting gassed from swinging 100 times in a row. Instead they swing three to ten times in an inning and then rest for the next inning as your opponent takes his hacks. It will be so much better than watching two tired sluggers hitting three or four homers in the finals to win it. It's anti-climatic.  It's gotten to the point with the Home Run Derby that I watch it till the end just to finish watching it.  It's so exciting to start, not so much to end; go old school Home Run Derby. On a side note, I wish Chris Berman would retire already.  He has nothing new to offer. He was once innovative and original and now he's played and hack.  It's unlike other legends like Vin Scully or Pat Sumerall when he does stuff, those guys are still great and you love to hear them.  And don;t get me wrong, Berman IS a legend, he's just old and sad now. I mean, does anyone else want to repeatedly smash your own head into the TV until the "BACK, BACK, BACK, BACK, BACK, BACK.........GONE!" crap stops or am I the only one? God it rattles in my brain for days after this damn thing.

Skills Competition - Other than the HR Derby, baseball is the only game not to have a skills competition during it's All Star festivities. This could be a very entertaining event.
       *Pitchers competition - At first I thought maybe do a fastest pitch competition, but then you might set yourself up for a damaged arm from someone overthrowing the ball.  So maybe do something more natural like an accuracy contest.  Like in hockey, you set up little bulls-eyes on the corners of the strike zone and have the pitchers hit the targets in like 10 pitches.  Have four rounds with a different pitch each round.  It's natural movements, no risk of injury, and I think fans would dig it. How cool would it be to see Verlander pick off four corners on four pitches with a 99MPH fastball.  Or have Mariano hit the corners with his cutter.  Or seeing someone pick off four corners with a vicious curve or a knuckler. I don't know about you, but that would be badass.

        *Fielding Competition - This makes me laugh a little because the only one I can think of is an outfielder contest where you make the player throw out a runner at the plate.  We have so many players in the Majors right now with absolute cannons for arms; why not show them off during the All-Star break, right? What made me think of this contest was back in my Little League days we would have drills where the outfielders would have to throw from the outfield to home and get it into this garbage can. Then I was reminded of those old Tom Emanski coaching tapes you could buy and it made me laugh. It's hilarious how much of the crap I used to watch on TV as a kid has popped up on this blog. I digress.
 Another competition could be a Home Run robbing contest.  Have the balls perfectly launched and have outfielders track and take one back, you know? I don't know, I'm just spit balling here.

Also as a fan interest contest, have a "catch a foul ball" contest.  Have like 100 fans in one section of the park and hit little pop fly fouls into the crowd and have whoever catches the most win a huge prize; like a house or something.

So there are a few ideas for some skill competitions.  As far as the game goes, it doesn't need much help because you still need to pitch and get 27 outs or it's going to be a very long night for someone.  So not playing D is not an option.  And baseball players probably won't get injured if they just play the game the way they normally do. It's not like some linebacker or defenseman or 7'6" Center is going to take your head off for swinging the bat; so the game is played the way it would normally be played day to day. That is the major difference.

So anyway I wrote a big piece in like January regarding the other All Star festivities so this is the final cornerstone.  Here are the other three corners and for those who have any other suggestions please don't hesitate and send them over to thesportsriot@yahoo.com or follow us @thesportsriot on twitter.

HOP IN THE TIME MACHINE AND GO>>>>>>>>
<<<<<<it's January, ENJOY!

NHL – So every year the NHL has a whole All-Star weekend complete with a skills competition, a rookie game and the actual All-Star game itself.  The NHL has the right idea, and overall has the best All-Star experience.  There skills competition is the most fun, and the game is always competitive.  But this year, the skills competition felt like it was roughly 4 hours long, and the game was an 11-10 defensive struggle.  So when 21 goals are scored in a game, it begins to get a bit ridiculous, don’t you think.  So I think this is a good place to start.

1-      Since 21 goals were scored in one game, we need to do something to motivate these goalies and the defense.  I mean, it’s still hockey….F#%KING HIT SOMEBODY!!! So let’s take the goalies first.  How about every time they let up a goal, we take one piece of equipment.  So in this case, giving up 11 goals would cost you all but your jock essentially.  Strip hockey….that’ll make him stretch for that top shelfer.

2-      Now for the D, for every goal that the goalie gives up that is directly your fault, you have to wear the piece of equipment the goalie has to give up.  Imagine Zdeno Chara with a goalie pad on, trying to take a slapper.  Precious.

3-      Just for kicks, every once in a while, have a steel cage drop down from the ceiling and trap players inside.  Then spotlight them, and have Michael Buffer say “LET’S GET READY TO RUMBLE!!!” And then whoever is in the cage has to drop the gloves and duke it out until someone is dead, or they tap out.  Hopefully, every once in a while, the cage will fall on someone, and trap them underneath a corner or something like that.  Then not only are you fighting to win the fight, but to save a teammate.  That’s the type of motivation we need here.

NFL – So the NFL Pro-Bowl…..WTF?  Exactly when did defensive juggernauts like Ray Lewis and Darrelle Revis decide it was OK to stand around and let Michael Vick and Matt Ryan hang 51 points on them in one game.  What kind of “lay down and die” mentality is that?  It was like watching touch football in my backyard, with my children.  Hit somebody for God's sake. I mean they stand around, and just watch Vick run.  Vick throw.  TD after TD, and nothing.  It is sad to see Ray Lewis just stand there and watch Michael Turner just run down the field. IT WAS 42-0 EARLY IN THE 3^RD!!!!!! I’m calm now.  So here are my solutions.

1-      Have a skills competition….sort of.  So since the NFL has decided to ignore every other league that does a skills competition, and just forgo what is definitely the best part of every all-star experience, we are going to make some different suggestions. Have a pass accuracy competition that resembles hot potato.  Expect when you lose…..your hand blows off.  How interesting would it be to watch Peyton Manning and Tom Brady tossing the ball back and forth……for there career.  I know the hope is the ball explodes in between the 2, but what if you’re a Jets fan.  You’re watching that with severe intensity.  Have a RB competition where they have to lineup, and run plays against a Defense.  Here’s the catch…..the defense are unfed Wolverines with rabies.  And no not Michigan Wolverines……they can’t stop a nose bleed. (“CAN’T WAIT!!!”) It was a Bart Scott Jets reference, might be dated for some of you playing at home. And now, this one is actually fun I think.  Have WR make diving catches like into water.  Have a giant pool, and launch balls out over the water, and who ever makes the best catch, wins.  I guess you could add some Great Whites to the water for extra motivation, but that is not necessary.

2-      OK, onto the game itself. Whichever coach loses the Pro-Bowl has to coach in the CFL next year.  Or the Michigan Wolverines….God they are bad. 

3-      For the 2^nd and 4^th quarters, they have to change positions.  So WR’s and RB’s become O-linemen and the O-linemen become WR’s and RB’s.  The Punter is the QB. That would make it very interesting.  Tom Tupa would be a Pro-Bowl MVP.

4-      Have there be an automatic QB. Like in the backyard, when you were a kid and only one kid could throw the ball well. It could either be the highest rated QB, or Joe Montana.  Or who knows, if you make Brett Favre the automatic QB every year in the Pro-Bowl, maybe he’ll stay retired.

5-      If a team goes down by a ton….like 42-0…..they can use the never-ending TD to try and get back into the game.  They throw a flag at some point during an offensive series, and then they keep the ball until they are stopped.  In other words, you get the ball, and score a TD, then start at the 1, and go the other way until they are stopped by the D.  That stat line could be fun.  “So here’s the drive summary.  They scored 3 TD’s on 42 plays for 175 yards. 50 of which were on the ground.”

NBA – So the NBA All-star extravaganza is just a complete disaster.  With a skills competition that has become just boring, and predictable, and a game that looks like the Knicks are playing the Knicks.  Apparently the all-star teams run the Mike D’Antoni defensive philosophy…..None.  So it would not be a stretch for the East to beat the West 175-170…..in regulation.  So here’s what I have to fix this failed abortion.

1-      Starting with the skills competition.  Why not have a half court trick shot competition.  Since they seem to be all the rage on youtube, have that be an event.

2-      The dunk contest sucks.  How many times do we need to see a variation on the f#$king windmill.  And, Nate Robinson won this competition a few years back and he wasn’t even an all-star. WTF?  So I understand the need for the dunk contest, fine.  They should have to do a dunk program.  Like figure skating.  All in a timed format.  You have to hit 5 elements, or you will get docked points.  Either that, or just have the basket move up ever so slightly as he’s jumping to dunk the ball, and see if he can adjust.

3-      The last and most important competition would be the traveling competition.  Whoever can actually complete a lay-up or dunk, without travelling will be the winner. I’m willing to bet  that some of these “pros” will lose in the “walk” competition.  There could be graphics like a blinking "Don't Walk" sign or a cop ticketing guys for J-walking every time one of them “walks.”  I see potential in this idea.

4-      The game itself, well I really don’t see any help for this.  Unless star players not named Kobe or Dwight start playing D, this game will continue to be 175-170 late in the 4^th.  I don’t think it can be helped.