Now into the 14th, will the game be called?
Is there anyone left to watch the game?
What happens if it has to end in a tie?
SSG Schwartz
I think the stadium’s still full, for the most part.
I don’t think they’ll call it. This one’s going to go till someone scores.
No disrespect, but a lot of the fans are disguised as empty seats.
SSG Schwartz
They did it before about 5 years ago and it was a huge PR disaster. Remember- the picture of Bud Selig throwing his arms up like he didn’t know what to do. I don’t think Bud will do it again. The purpose of giving the AS Game winner WS Home Field Advantage is that the managers will manage more to win… and not necessarily to make sure everybody gets to play.
At this point- NL even has another pitchcer available… so I think the NL would want the AL to forfeit before they agree to a tie.
Point moot now, Mods, please close.
SSG Schwartz
Well, he should have called it. I was fast asleep before it was over, but I don’t think a lot of players really wanted to play that long. And I know the D-backs did not want Brandon Webb to pitch. I know Webb says he felt fine, but the D-backs have an important series against the Dodgers this weekend.
I’d say there should never be extra innings. End the game at 9 innings, that way the managers know how to use their pitching staffs. If the game ends in a tie, flip a coin for home field advantage in the World Series or go back to rotating years.
Well it ain’t working. If this is a game you manage to win, you do not take A-Rod or any of your major sluggers out after two AB’s, or use Francisco Rodriguez for 1/3 of an inning then replace him so you can get Mariano Rivera in to thrill the Yankee Stadium crowd.
The problem with the game as it is now–and it is a modest one, but still–is that it is serving two distinct purposes, and these don’t always mesh. The home-field-advantage gimmick was added to give the game “meaning”, yet there are a host of “just an exhibition” rules and conventions which impact the ability to play the game meaningfully: Every team must have a player represented, the roster has 32 players, and many teams request a pitcher’s use be limited (Scott Kazimir is a great example. The Rays asked that he not be used at all; considering Boston is chasing the Rays for the division, do you think Francona had an ulterior motive in using him as much as possible? I’m not saying he did, but there’s always that question).
Selig’s over-reaction to the 2002 tie led to him pushing this silly rule–in essence he was easily manipulated by FOX to give them what they wanted. I was actually hoping for the game to go beyond the 15th; there was a good chance J.D. Drew and David Wright would have been pitching if it had gone 1-2 more innnings. Wouldn’t that be perfect: The World Series decided by guys who haven’t pitched since high-school?
The MLB All-Star game is still the best of the bunch, but it’s trying to be too many things. Either make it a complete exhibition (e.g. end it after 10 innings like a spring training game, keep it light, and add rules designating, say, a new pitcher every inning) or set it up to be managed like a regular season game (max seven pitchers available, roster of 21–same as a regular team minus four starters–and only the best players–no Joakim Soria just to keep Royals fans happy).
Since there is now a separate thread about the game, I’m going to lock this one.