# Never mind the hoo-hah -- just play ball! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 10, 2002, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-mind-the-hoo-hah-just-play-ball/118220 "2002-07-10T11:04:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DAVEW0071](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e19b73/32.png) [@DAVEW0071](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DAVEW0071)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2002, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-mind-the-hoo-hah-just-play-ball/118220/1 "2002-07-10T11:04:24Z")
And finish the game, while you’re at it. Wassamatta, yer mother call ya in fer dinner? Honestly, I’m so disgusted with the All-Star game this year. My eight-year-old has become very interested in baseball, and always checks the schedule to see when the Mets are playing. He was looking forward to the All-Star game, but couldn’t even stay awake during the overextended pre-game hoo-hah, which just seemed to go on interminably. I was ready by about 8:25 for the game to begin, but had to endure at least another half hour of pomp, ceremony and hype. Geeze, folks, if you’re going to produce a Baseball’s Greatest Moments montage, give it a special time slot. Don’t hold up the mid-summer classic for it. I don’t even want to go into the decision to suspend the game. I only watched the first two innings anyway, and didn’t find out about it until now. But Bud Selig is showing himself to be an enemy of baseball. How about a vote of no-confidence? Sorry if this sounds more like a Pit rant. Feel free to move it, mods. ---
**Author:** ![Homebrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Homebrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homebrew)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2002, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-mind-the-hoo-hah-just-play-ball/118220/2 "2002-07-10T13:17:56Z")
I’m guessing “hoo-hah” has a different meaning where you live than it does where I live. ---
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2002, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-mind-the-hoo-hah-just-play-ball/118220/3 "2002-07-10T14:16:54Z")
I agree that something should have been done. But they ran out of pitchers. The NL used 10 pitchers in an 11 inning game. It is against baseball rules to use the same player twice so what should they have done? ---
**Author:** ![utilityplayer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/49beb7/32.png) [@utilityplayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/utilityplayer)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2002, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-mind-the-hoo-hah-just-play-ball/118220/4 "2002-07-11T00:45:33Z")
The All Star game is turning into more of an exihibition game than the more serious competition it use to be. Now it’s just another act in the Bud Selig Road Show. I remember being proud when the National League won, now I really don’t care. ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2002, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-mind-the-hoo-hah-just-play-ball/118220/5 "2002-07-11T03:15:12Z")
Maybe that’s just because the National League hasn’t won in so long. You’ve forgotten what it feels like 🙂 Go AL! Go Angels! ---
**Author:** ![BigStar303](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/dec6dc/32.png) [@BigStar303](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigStar303)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2002, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-mind-the-hoo-hah-just-play-ball/118220/6 "2002-07-11T03:49:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Reeder \* > \*\*I agree that something should have been done. But they ran out of pitchers. The NL used 10 pitchers in an 11 inning game. It is against baseball rules to use the same player twice so what should they have done? \*\* They did the only thing they could do under the circumstances. All the hair-tearing on the part of the fans (not to mentioned the ESPN analysts) after the game was very amusing. C’mon, people…it’s an exhibition game for cryin’ out loud! Let’s assume that only a small percentage of the individuals present in Milwaukee were completely indifferent in terms of which side they wanted to win. If so, then what nearly everyone is saying is that they would have been happier with the outcome of yesterday’s game _if their side had lost_ than they are now. Two imperatives exist in the All Star game that are present in no other game played in the course of the Major League season: to use as many of the players on the roster as possible (preferably all of them), and to use pitchers in such a way that they won’t have to miss a turn in their own team’s regular rotation. These imperatives are incompatible with the normal baseball imperative of playing a game until one side wins, regardless of how many innings it takes. Now because of last night, baseball will take steps to expand All Star rosters (thus further diluting the very exclusivity that the term “All Star” entails) to handle a situation that is statistically unlikely to occur again in the foreseeable future.