Posted by dahsdebater on 7/16/2014 3:04:00 AM (view original):
Of course he belonged, that's the way All Star games always have worked and really how they should work. But there's no reason why the game, including weeks worth of leadup, had to be all about Jeter. I thought it was BS when they did it for Ripken, and it's just as bad when they do it for Jeter. It was nice that both of those guys had good games. Maybe they got a little help from opposing pitchers, maybe not. Seems more likely in the case of Ripken, when the game still didn't matter. No matter what may or may not have been said at the time, I don't believe for an instant that Wainwright - playing on a likely postseason team - threw Jeter any real meatballs. Regardless, the focus should be more heavily on the young guys who put on a show. Jeter played well, Trout played better. At least they gave Trout the MVP.
Why do you get to decide who the focus should have been on?
Like it or not, right or wrong, baseball has ALWAYS been about past accomplishments. That's why people got their panties so wadded up when Maris topped Ruth(HE PLAYED MORE GAMES!!!!), when McGwire beat Maris(ROIDER!!!!) and when Bonds passed Aaron(MORE ROIDING!!!).
I bust MLB's *** all the time for stepping on their own dick but, in this case, they had to highlight Jeter. And Ripken. And the next guy who plays his entire HOF career with one team. There won't be many but, when they come along, MLB should do the same thing. But, if they don't want to become the "League for Old Men", they need to figure out a way to move a Trout or a Puig to the forefront while waiting for the next Jeter/Ripken. The demographics show that MLB is falling behind with younger fans.