Does the allstar game really matter now?

Perhaps the best starter in the NL this year was not elibible because he pitched on Sunday (Max)
Manager of one team pinch runs for one of the fastest players in the game.
Manager of the other team puts a rookie third baseman out in LF, the 4th time in his professional career he has played LF at any level.

They got lucky. These actions did not impact the outcome. But can you imagine your team is about to start their first world series in years and you do not have home field advantage because that guy pinch running for Trout got thrown out at home on a bang bang play or Bryant had misplayed a ball in LF, possibly being the play that determined the game outcome and thus WS home field advantage? This current setup is a disgrace waiting to happen.

Couldn't agree more, one of these years this is going to backfire and not until that time will the format change. One of these years, the game will go into extra innings and all pitchers will be used, or one will get over-worked and someone will blow out their arm or something to that extent, and then the rules will change. Or perhaps we will see a position player have to come into pitch to decide home field advantage. I do not want to see the injuries but I believe that is what its going to take to change the format. Its comical that an exhibition decides home field advantage. As I have said before, let the best record in all of baseball decide home field advantage, make playing 162 games mean something more, other league do it (NBA, NHL).

If the game is going to determine the home field advantage in the WS, then the BEST team possible should be represented by each league, not by the fans or anyone else, let the manager of each league or a group of managers/coaches decide most of the team, fan input I think is needed but the number of ballots allowed per person/email is a joke. There are more than a few players that should have been at the game (Max for one), but because of the current rules (at least one from each team needing representation), rest for SP primarily, etc. this will never occur with the current schedule of events. Only way every SP could be available would be for MLB to take at least a week off and have game on Friday night to allow for necessary rest for SP, but that I highly doubt will ever happen.

There is no question that the players played hard when they were in the game. However MLB is trying to say the game matters but winning the game is not the #1 priority for MLB or the managers. The priorities seem to be in roughly this order:

1. try to play without overusing or injuring any player
2. make sure every player or as many players as possible get into the game
3. winning the game

If winning the game was the #1 priority, or at least higher than #2 above, then they could honestly say the game matters.

Lets assume that #3 was more important than #2 above and the managers played the game that way. If the managers actually got to choose their starting lineups and play with the best lineup they could then there would be many players that would not play and only sit the bench for the All Star game. That may bruise a lot of egos and players may not want to participate for fear of not being chosen as the best player at that position and being seen as nothing but a bench player. That could lead to players not wanting to go and sit the bench at the All Star game and instead take the 3 day break from the season at home with their families which could ultimately undermine the game itself.

I am not sure it ever really mattered, so to ask about "now" compared to the past might be more a reflection on the individual than the game itself. I thought it was cool as a kid, as it is the only major sport all-star game that is likely to resemble a regular game (unlike the 150-147 score NBA games or the 12-11 NHL slugfests). Today, I barely give it a thought.

I agree some of the sentiments expressed earlier: fan voting is a put-off. I understand why it is in there, at least in theory. But the "integrity" of the vote (stifling laughter here) has even further decreased from the days you literally had to punch dozens of those little cards to stuff the ballot box. Computer voting has a lot of advantages, but it also lends itself to hacks and newer, more effective forms of manipulation.

One man per team? I actually do like this one. Sure, some more deserving players might get bumped for the token rep from the bottom feeder, but it is usually more like the NCAA basketball selection: You aren't bumping Kentucky or Duke for Samford or Albany; more like you are bumping the 8th place team in the Big Ten for a possible Cinderella.

Playing for home field advantage is ridiculous, however. Don't try to make the game mean something. Don't punish a team for the result of a mid-season exhibition.

Since it is an exhibition, not unlike the spring training games, that sometimes the game is going end up in a tie. Let's not freak out over this. Whatever happens in the All-Star game is not jeopardizing the integrity of the game. Play the game, use up the roster and after 9-10 innings call it a night. Sports radio gave far more attention to the home run derby than the game, the game wasn't even discussed the day after here in Cleveland. How many regular or casual fans remember who won past games? Heck, I don't even care to remember thus year's result, and by the time the playoffs come, won't but for the analysts reminding us why team A has home field advantage.