Chastising Bud and Manny

First of all, congratulations to everyone on one of the best MLB All Star games of all time. This one ended on a game-winning triple! That's the sort of headline you read the next morning and say, "Wow . . . huh?"

At least, that's what I did this morning, because . . . well . . . I fell asleep. There's really no excuse for this, other than the fact that watching the American League get 2-hit for 8 innings was not as interesting as it sounds. Big props to Vladimir for one of those hits; sealing your position as the best bad-ball hitter of all time.

I want to take this opportunity, however, to respond to two items of pregame fodder. First off, Manny Ramirez's no-show. Manny, after leading the league in All Star votes from the fans, decided he needed to rest his knee, although this injury has not caused him to miss a single game in the last week. This is reprehensible. I have backed Manny in the past; he's an epic slugger, and he's got the quirkiness to go along with it. But this move was even worse than his last minute pull-out of the World Baseball Classic. Not only does he show no respect for baseball as an institution; now he has spit in the face of his own fans. BiCoastal Bias gives a heavy wag of the finger to you, Manny. Perhaps baseball could consider a rule stating that unless a player is on the DL, he must make an appearance at the All Star game, under the threat of suspension. All you have to do is show up! If you're a starter, tell the manager to remove you after one inning; these rosters are so loaded that it won't matter. What does matter is players showing a complete disregard for whether or not the game even happens.

But don't get so smug over there, Bud Selig. This is the ONLY rule change you'll be allowed to consider. Allegedly, you want to put in a rule disallowing starting pitchers to pitch in the days leading up to the All Star break . . . Ridiculous! It's clear that Selig is still dealing with the guilt of ending the extra-inning 2002 game in a tie; and thinks he can make up for it by doing everything in his power to force everyone else to care about this game. Bud, we forgive you, but now give it up. What's next, an All Star series? Best of three? I've said it before and I'll say it again, if you really want to return interest to this exhibition game, cut out interleague games from the schedule. That's what gave the Randy Johnson vs. Larry Walker matchup of the early 90's such magic. Maybe even extending the break an extra day will make guys like Manny less likely to skip; but these rules you're proposing are starting to remind me of a childhood friend who threw himself a "Half-Birthday" party, and then couldn't understand why no one brought him presents.

I'm not sure how that last story fits into the general picture, but it doesn't really matter because it didn't really happen. The point is, Bud and Manny, you're on notice.