Which is not to say you shouldn't watch. Quite the opposite, actually. Despite the fact that it doesn't count (sorry Bud) and that I'm a cynical quasi-professional writer-guy now, I still have just enough romanticism left in me to be a sucker for the All-Star Game. The introductions, seemingly, are always the best part, as baseball's best players stand shoulder to shoulder wearing their different uniforms as they tip their caps. I grew up during a period where perennial all-stars were a thing, and popular guys like Kirby Puckett, Ozzie Smith, Cal Ripken, and Tony Gwynn got huge ovations from whatever park they were visiting. I got chills in 1999, as players crowded around Ted Williams and the rest of the all-century team. I felt the same way in 2001, when Cal Ripken hit a bomb in his final All-Star at-bat. Indeed, the All-Star Game has produced some of the most exciting and indelible moments in the game's history.
So rather than dwell on who has the better lineup (the AL), the best pitching staff (the NL, in a squeaker), or the most egregious snubs (the NL, where Yasiel Puig has been cruelly denied to us, the fans), let's instead focus on these teams' potential to provide us with those moments that we'll remember for the rest of our lives, like when Torii Hunter stole a home run from Barry Bonds in 2002, or when Bud Selig and the managers conspired to ruin the All-Star Game just a few short innings later.
Pitching
The starting pitchers offer the first opportunities to make such an impression. While Max Scherzer is great, and capable of dominating good lineups, he's ultimately got nothing on Matt Harvey. Harvey is clearly one of the three or four most talented pitchers in his league. Of all the American League's starters, just Robinson Cano and Joe Mauer have faced him in a major-league game, and are a combined 1-for-7 with a single and a strikeout. The AL has the better hitters, but Harvey is a pitcher unlike many they've faced in recent years.
Matt Harvey asks New Yorkers what they think about Matt Harvey on Jimmy Fallon
Harvey took to the streets, courtesy of Jimmy Fallon's Late Night show, to find out if New Yorkers know who he is.
According to Jeff Sullivan, "No other starter's fastball has led to so many swinging strikes, as Harvey can just be completely overwhelming. Instead of just using his fastball as a foundation, Harvey uses it also as a weapon, which is a rare gift." Watching Harvey air that fastball out over the course of two innings should be riveting television, like Ricky "Wild Thing" Vaughn's final appearance in Major League, as he just keeps pumping fastballs past a helpless Clu Heywood. That's even before we get to Harvey's wipe out slider and knee-buckling curve. Anybody wanting to potentially re-live Pedro Martinez's amazing start in 1999, when he fanned Barry Larkin, Larry Walker, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, and Jeff Bagwell in two innings, should tune in early.
After that, sadly, we will wind up seeing a parade of, mostly, one-inning relievers. The AL has eight relievers on its roster, three of whom are actually setup men. The NL is slightly more under control with "only" six relievers. Now I'm not saying you can't have fun watching Grant Balfour or Steve Delabar pitch a baseball, but these guys already max out for one inning a game, so it's not like we'll be seeing anything different. Maybe that's why the All-Star Game is never really as dominated by pitching as I assume it should be. Since 2000, the AL and NL teams have combined to score fewer than six runs just three times.
Hitting
At least with all that offense we might see some fireworks, and, of the two clubs, the AL is certainly better equipped to provide those. Miguel Cabrera won the Triple Crown and MVP award last year in the American League, and has been even better this year, hitting .365/.458/.674 with 30 homers so far. Just to put that in context, his 1132 OPS is twice the league average, and if it holds up would be one of the 20 best offensive seasons since Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier. He's as good a bet as anyone to go all Gary Carter in 1981 and hit two homers.
His rival, and the rightful MVP last year, Mike Trout, is also in the lineup, hitting .322/.399/.565 with 15 homers and 21 stolen bases this year, after hitting .326/.399/.564 in 2012, and could provide the kind of start to the game that Bo Jackson did in 1989 when he took Rick Reuschel deep on the first pitch of the game.
