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| By Mark Vasto With the exception of the 7-7 tie in 2002 (which, in a way, seemed to be the perfect embodiment of the Bud Selig era for Major League Baseball ... very exciting yet deeply flawed), baseball's All-Star Game rightfully has the reputation of being the best all-star game of any sport. For fans, it's like watching a fantasy baseball game come alive. All the match-ups you dream about but never get to see happen at the All-Star Game. And while the games are just exhibitions, they are far from meaningless. The way a player performs at an All-Star Game has serious ramifications for his career. Pete Rose solidified his reputation as a win-at-all-costs hustler when he collided with Ray Fosse to win the 1970 classic. Bruce Sutter's split-finger exploded on the national scene after he sent Jim Rice and Dwight Evans back to the bench in consecutive strikeouts in 1978. Tori Hunter's steal of a Barry Bonds home run in 2002 cemented his reputation as the finest fielding center fielder of the game today. The sideshow that is the Home Run Derby can be a different story. Bobby Abreau's performance in the 2005 derby, a record-setting 41 home runs, would lead many to believe that he is one of the greatest power hitters of all time. The fact is, he hit as many home runs in the first round of the derby 24 as he did all season long (and only six came after the All-Star break). Perhaps most importantly, the All-Star Game is a showcase for the city in which it is played. The All-Star Game can inject an estimated $60 million into a local economy, but most city leaders figure the boost to the city's stature as being worth far more. It's a high-profile game with millions of viewers, all listening as the announcers fawn over their host. Swarms of reporters descend on the city, generally writing the kind of human-interest tales public-relations firms would be paid millions of dollars to try and deliver. This year, the game returns to Pittsburgh, even though it was last played in the city in 1994. This, of course, has to do with its new stadium project. Another HOK design (the Kansas City architecture firm that has brought you Camden Yards, and just about every other retro-styled, steel truss-worked downtown stadium in America in the past 20 or so years), PNC Park is a true gem. It's a fitting centerpiece for the classic -- a stadium that the voters argued over and paid for, with its majestic views of the downtown, eminent playability and, of course, wider concourses. Mark Vasto is a veteran sportswriter and publisher of The Parkville (Mo.) Luminary. |