Why the MLB All Star Game is Still One of My Favorite Sporting Events

The Major League Baseball All Star Game is still to this day one of my favorite sporting events of the year.

I know it doesn’t mean a thing. That it’s just an exhibition. But, it’s still one of my favorite sporting events of the year and I don’t think that will ever change.

You can debate whether or not the MLB All Star Game should “count,” as they say with the winning league receiving home-field advantage for the World Series. I personally don’t mind that aspect. But, I don’t think there’s a debate for the fact that the game shouldn’t exist.

It should still be a thrill for every single baseball fan to see stars from each and every one of the 30 teams in Major League Baseball play together and against each other one night of the year. If you don’t care for the game or even worse want to see it abolished I seriously have to question how big of a baseball fan you are.

When I was a kid this was the one baseball game all year I wanted to watch and if the game of baseball is going to survive and thrive into the future it should remain that way for the kids of this nation.

One of my favorite things as a young sports fan was actually the player introductions for the MLB All Star Game. Getting to see all of the stars smile and tip their cap, not only to the paying fans in attendance, but all of us at home made you feel like you were a part of it all. It’s still possibly my favorite part of the entire game.

Some who don’t think there should be a MLB All Star Game anymore claim that it’s just not special these days because due to cable television, MLB.tv and interleague play it’s just not thrilling to see one league compete against another anymore and you have the opportunity to see the stars of the game literally every night of the week.

It’s true that we have the opportunity to see the stars of baseball every night of the week, but how many of us actually do so? How many of us have that kind of time in our lives?

I have access to MLB.tv, meaning I have the opportunity to see each and every one of the 30 MLB teams play on any given night. Despite this there are many superstars who I will only see play all season long during the All Star Game. Between work, relationships and just living life who really has time to keep up with every star in the game?

That’s why I love the MLB All Star Game. That’s why I’ll always love the MLB All Star Game. If you don’t that’s fine, but don’t try to take my fun away. 

It's Not Always Your Patriotic Duty to Root for America

I was watching ESPN’s Ryen Russillo on his sports talk radio show earlier today before I left for work and he was talking about how he was torn a new one on Twitter last night because he was tweeting about the Boston Red Sox game and fans were letting into him for choosing a regular season baseball game over watching the U.S. women’s soccer team compete against Germany in the semifinals of the Women’s World Cup. Among the chief complaints was that Russillo was being unpatriotic.

Russillo explained that he just can’t get into the sport of soccer, which is perfectly fine. There’s not a section in the U.S. Constitution dictating that sports fans must follow sports they don’t like simply because their country has a team competing in it.

Fans giving Russillo hell for his not watching the U.S. women’s soccer team reminds me of the time I first truly recognized the idiocy of sports fans when it comes to what they perceive as a patriotic duty to root for American sports teams, even going so far as demeaning someone for choosing to watch anything else over those American teams.

In the last Women’s World Cup in 2009 the United States women met up against Japan in the final match for the tournament title and American sports fans could see nothing but red, white and blue. But, just a few months before the beginning of the World Cup the country of Japan was struck by a horrific earthquake that caused an even more horrific tsunami. More than 16,000 people were killed and it remains one of the worst tragedies of any kind during my lifetime, if not all-time.

So in July of 2011, Japan needed something good to happen to forget about the tragedy and death and heartbreak that had taken its toll on the country for months even for just a brief moment in time. The Japanese national soccer team beating the United States in the Women’s World Cup would give the country something to cheer on and smile about for at least one day during one of the nation’s worst years in its history.

And, so knowing the Japanese needed this more than any of us Americans did I openly rooted for the Japanese women on social media. It was something I have never once regretted, but I was ridiculed harshly for by fans claiming that I was being unpatriotic (as if rooting for a sports team can truly make someone patriotic or unpatriotic.)

I thought I was being humane by hoping the Japanese had something to lift their spirits (and I was, there’s no doubt in my mind and heart about it), but Americans will always care about American things regardless of the pain felt elsewhere. Thankfully for the millions of hurt Japanese their women’s team did give them something to smile about for at least a brief moment in time defeating the U.S. women in a hard fought and entertaining final.

The U.S. loss made it worse for me having openly rooted for the Japanese women, but I didn’t care. I could stand being a little less patriotic, because I’d rather care about an entire country’s pain than see the United States dominate yet another thing. 

Is Race Playing Factor in Who People Are Rooting for in Super Bowl?

I believe this is going to be the most controversial thing I’ve ever written on sports, and it might not even be close, and that’s probably saying something. And, I want to preface it by saying that this is just a theory I have. I do not have stone cold hard facts to back it up. I don’t have evidence to support it. It’s just my opinion of what I’m seeing.

The Super Bowl between the New England Patriots and the defending champion Seattle Seahawks is just a few days away and I’ve been asking people all week who they want to win the big game – not who they think will win – but who they want to win. The majority of these people have been saying the Patriots and have followed it up with reasons why they don’t like the Seahawks and those reasons always start with Richard Sherman, whom they never seem to mention by his full name, to these fans he’s just “Sherman” like some nefarious Marvel villain. 

The fact that these people are overwhelmingly rooting for the Patriots is interesting to me, because for the last decade-plus the Patriots have largely been the most hated team in the NFL, and one I’ve had to defend multiple times. Part of the reason the Patriots have seemingly been the most hated team in the NFL is they have this aura of cheating that surrounds them, and that has reared its ugly head recently with “Deflate-gate.” I’ve found that the Pats aren’t necessarily a team many of these people rooting for them to win the Super Bowl are wanting to root for – many have said they’re merely rooting for the lesser of two evils. That makes me wonder how a team that has multiple times been accused of cheating and people have largely despised for running roughshod over the AFC for more than a decade is the “lesser of two evils” over a Seahawks team, that I personally find the most enjoyable team in the NFL to watch and the only knock you could possibly find against them is they are the defending champs and some people don’t like to see the same team win in multiple seasons, for whatever reason that might be. 

They bring up Sherman, but is his brashness really any different than the arrogance exhibited by Patriots star tight end Rob Gronkowski or really the Pats team overall? You’d have to ask yourself if black brashness (or arrogance if you’d prefer) is viewed differently than white brashness and I think it is. 

It then occurred to me why some of these people might be rooting for the Pats over the Seahawks. The Patriots biggest stars are Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski and arguably Julian Edelman. The Seahawks biggest stars are Richard Sherman, Russell Wilson and Marshawn Lynch. The Patriots are a largely white football team. I don’t know what percentage of the team is white, and frankly it doesn’t really matter, but they seem like the whitest team in the league. Whereas the Seahawks, you could argue, seem like the blackest team in the league. Can you even name one white star on the team?

Again, this doesn’t really matter or at least it shouldn’t, but I think it’s why a lot of people are rooting for the Patriots to beat the Seahawks in the Super Bowl. Now, I’m not accusing these people of racism. No, I don’t believe they are racist at all. In fact, I believe that they don’t even realize this is playing a factor in their decision of which team to root for. I believe subconsciously they are choosing to root for the guys that look like them, without really thinking about it. We’ve seen recently in this country that there are racial issues, whether we want to believe it or not they exist, and frequently people will agree with or go with those who look like they do or believe the way they do.  

It’s controversial I know. Most people are likely going to think it asinine, I know. But, I think race is playing a certain role in who people are choosing to root for in this year’s Super Bowl. How else can you explain why so many are hoping America’s most hated team beats the Seahawks on Sunday?

20 Greatest Drivers in NASCAR Truck Series History (Complete List)

1.       Ron Hornaday – 4 titles, 51 wins, 234 Top 10s

2.       Jack Sprague – 3 titles, 28 wins, 192 top 10s

3.       Todd Bodine – 2 titles, 22 wins, 124 top 10s

4.       Mike Skinner – 1 title, 28 wins, 144 top 10s

5.       Kyle Busch – 42 wins, 98 top 10s

6.       Matt Crafton – 2 titles (assuming he clinches tonight), 5 wins, 191 top 10s

7.       Ted Musgrave – 1 title, 17 wins, 119 top 10s

8.       Greg Biffle – 1 title, 16 wins, 54 top 10s

9.       Johnny Benson – 1 title, 14 wins, 90 top 10s

10.   Mike Bliss – 1 title, 13 wins, 109 top 10s

11.   Bobby Hamilton – 1 title, 10 wins, 54 top 10s

12.   Dennis Setzer – 18 wins, 160 top 10s

13.   Travis Kvapil – 1 title, 9 wins, 85 top 10s

14.   James Buescher – 1 title, 6 wins, 60 top 10s

15.   Austin Dillon – 1 title, 6 wins, 41 top 10s

16.   Joe Ruttman – 13 wins, 111 top 10s

17.   Kevin Harvick – 14 wins, 61 top 10s

18.   Johnny Sauter – 10 wins, 85 top 10s

19.   Timothy Peters – 8 wins, 85 top 10s

20.   Brendan Gaughan – 8 wins, 80 top 10s

20 Greatest Drivers in NASCAR Truck Series History: #1. Ron Hornaday

#1. Ron Hornaday 

Stats:

Years: 1995-1999, 2002, 2004-2014
Championships: 1996, 1998, 2007 & 2009
Wins: 51
Tops: 234

20 Greatest Drivers in NASCAR Truck Series History: #2. Jack Sprague

#2. Jack Sprague 

Stats:

Years: 1995-2001, 2003-2008
Championships: 1997, 1999, 2001
Wins: 28
Top 10s: 192

20 Greatest Drivers in NASCAR Truck Series History: #3. Todd Bodine

#3. Todd Bodine 

Stats:

Years: 1995, 2004-2013
Championships: 2006, 2010
Wins: 22
Top 10s: 124

20 Greatest Drivers in NASCAR Truck Series History: #4. Mike Skinner

#4. Mike Skinner 

Stats:

Years: 1995-1998, 2003-2012
Championships: 1995
Wins: 28
Top 10s: 144

20 Greatest Drivers in NASCAR Truck Series History: #5. Kyle Busch

#5. Kyle Busch 

Stats:

Years: 2001, 2004-2014
Championships: None
Wins: 42
Top 10s: 98

20 Greatest Drivers in NASCAR Truck Series History: #6. Matt Crafton

#6. Matt Crafton 

Stats:

Years: 2000-2014
Championships: 2013, 2014
Wins: 5
Top 10s: 191

20 Greatest Drivers in NASCAR Truck Series History: #7. Ted Musgrave

#7. Ted Musgrave

Stats:

Years: 1995-1996, 2001-2008, 2010
Championships: 2005
Wins: 17
Top 10s: 119

20 Greatest Drivers in NASCAR Truck Series History: #8. Greg Biffle

#8. Greg Biffle 

Stats:

Years: 1998-2001, 2004
Championships: 2000
Wins: 16
Top 10s: 54

20 Greatest Drivers in NASCAR Truck Series History: #9. Johnny Benson

#9. Johnny Benson 

Stats:

Years: 1995-1997, 2004-2010
Championships: 2008
Wins: 14
Top 10s: 90

20 Greatest Drivers in NASCAR Truck Series History: #10. Mike Bliss

#10. Mike Bliss

Stats:

Years: 1995-1999, 2001-2002, 2005-2009
Championships: 2002
Wins: 13
Top 10s: 109

20 Greatest Drivers in NASCAR Truck Series History: #11. Bobby Hamilton

#11. Bobby Hamilton 

Stats:

Years: 1996-2006
Championships: 2004
Wins: 10
Top 10s: 54

20 Greatest Drivers in NASCAR Truck Series History: #12. Dennis Setzer

#12. Dennis Setzer 

Stats:

Years: 1995, 1997-2012
Championships: None
Wins: 18
Top 10s: 160

20 Greatest Drivers in NASCAR Truck Series History: #13. Travis Kvapil

#13. Travis Kvapil

Stats:

Years: 2001-2004, 2007-2014
Championships: 2003
Wins: 9
Top 10s: 85

20 Greatest Drivers in NASCAR Truck Series History: #14. James Buescher

#14. James Buescher 

Stats:

Years: 2008-2013
Championships: 2012
Wins: 6
Top 10s: 60

20 Greatest Drivers in NASCAR Truck Series History: #15. Austin Dillon

#15. Austin Dillon

Stats:

Years: 2009-2011, 2013-2014
Championships: 2011
Wins: 6
Top 10s: 41

20 Greatest Drivers in NASCAR Truck Series History: #16. Joe Ruttman

#16. Joe Ruttman 

Stats:

Years: 1995-2002, 2007
Championships: None
Wins: 13
Top 10s: 111

20 Greatest Drivers in NASCAR Truck Series History: #17. Kevin Harvick

#17. Kevin Harvick 

Stats:

Years: 1995-1999, 2001-2005, 2007-2013
Championships: None
Wins: 14
Top 10s: 61

20 Greatest NASCAR Truck Series Drivers: #18. Johnny Sauter

#18. Johnny Sauter 

Stats:

Years: 2003-2006, 2008-2014
Championships: None
Wins: 10
Top 10s: 85

20 Greatest Drivers in NASCAR Truck Series History: #19. Timothy Peters

#19. Timothy Peters

Stats:

Years: 2005-2014
Championships: None
Wins: 8
Tops 10s: 85

20 Greatest Drivers in NASCAR Truck Series History: #20. Brendan Gaughan

#20. Brendan Gaughan

Stats:

Years: 1997-2003, 2005-2008, 2011-2013
Championships: None
Wins: 8
Top 10s: 80

Tony Stewart's Actions on Pit Road Dangerous, Further Damage His Reputation

Things got a little wild at the end of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday night thanks to a little hard racing between Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin and Matt Kenseth and their tempers bubbling over afterward.

After Kevin Harvick had taken the checkered flag as the race winner Keselowski and Hamlin got into a little banging back and forth before heading into the pits. Upon heading into the pits Keselowski and Kenseth then showed their displeasure with each other after making contact on a restart earlier in the race.

Keselowski’s retaliation toward Kenseth on pit road got a little out of hand and led to the No. 2 driver accidentally slamming into the back of Tony Stewart’s Chevrolet. Stewart, taking umbrage to this, threw his car in reverse, gassed it and slammed into the front of Keselowski’s Ford causing significant damage.

Both Hamlin and Kenseth wanted a piece of Keselowski after the race ended with Hamlin being corralled and taken away by a crew member and Kenseth tackling Keselowski in between haulers in the garage area, before a small fight took place between crew members of each team.

While Keselowski, Hamlin and Kenseth engaged in the “fun stuff” after the race I believe that everything they did fits into what NASCAR likes to call “boys have at it.”

What Tony Stewart did on pit road was a little bit more than “boys have at it” and something that doesn’t help his “hothead” reputation within the sport, especially given the tragic circumstances between him and the late dirt track racer Kevin Ward Jr. in New York in August.

NASCAR likely won’t do anything to punish Stewart, because they are probably more concerned about the actions of Keselowski, Kenseth and Hamlin, as are the NASCAR media and fans. But, I believe what Stewart did during this post race incident was the most unacceptable moment of the whole melee.

Drivers throwing their vehicles into reverse and gassing them into parked cars behind them is incredibly dangerous and should not be accepted in the sport. Not only is it incredibly dangerous, but this action (whether rightfully provoked or not) shows that Stewart is quick to anger, which is the exact thing that he doesn’t need to be seen as at this moment, even if he wasn’t charged in the death of Ward.

Keselowski, Kenseth and Hamlin are going to get the headlines after tonight’s race, but it’s the momentary lack of judgment by Stewart that really should take some of the focus.

Kansas City Royals Become America's Team for Baseball Postseason using Small Ball, Long Ball and Extra Inning Dramatics

With a thrilling, and Hollywood-like, 6-0 start to their first playoff run in almost three decades the Kansas City Royals have worked their way into the hearts of baseball fans everywhere.  (Well, maybe not fans of the Oakland A’s, Los Angeles Angels, Baltimore Orioles and potentially St. Louis Cardinals or San Francisco Giants)

The Royals with their decades long lack of success mixed with their unconventional (for today’s game) style of small ball that excites some and really annoys others (I’m looking at you SABR nerds) have taken the baseball world by storm with their stunning and historic (four of their six wins have come inexplicably in extra innings) run.

In an era when people are trying to kill off the sacrifice bunt and would rather see a batter selfishly strike out than selflessly move a teammate into scoring position because some formula has determined that is better and the stolen base has become almost a relic of the past the Royals brand of baseball, led by manager Ned Yost, seems old-fashioned, but it also is incredibly fun to watch and has been extremely effective this postseason.

People simply don’t like it because fans would rather see monstrous home runs than small ball and swinging and missing is somehow considered more masculine than helping your team out by laying down a bunt. But, in the real world of baseball a win is a win and scoring gets you there. In today’s post-steroid era of baseball runs aren’t nearly as easy to come by so why not score any way you possibly can. Fans may “dig the long ball” – hell, I like to see moon shots every now and then too – but what the Royals are doing now through solid pitching, excellent defense and sound strategy is one of the most exciting things I’ve ever seen in 20 years of watching baseball.

With all of this talk of small ball, though, I should mention that the Royals, a team that hit the fewest home runs of any team in Major League Baseball this season, has also found its power stroke since the playoffs began – hitting eight homers (four alone by third baseman Mike Moustakas), including four that came in much-needed extra inning situations by Moustakas, left fielder Alex Gordon and first baseman Eric Hosmer. All three of those hitters have upped their power games in big situations.

The Royals bullpen featuring the terrific Greg Holland, Wade Davis, Kelvin Herrera and youngster Brandon Finnegan have also proven to be invaluable for the Royals keeping them in all of these long, close extra inning games well after their solid starting pitchers have exited.

The Royals almost flawless outfield defense from center fielder Lorenzo Cain, Gordon, right fielder Nori Aoki and late-inning defensive replacement Jarrod Dyson have managed to save the Royals in many situations and leave the mouths of fans agape at the sheer beauty and brilliance of some of their catches.

The most exciting thing about the Royals this postseason, which appeared mostly in their unbelievable come from behind victory against the A’s in the American League Wild Card game, is their speed on the basepaths from speedsters such as Cain, Dyson and Terrance Gore. Dyson and Gore are frequently used as pinch runners by Yost in late inning situations and almost always swipe bags without being caught. You just know they’re going to run and yet it’s still exhilarating to watch.

As a baseball purist I love seeing the Royals use small ball strategy, speed on the basepaths and sound defense to have this much success. It’s even better knowing how much of an underdog they are and how little success they’ve had since they last won the World Series or even went to the playoffs in the George Brett-era of 1985. I’d take this style of baseball the Royals have perfected over high scoring home run derby-like games any day of the week. This style of play, along with the team’s extra inning dramatics over the last two weeks have made me invested in the Royals playoff run more than any other team that wasn’t my favorite (the Atlanta Braves) since I began watching the game two decades ago.

I’ve been living and dying with every single pitch and close play, and again this isn’t even my favorite team. I find that incredible. That’s how exciting this Kansas City Royals ballclub has been and from what I’ve seen I think many of the baseball fans of America agree.  

New NASCAR Format Has Big Stars, Sport in Danger

When NASCAR announced its new format for the Chase for the Championship playoff system in the Sprint Cup Series before the season I instantly felt it turned arguably the biggest motorsports championship into a joke.

Almost halfway through the Chase that feeling actually continues to grow.

After a wild race at Kansas Speedway for the fourth race of the 2014 Chase the standings were shaken up quite a bit and find some of the biggest names in the sport in desperation with only two races remaining in this segment to get into the top eight spots needed to reach the Chase’s third segment. The final race of this second segment is Talladega Superspeedway, which every NASCAR fan knows is simply a crapshoot. This must have these big names, and the sport depending on them for its success, on pins and needles.

After the Kansas race six-time champion Jimmie Johnson, 2013 champion Brad Keselowski and the sport’s most popular driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. find themselves on the outside looking in, all more than 20 points outside of the eighth place bubble with only Charlotte and Talladega remaining in the segment.

Four-time champion Jeff Gordon is safe for now, but sits only eight spots ahead of Kasey Kahne for that coveted eighth spot in the standings.

Theoretically Gordon, Johnson, Earnhardt Jr. and Keselowski, arguably the four biggest names in the Chase, could all end up missing the next segment of the Chase and be eliminated from title contention. Another scenario has the only four champions currently in the Chase (Johnson, Gordon, Keselowski, and Matt Kenseth, also only eight points ahead of the cutoff, missing the next segment). If this were to happen I’d halfway expect NASCAR to say “oopsy and never mind” and revert immediately back to their old system. While in jest, we have seen the sport do unheard of and stranger things before. I’d almost guarantee a lack of big name stars over the sport’s last four races would lead to more changes in the offseason.  

These four stars, or even two or three of them, being eliminated from championship contention with four races remaining would be horrible for NASCAR’s fans, and more importantly to the sport, its television ratings.

If these drivers’ racing ability led to such horrible finishes at Kansas none of this would be a big deal, but things out of their doing like blown tires or getting the bad end of other people’s wrecks have them in holes that might not be possible to dig out.

The new Chase format was instituted by NASCAR hoping to add some spice to the playoff system in order to help compete with dominant NFL coverage on Sundays, to show the networks (NBC and Fox) in the new television package starting next season what’s to come and add a do-or-die flare to the playoffs, which would still often come down to just two drivers at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

After the first four races and knowing that Talladega is on the horizon that “do-or-die” flare has turned into the potential for a “crash-and-burn” scenario for NASCAR. Sure, it’s currently nothing more than a “what if,” but 20-plus points down for its superstars and the big one at ‘Dega looming kind of puts things in perspective.

A final foursome of Joey Logano, Carl Edwards, Ryan Newman and Denny Hamlin in a virtual winner take all championship bout might bring in the television viewers, but having a name like Johnson, Gordon, Keselowski or Earnhardt would bring in heckuva lot more.      

NFLPA's Appeal of Ray Rice Suspension Furthers League's Weak Image on Domestic Violence

Over the last month we have learned that’s the world’s most violent sport on the field is apparently also the most violent off the field. Numerous stars of the NFL like Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson, Greg Hardy, Ray McDonald and Jonathan Dwyer have given the NFL a black eye, something they apparently all like to do, with their off the field violence toward's  wives, girlfriends and even children.

The NFL has done almost everything possible to continually shoot themselves in the foot by botching the punishments both at the league and team level and in the process have made themselves look both inept at their jobs and weak on domestic violence.

The NFL Players Association was put in an awkward position this week when they decided to take the side of an athlete punished for violently knocking his then fiancée, now wife unconscious, by appealing his suspension. That athlete is former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice, who as everybody knows by now was weakly suspended for merely two games by the NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, czar of all things punishment in the NFL, for his domestic abuse of a woman and then the two-game suspension was turned into an indefinite suspension with no end in sight when the elevator tape of Rice knocking Janay Rice unconscious was brought to light.

The NFLPA has every right to be upset that Goodell is changing punishment of its players willy-nilly because he failed to get things right the first time around, and I hate that his incompetence as commissioner put them in this horrid situation, but they are doing absolutely nothing but damaging their image among people virtually everywhere by appealing Rice’s suspension. I understand those claiming the NFLPA must do this to protect its players in the future. I just don’t agree.

I understand it’s the ultimate duty of the NFLPA to protect its players, that’s the prime objective of a union, but I think they have to protect the entirety of the union and the players’ and league’s image more so. Appealing the suspension of a wife beater is in no way protecting your image. In fact, it makes it look like you condone the despicably violent act. The appeal makes the NFLPA look no better than the NFL did when the NFL apparently tried to brush Rice’s action and the actions of fellow stars under the rug.

The last month has shown that the NFL has violence issues and that those issues aren’t really high priority among those in charge of running the league. The NFL Players Association could have come out against Rice and against Peterson, Hardy, McDonald, Dwyer and any other player that lays his hands or objects against others, but it has opted to stand up for these guys instead. It's just another sign that the NFL doesn’t really care what you do in your free time, just so long as you’re scoring touchdowns on Sunday.