Phils and All-Star Game

The Phils signed Pedro today and while I think it's a low risk high reward signing, and he sounds like he has been throwing very well, I don't think it's going to truly separate them from the other NL East contenders. I think he will help though. What would set them apart however is making a blockbuster trade for Halladay. The Phils have some players/prospects that should obviously interest the Jays (Happ, Marson, Donald, Carrasco to name a few), but to me the key will be to avoid extracting anyone from the ML roster in order to obtain him. To avoid trading Happ, they may just have to add a 4th, or dare I say 5th (see Bedard trade) player, and I am not sure the Phils are willing to do that, nor should they, necessarily. It will be interesting to see where Halladay goes, and personally, I hope they trade him to ANY team in the NL, and that whoever they get in return doesn't pan out. And by the way, I'm still mad at Cito gaston for not pitching Mussina in the All-Star game ehld at Camden Yards in 1993, and beating the Phillies in the same season, when all we could do was keep playing the Dead's "The Music Never Stopped" to keep the Phils rally going.

As for the All-Star game, I found it surprisingly entertaining, and quick (perhaps that was the best part). It was outstanding to see Adam Jones have two very good AB's and knock in the winning run on his sac fly. What still puzzles me about the game though is that there has not been an outrage by everyone (save perhaps Selig himself) that home field advantage in the WS depends on this game, yet it's still considered an exhibition game. It's just another bad call by Selig and it has to change. The All-Star game should be all about having fun, in particular for the fans, but also for the players. It's a brutally long season, and a 3-4 day stretch replete of stress should be mandatory (do you hear me Player's Association?). Don't get me wrong, I think any player who is selected to the game has an obligation to participate unless injured or some other reasonable excuse (like Pedroia, who was spending time with his wife who is pregnant), but I also ackowledge that players need a braak as well. That's why the WS home field advantage should NOT depend on it.

Personally, I think MLB needs to either go back to alternating home field advantage each year, awarding home field advantage to the team with the best record, or base it on overall W/L on interleague games, which I believe is typically finished prior to the All-Star break (if not then scratch this one). Come on Bud, pull your head out and change this back to truly being an exhibition game that is for us, the fans.