Movies / TV
Al's MLB Report for July 19th
By Alan Keiper
Jul 19, 2004, 15:31

After all the hype, the 75th Annual All-Star game was a huge disappointment.

Much of the game's coverage centered on the battery team of catcher Mike Piazza and pitcher Roger Clemens. Fox aired constant replays of Clemens' beanball in 2000, as did ESPN. Reporters asked Clemens about pitching to Piazza repeatedly even after it became clear that Clemens had grown irritated with the questions. Despite the hype, most rational observers knew there would be no incident between Clemens and Piazza. Roger Clemens ended up surrendering six runs, of which three were earned. I did not take long for the inane conspiracy theories to surface. Did Mike Piazza tip pitches to American League batters?

Obviously, the answer is no. If Piazza tipped pitches, the home plate umpire would have caught on. Tipping pitches is tanamount to throwing a baseball game, which is strictly forbidden. Piazza would face a suspention for tipping pitches, even in an exhibition game. It is silly to think Piazza would tip pitches in retaliation for an unfortunate incident which occured over four years ago. However, did Roger Clemens tip his pitches? It is not uncommon for pitchers to fall into a pattern, which is then detected by opposing hitters. A pitcher shakes his head the same way for a certain pitch, and the hitters are clued in. With Roger Clemens working with a catcher he feels uncomfortable with, it is easy to assume they did not create a complex series of signals.

Moreover, Clemens did not pitch incredibly bad. He threw 23 of 35 pitches for strikes, a good ratio. He walked none, and if not for a questionable error by Jeff Kent, he would have escaped with only three runs. Understand I am not saying Clemens did not give a bad performance. But his performance was indicative of a pitcher who made bad pitches, and not a pitcher who had lost his stuff.

In the end, the game turned into a blowout, and the game drew the lowest ratings in history. In my mind, this proves two things.

1. Fans do not care what is at stake during the All-Star game. They care whether the game is competitive or not.

Did the fact that home field advantage was at stake entice fans to stick around and watch the All-Star game? Obviously not. Fans deserted the moment Soriano launched a three-run home run. During last year's excellent game, the fact that Blalock hit a go-ahead home run of Gagne provided more excitement than the promise of home field advantage.

2. Whether home field advantage is at stake will not guarantee a good game, and I question if it helps at all.

Look, I know we all like to think of players as a bunch of overpaid prima-donnas who look upon baseball as an inconvenience, rather than a competitive venture. But they do care about baseball, and they care about winning. Players will try and win an exhibition game. The notion that the All-Star game has depreciated in value since the good ol' days is false. Fans love to point to Rose/Fosse in 1970. Great, what else is there? You will find a number of uninspiring All-Star games if you look back over the years. As a cheap plug, Retrosheet is a terrific site, and you can find play by play information for every All-Star game in history. I say leave the All-Star game alone. Once in a while, the game will produce a gem.

Apart from the game, I must comment on the Fox network's coverage of the game. It was nausiating. A promotional stunt from Taco Bell, an inate advertisement tying the all stars to characters from "I, Robot", and that was even before the first pitch. Throughout the game, Fox utilized every trick in their bag to keep people from paying attention to the game. Such as a baseball named "Scooter" to explain the sweeping curveball. First off, I have never heard of a sweeping curveball. It sounds like a roundhouse curve. If fans really want to know about pitches, they can read The Neyer/James Guide To Pitchers. It provides more in-depth analysis and information, and introduces a concept I like to call objectivity. More infuriating was their interview of Eric Gagne, which occured during Bobby Abreu's at bat. There is no better tool to indicate how important a game is than to ignore an at bat in favor of an interview.

Fox has got to go. Their television contract expires either next year or the year after, and I pray another network steps in. Fox does not care about baseball. To Fox, the game is little more than a vehicle to promote whatever shows or companies to which they have hitched their wagons. Baseball fans still have promotional lines from Skin branded in their brains. Baseball deserves better.

To hardcore baseball fans, Tuesday's game was an embarassment. Wednesday provided only one televised event for baseball fans, the AAA All-Star game. Most baseball fans pass by the event, as it includes no stars, and only a handful of prospects. As a hardcore fan, I tuned in for the heck of it. By the end, I was reminded of why I am a baseball fan.

ESPN2's broadcast of the game included no theatrics, no talking baseballs, no cameras on the pitcher's mound, and no blithering idiots in the announcers' booth. It was simply baseball, in a small town park. Pawtucket, Rhode Island hosted the event which pit the stars of the International League against the stars of the Pacific Coast League. And it was dandy.

The first inning saw an appearance by Brewers' prospect Ben Hendrickson. Hendrickson was perhaps the second best prospect in the game, behind Justin Morneau. But Hendrickson did not have his best stuff, and the PCL scored two runs. Trenidad Hubbard drew a lead-off walk. Two outs later, he stole scond base. Larry Sutton and Calvin Pickering hit singles, with Pickering's hit scoring Hubbard. Cardinals' prospect John Gall added the second run.

The International League tied the game in the fourth inning. Justin Morneau, winner of the "why the bloody hell am I here when I should be kicking Doug Mientkiewicz's butt to the bench" award garnered a single, and Joe Vitiello's home run tied the game.

Somewhere around the fifth or sixth innings, the game announcers casually mentioned that Triple A baseball has a rule allowing the All-Star game one extra inning before calling a tie. This is a sensible solution, in my view, although I would extend it to three innings for the big league game.

A home run by Midre Cummings put the IL on top in the 8th inning. In the ninth, the PCL threatened, putting runners on second and third with no outs. Still, the IL fought back, and the PCL scored only one run, with Calvin Pickering scoring on a passed ball. So in effect, Calvin Pickering stole home. 300 lb. Calvin Pickering stole home. It might not be official, but it sounds better that way.

The game progressed into the tenth inning, and fans were informed of the tenth-inning tie game rule. Scott Atchison retired the first two batters in short order, and it looked apparent that we would have another All-Star game tie on our hands. And then Yankees' minor leaguer Andy Phillips launched a pitch into the left field stands, giving the International League a 3-2 victory. And the team ran on the field to celebrate. With nothing at stake, they cared about winning this game. It was truly baseball at its finest.

As a side note, I would recommend my readers catch a minor league game once in a while. It is a different feel from the majors, but a pleasant one nonetheless. You will find less expensive tickets, souveniors, concessions, etc. For the true baseball fan, its a great time.

The Houston Astros fired Jimy Williams on Wednesday, a day after he was booed by hometown fans at the All-Star game. The Astros hired former Brewers and Tigers manager Phil Garner to take his place. I completely understand the firing of Jimy Williams. The Astros performed poorly, and it needed to be done. I do not get the point of hiring Phil Garner. Garner has managed just over ten years in the major leagues. He had one winning season, finishing second in 1992 with 92 wins. Since then, he has never managed a team to a .500 record. The same applied to the Red Sox. They hired Terry Francona, who showed no real managerial success in four years with the Philadelphia Phillies. What is the point of hiring these men to manage big league teams. There are good, intelligent guys such as Willie Randolph and Chris Chambliss, who deserve a shot at managing a big league ball club. Let's give some new people a shot instead of turning to the same old tired retreads.

The Montreal Expos traded Carl Everett to the Chicago White Sox for pitcher Jon Rauch, and minor league pitcher Gary Majewski. For the White Sox, it is obviously a good trade. The Sox get a good switch-hitter who can play all three outfield positions, and fill in for Frank Thomas in Thomas's absense. They gave up two pitchers who would not provide any significant innings this year, or possibly ever. For the Expos, the move amounts to a salary dump. Two things will effect how this trade helps or hurts the team. First off, they have Ryan Church in AAA. Church is hitting 348/447/626. With those numbers, he can obviously help the Expos right now. Baseball Prospectus compares him to Trot Nixon, and John Sickels compares him to Aaron Guiel. Keep in mind those comments were made prior to the season. In any case, they have a replacement for Everett. Second, there is Jon Rauch. Rauch has never filled his potential, but he still has time. Rauch has pitched well at AAA Charlotte, posting a 3.11 ERA in 72 1/3 innings, with good peripherals. Rauch and Majewski could add depth to the Expos' pitching, and if Church fares well in the big leagues, the Expos could turn this trade to their advantage.

That's all for this week. Send feedback to Alan Keiper