Mariano puts the Mo in Most Valuable Player

You could kind of see it coming- no one player stood out in the American League's 3-0 win in Tuesday night's All-Star game. So it was no surprise when the player most honored on the night took home some hardware at the end of the night.

AL manager Jim Leyland threw everyone a changeup when he brought Mariano Rivera into the game in the 8th inning to throw his prized cutter.  While it upset a lot of people, based on the reaction on Twitter, it made perfect sense to a manager that did not want to go down in history as the guy who couldn't get the greatest closer of all time into his final All-Star game.

With a 3-0 lead in the 8th inning, Leyland knew that if the National League scored more than three runs there was a good chance there would be no bottom of the 9th for Rivera to enter.  So the Sandman entered one inning earlier to the strains of Metallica blasted over the Citi Field loud speakers.  The fans rose to their feet, the NL squad rose to their feet, and Rivera's AL teammates waited in the dugout to give #42 a stage all to himself.

The roar of applause nearly brought Rivera to tears as he acknowledged the crowd with a wave of his hat and nod of his head. Then it was all down to the business of protecting a three run lead. Four cutters to shortstop Jean Segura resulted in a ground out to second baseman Jason Kipnis.  It took six cutters before pinch-hitter Allen Craig lined out to Alex Gordon in left field.

Former Met Carlos Gomez hit the sixth straight cutter he saw on the ground to shortstop Jhonny Peralta for the final out of the inning. 16 pitches, 16 cutters, and a 1-2-3 inning to close out Rivera's All-Star game career. It was a somewhat appropriate ending since Rivera first rose to fame as the set up man for John Wetteland in 1995-1996. Texas closer Joe Nathan got the save for the game, then handed the baseball to everyone's idol as a human being.

Then it was time for the post-game and sure enough there was Rivera alongside MLB commissioner Bud Selig. The closer joined long time teammate Derek Jeter as the only Yankees to win the All-Star game MVP Award. (There was no MVP Award until the 1962 games, which was also the last year two games were played in one year.). Rivera was then given an award that was more Alex Rodriguez than Mariano Rivera.

He couldn't help but chuckle with amusement and amazement as he was presented with a Chevrolet Corvette Stingray that sat parked on the field. I can see it being auctioned off to raise money for Mr. Cutter's church.

The greatest gift on the night though was the admiration of the fans, his teammates, and his peers. Everyone knows there will never be another player person like Mariano Rivera.

Video Killed the Radio Star and TV and Interleague Play Did in the All-Star Game

Everyone in the media continually tries to to figure out why the interest in Major League Baseball’s All-Star game has dwindled to the point that you wonder if it might not exist one day. The reasons why the ratings are at an all-time low are very apparent if you simply look at a few simple facts.

First though, let’s take a look at the ratings since 1967, as amassed by Baseball Almanac. From 1967-1980, the game averaged a 46.7 share of the television audience. The game averaged a 24.5 rating with the 1969 game the only time the share dipped below 20 during the period, and that occurred because the game was rained out the night before and was played the following afternoon.

Ratings began to decline over the next decade, though the share was still decent (36.8 avg) from 1981-1988. The ’81 All-Star game was the first game after a two month player’s strike interrupted the season. After the 1989 game, which had an 18.2 rating and 33 share, the game’s viewership steadily declined. The 2002 season saw the ratings drop below 10% for the first time. Last season saw an all-time lows of 6.8%, a 12 share, and 10.9 million viewers.

If you were a baseball fan in the 1960’s and 1970’s, the All-Star game and the post-season were the only times that you saw players like Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Roberto Clemente, and Jim Palmer unless they were on your team. Fans were also fans of the league their team was in-if you liked the Yankees or Mets, you rooted for the American or National League in the All-Star game and in the World Series.

The All-Star game was a happening that you looked forward to. When else could you see so many future Hall of Fame players, especially at one time. When I was growing up the NL dominated the game, so I was really into, hoping the AL would finally beat the hated NL. In 1971 it finally happened in Detroit when the AL's sluggers pounded the NL pitchers. The most memorable shot being Reggie Jackson's home run blast off the tower atop Tiger Stadium. The AL wouldn't win again until Fred Lynn's grand slam catupulted the junior circuit to a 13-3 win. 

The AL finally exacted vengance with 18 wins over the period from 1988-2009, but something had changed and the excitement was gone.

A Change in the Air

Perhaps the All-Star game television ratings might have leveled off had the player’s strike not occurred in August, 1994. The regular season was wiped out and the entire post-season was canceled in one fell swoop by MLB commissioner Bud Selig.  Baseball didn’t start up again until April 2, 1995. Some fans would never return to the ball park, others slowly made their way back. (The last game I attended before the strike was August 9, 1994 and I did not return to the ball park until July 30, 1998.) Either way the game was badly damaged.

From that moment on, viewership (slightly) increased  from one year to the next just four times to date. One rise (13%) occurred in 1998 when everyone was caught up in the Mark McGwire-Sammy Sosa steroid fueled chase of Roger Maris’ single season home run record.  The next increase came in 2001 (10%) when Barry Bonds was in a steroid fueled chase of McGwire’s 1998 home run record.

The third rise in the ratings was in the 2006 game in Pittsburgh (15%), presumably because of the ceremony that was held mid-game in memory of Roberto Clemente. The final increase in ratings came in 2008 when the Yankees held their final All-Star game in the old Yankee Stadium. Ratings (11%) had to be helped by Josh Hamilton’s monsterous home run derby performance the night before.

Television’s Role in Dimishing the All-Star Game's Draw

With no cable TV and teams not broadcasting all 162 regular season games, any time you could watch a game it felt like you won a prize. There was a weekly nationally televised game, but that was it.  Then cable television began to appear and the landscape of televised baseball changed forever.

More regular season out of market games started to be televised in the late 1970’s and then ESPN came into existence in 1979 with highlights and replays of baseball games like you had never seen before. The Connecticut based station started televising baseball games in 1990, so you no longer had to wait for the one national game of the week to be shown. 

Over the next two decades, the MLB Network would be launched, other cable outlets (e.g. TBS) began to broadcast games, you could add the MLB Extra Innings package to your cable or dish plan, and the official MLB site provided video and audio broadcasts.

Baseball games can be found all around the dial or the internet now, which means you can watch Miguel Cabrera or Mike Trout just about any time you want.

The Death Blow

One of the ideas Selig came up with to increase fan interest was the implementation of interleague play. While most fans seem to love it, or least like it, it was a tremendous blow to the All-Star game. What started out quietly in 1997 with opponents playing 15-18 games against the other league is now an every day occurrence in the Major Leagues. Why bother watching an All-Star game when you can see players from both leagues on any day or night on a number of different television stations.

Selig impacted the game again after the AL and NL played to a 7-7 tie in 2002.  To make the game more important, he decreed that home field advantage for the World Series would be determined by the league that won the All-Star game. Fans have laughed at the notion ever since. Selig basically kicked a man when he was already down.

Until someone figures out another way to bring excitement to the game, don't look for the ratings to be anything spectacular in the future. That is if the game still exists.

UPDATE - The 2013 game got an 8.1 national rating, which means there was increase from the prior year for just the fifth time since 1998. It was about a 20% boost from last year's game primarily due to Mariano Rivera and it being the first game at the Mets home field since 1964.

All-Star Game Television Ratings Television Analysis & Ratings Breakdown
Year	Network	Rating	Share	Households	Viewers
1967	NBC	25.6	50	14,050,000	Not Available
1968	NBC	25.8	49	14,450,000	Not Available
1969	NBC	15.1	42	8,610,000	Not Available
1970	NBC	28.5	54	16,670,000	Not Available
1971	NBC	27.0	50	16,230,000	Not Available
1972	NBC	22.9	43	14,220,000	26,300,000
1973	NBC	23.8	45	15,420,000	27,600,000
1974	NBC	23.4	44	15,490,000	Not Available
1975	NBC	21.5	41	14,730,000	28,170,000
1976	ABC	27.1	53	18,680,000	36,330,000
1977	NBC	24.5	45	17,440,000	31,000,000
1978	ABC	26.1	47	19,030,000	35,529,000
1979	NBC	24.4	45	18,180,000	31,980,000
1980	ABC	26.8	46	20,450,000	36,270,000
1981	NBC	20.1	36	15,640,000	Not Available
1982	ABC	25.0	44	20,380,000	34,120,000
1983	NBC	21.5	39	17,910,000	27,190,000
1984	ABC	20.1	35	16,840,000	28,500,000
1985	NBC	20.5	36	17,400,000	28,210,000
1986	ABC	20.3	35	17,440,000	28,375,000
1987	NBC	18.2	37	15,910,000	24,295,000
1988	ABC	20.4	33	18,070,000	29,526,000
1989	NBC	18.2	33	16,450,000	25,840,000
1990	CBS	16.2	33	14,940,000	24,365,000
1991	CBS	17.4	32	16,200,000	24,670,000
1992	CBS	14.9	27	13,720,000	21,981,000
1993	CBS	15.6	28	14,550,000	22,306,000
1994	NBC	15.7	28	14,790,000	22,015,000
1995	ABC	13.9	25	13,260,000	20,163,000
1996	NBC	13.2	23	12,690,000	18,479,000
1997	FOX	11.8	21	11,420,000	16,723,000
1998	NBC	13.3	25	13,026,000	18,970,000
1999	FOX	12.0	22	11,890,000	17,640,000
2000	NBC	10.1	18	10,167,000	14,714,000
2001	FOX	11.0	19	11,198,000	16,029,000
2002	FOX	9.5	17	10,046,000	14,653,000
2003	FOX	9.5	17	10,156,000	13,810,000
2004	FOX	8.8	15	9,573,000	13,995,000
2005	FOX	8.1	14	8,884,000	12,330,000
2006	FOX	9.3	16	10,301,000	14,424,000
2007	FOX	8.4	15	9,343,000	12,530,000
2008	FOX	9.3	16	10,441,000	14,540,000
2009	FOX	8.9	15	10,754,230	14,610,000
2010	FOX	7.5	13	8,692,500	12,100,000
2011	FOX	6.9	12	7,712,000	11,000,000
2012	FOX	6.8	12	6,743,724	10,900,000

Returning to the Scene of the Ouch and Other Injury Related News

Bullpen coach Mike Harkey's face said it all last May.

On May 3 of last year Yankees fans saw something that nearly made them all hurl. It was Mariano Rivera writhing around in agony on the warning track in Kansas City's Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium. Baseball's all-time greatest closer was in the midst of his normal pre-game ritual of shagging fly balls during batting practice when he went down in a heap.

Several minutes later Rivera was carted off the field with a torn ACL in his right knee. Just 25 games into the 2012 season, Rivera's season was over after just nine appearances and five saves. One year and one week later, the Yankees and Rivera are back in Kansas City for a three game series with the Royals.

Rivera underwent surgery in July and successfully rehabbed in time for the start of the 2013 season. At the moment he leads the American League with 13 saves in 15 games pitched. He's struck out 12 and walked just two in 14.1 innings, and allowed three earned runs (1.88). In other words he's having a Mariano Rivera-type season in this, his final season.

Rivera has returned to his pre-game ritual this season, but Joe Girardi has noticed that Rivera doesn't go after baseballs as hard as he used to. He half-jokingly added, "I'm not going to challenge him on it."

Rivera wasn't the only one that had issues in Kansas City last season. Robinson Cano was booed mercilessly after he did not select the Royals' Billy Butler to participate in the 2012 All-Star home run derby. To make matters worse, the game was actually in Kansas City. The fans went too far in my opinion and were pretty damn obnoxious, especially since it was an All-Star event and not the regular season.

Whether or not it affected Cano, the defending champion, was unclear, but he made a very early exit from the contest. Cano can get even by continuing the success he has had against KC - an .839 OPS 7 HR 39 RBI in 60 games.

I'll get back to the injuries in a moment, but first and I mean first, let's talk about the AL East standings on this fine Friday. Right there in the paper, on your internet, on your iPhone app, was the New York Yankees sitting atop the American League East division. Technically, it's a three way tie (NY 20-13, Bal, Bos 21-14) between the Yankees, Orioles, and suddenly floundering Red Sox, but the Yankees have a .006 percentage lead. Boo hiss to one of my favorite sites - baseball-reference.com - which put the standings in alphabetical order. That's not the way it works boys.

Okay, back to the walking wounded- Curtis Granderson went 1-3 Thursday night as a member of the Yankees Triple 'A' Scranton RailRiders. (Months later the team name still stinks.) The plan is for Granderson, who played right field last night, to play all three outfield positions while he completes his rehab from the broken forearm he got in the first Spring Training game of the season.

Eduardo Nunez is feeling better, but still cannot swing a bat due to soreness in his rib cage/oblique area. If the Yankees have to DL Nunez it can be back dated to May 6, which would make him eligible for activation on the 20th of May.

As a precaution the Yankees have brought back the attorney general, Alberto Gonzalez. The utility infielder was a member of the Yankees organization for 2007 and part of 2008. He was acquired from Arizona when the Yankees sent Randy Johnson back to the desert in January, 2007, and then was dealt to the Nationals at the 2008 trade deadline for pitcher Jhonny Nunez. (Nunez was part of the package later sent to Chicago for Nick Swisher.) The Yankees will send a player to be named later or cash to the Chicago Cubs for Gonzalez, who will report to Scranton.

Ivan Nova remains on track to start in one of Monday's doubleheader make up games with the Cleveland Indians. The Yankees will then head to the Bronx for a six game homestand with the Mariners and Blue Jays.

Girardi is optimistic that Joba Chamberlain will be able to return on time when he's eligible to be activated this coming Tuesday. He backed away a little bit from the statement by adding that you never know with oblique injuries.

Jeter Has 2 For 2

With last night's rainout between the Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays, Derek Jeter's chances of getting hit #3,000 at home diminished by one. The Yankees asked Tampa to play a day-night twinbill today, but the Rays said no, preferring to make the game up in September. Anyone who is angry at Tampa for doing that is bananas. They have to think about winning not about DJ.

Also bananas is Buster Olney, who tweeted this gem on Twitter this morning.

Obviously if not for his pursuit of 3,000 and the chance to reach the milestone at home, Jeter would not have been playing every day since returning from the DL. Joe Girardi is much more cautious than that when it comes to injuries. I will agree with Olney though that Jeter could still attend the game to thank the fans who voted him as the starter in a year that he didn't deserve to start (my words not Olney's). Back to the other side of the coin, this is the first time that Jeter has backed out of a game while playing. Olney later ridiculously brought up Manny Ramirez, who constantly backed out of games, as if there was some comparison.

More bananas- people calling into WFAN or 1050ESPN to criticize Jeter for just about anything. For the Yankees losing four of five since his return as if no one else on the team should shoulder blame. Of course there have also been Mets fans pointing out how well the Mets have done since Reyes has been out of the lineup. There really are a lot of idiots out there. Like someone on 1050 this morning who brought up Jeter not attending Bob Shephard's funeral. Water under the bridge people.

As for 3,000, no one wants to get this out of the way more than Jeter. It's a distraction to him and certainly the fans, just as home run #600 was for A-Rod last year. But it is not a distraction to the team and hasn't affected the way they have played. Injuries, poor pitching, and no timely hitting is responsible for this skid. Seasons are about streaks and this is one of the bad ones. (Boston and Tampa Bay have gone through the same ups and downs too, that is why the race is so close.)

In addition to Jeter, Mariano Rivera (elbow) and Alex Rodriguez (knee) will both miss the All-Star game as well. A-Rod's knee is of major concern as he has not been driving the ball at all. The three days off and maybe today and tomorrow as well will do him good.

Speaking of All-Stars not able to play- Shane Victorino was voted in by the fans in the NL "Final Vote" and immediately went on the DL.

Bad job by NL Home Run Derby captain Prince Fielder for not selecting Justin Upton to compete in front of his home fans in Phoenix.

Back to the insane radio callers..."Nick from Manhattan" I can understand your mistrust of ball players, but to suggest that Bartolo Colon is on HGH because he is "like 40 pounds heavier" and in light of Roger Clemens upcoming trial...is idiotic. Colon has 40 pounds of hamburgers, fries, and chalupas.

Good luck to Brian Gordon. The feel-good-story pitcher - released by the Phillies - starting pitcher for the Yankees the next day - was remarkable. That the converted outfielder even got his first big league at-bats in interleague play makes the story even better. But with the return of Colon and Phil Hughes there was no room for Gordon and the Yankees sent him down. Now they have released him and sold his contract to a team in Korea. Long way to go, but if you love the game...

In non-Yankees news, another big time prospect made his debut last night. With centerfielder Peter Bourjos sidelined by a bad hamstring, the Angels recalled 19-yr old uber-prospect Mike Trout from Double-A. Though he went 0-3, it was exciting to see him out there. Trout joined Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Dustin Ackley, Michael Pineda, Freddie Freeman, Brandon Belt, and Lonnie Chisenhall in making their Major League debuts this season. All were among the top 25 prospects (Baseball America) in baseball prior to the season. Pineda (Sea) and Freeman (Atl) have been with their teams since day one and are among the leading contenders for Rookie of the Year.

FullCountPitch - Fans Doing An All-Star Job

In 1957, seven Cincinnati Reds players had been voted to start in the All-Star game. Commissioner Ford Frick responded by taking the vote away from the fans. Things are a little better in 2011.

Halley’s Comet, Steak Tartare, total solar eclipses…all three are less rare than baseball fans voting for the proper starters in the annual Major League All-Star game. But this year the average baseball Joe/Josephine is doing a pretty good job of mixing popularity with the deserving player. There are still mistakes of course, though some would argue that they are not errors since it is who the fans want to see. That being said, it is time to take a look at the current positional leaders for this year’s game, which will be played in Phoenix on July 12. (The statistical numbers indicated are accurate entering Sunday’s play unless otherwise indicated. All-Star vote totals are as of June 20.)

Read the rest of this free article at FullCountPitch.com

Adrian Beltre • Adrian Gonzalez • Albert Pujols • Alex Avila • Alex Rodriguez • Brandon Phillips • Brian McCann • Bruce Bochy • Chipper Jones • Curtis Granderson • David Ortiz • David Wright • Derek Jeter • Dustin Pedroia • Joe Mauer • Joey Votto • Jose Bautista • Jose Reyes • Lance Berkman • Matt Holliday • Matt Kemp • Michael Young • Miguel Montero • Pablo Sandoval • Prince Fielder • Robinson Cano • Ron Washington • Russell Martin • Ryan Braun • Ryan Howard • Ryan Zimmerman • Troy Tulowitzki • Victor Martinez

10 Ways to Improve the All-Star Experience

It may count for something, but the annual MLB All-Star game has become a snoozefest. That was evident in Tuesday night's 3-1 victory by the National League, which ended the American League's 13 game winning streak. The active career home run leader (Alex Rodriguez) didn't even get in the game.

Here are 10 ways to improve the All-Star festivities, in no particular order and off the top of my head:

1. Get rid of the game all together. Okay maybe that's not what MLB would have in mind. How about making the game affordable for the average fan. There were plenty of empty seats in the upper tier in Anaheim last night. Bad economy Bud. C'mon!

2. Not my original idea, but get players who didn't make either team into the home run derby. The NBA does it with their dunk and 3-pt contests- it's good marketing for the league and players. Mark Reynolds, Adam Dunn, etc. could have put on quite a show.

3. Have no games the entire week, Monday thru Friday. Yeah, it would make the season slightly longer (God forbid they reduced the 162 game schedule so they're not playing the World Series at Thanksgiving.), but then maybe pitchers who go on Sunday can pitch in the game. Move the game to Wednesday so there are 2 days off before and after.

4. Stop the nonsense with the "This time it counts". The All-Star game should never have an impact on home field advantage for the World Series. It's even worse than when the AL and NL cities were alternated every year for home field. A team's record should be the only thing that ever matters.

5. Why stop at one player from each side for free substitution? It's an exhibition, remember? Why not have the ability to have every position player re-enter once?

6. Have a skills competition. Yeah, there's a risk of injury, but there is in the game itself. Timed running the bases. Catchers trying to hit a target at 2nd base. And so on.

7. Don't make us listen to Joe Buck and Tim McCarver during the game. Don't make us listen to Chis Berman during the HR derby. Perhaps this should be the #1 way to improve things. Hmmm.

8. Get rid of the final vote. Seriously, the roster is already huge and the player/team campaigns are embarrassing (though Nick Swisher's was funny as well.). If the fans, players, and manager didn't pick or vote you in originally, you probably don't belong. Except if you're Joey Votto, though what an idiot you turned out to be.

9. Get rid of the pitcher batting in the NL parks. Why waste a player just to pinch-hit? Plus if a team has a really good offensive inning, why should they (the AL specifically) send their pitcher up there or be forced to remove him. Of course, the DH should be in all of baseball, but that's a rant for another time.

10. You want the players to really care and go all out. Money. That's what it is all about. Give the winning team $20,000 per man, half of which goes to a good cause for each player. And don't tell me you don't have the money Bud. Hmm, I applied for a job in the commissioner's office. Perhaps I should delete this. Nah.