All Star changes due?

Perhaps it's time for the baseball all-star game to change its rules.
After seeing an American League roster controlled by teams from New York and Boston and remembering the mandate that every team has to have one player on board, it makes it kind of silly to subject this exercise to a fan vote every year.
So -- here are some thoughts. The boss, Kevin Denke, had the best one. Get rid of the one-player-per-team rule. No one on the East Coast (the slant is in that direction, obviously) cares about the Seattle Mariners, nor should they. If the East Coast bean counters and fans want to see the Yankees-Sox take on the rest of the majors, have at it. I'm sure the ratings would be great. But don't masquerade it as an all-star game.
Thirty-four players a team? That's absurd, unless you plan to play 15 innings minimum so everyone can play. Everyone from the 25th player on down won't play, even if the game does go 15 innings.
The Eastern Division is stronger than the West in both the NL and AL. No problem there. The East Coast is where the fan base is. No problem there either. But to continue this exercise of an all-star game where fans' votes count doesn't hold water.

Count me out

So LeBron James is buying an hour of time on ESPN (where else?) to inform the world of his new choice of basketball team.
Big deal.
It smells of Tiger Woods' mea culpa from a few months back -- "I'll pick the spot, the interviewers, the questions." Just in case you're curious, buying an hour of time is more commonly associated with infomercials.
I can find other things to do instead of watching an hour of ESPN's breathless hyperbole (they are quite good at it) and then another hour of dissecting their created hyperbole. Most intelligent people will.

Breakfast, lunch, dinner, bedtime @ Wimbledon

It's only the first round, but if this one's any indication, it could be a great Wimbledon.
John Isner of the U.S. and France's Nicholas Mahut are tied at 59 games all in the fifth set of their first-round match. It was suspended Tuesday night and again today because of darkness. At Wimbledon, the fifth set is played until someone wins by two games.
Needless to say, it's the longest match in Wimbledon history.

Kersplat

Has anyone seen a complete and utter collapse the size of France's in the World Cup?
They don't like the coach – he may not last very long, according to some. And they played like it yesterday against South Africa.
That's why the inmates don't run the asylum.
And that's why France went home early.

Jimenez gets short shrift

Did you ever think we'd see the day when a Rockies pitcher would be 13-1 and throw a no-hitter in the same season?
Wonder what the rest of the baseball world thinks of Ubaldo Jiminez?
Wonder if anyone who watches network baseball has any idea who he is?
I stopped wondering a long time ago.
Why? He'll never make national TV coverage. There's no interest in any team west of St. Louis.
Too bad. The rest of the world is missing out on the start of what could be a wonderful season.

Two sports, different interest levels

On the one hand, we have the National Football League which is practically drooling all over itself to put a team in Los Angeles.
This is in spite of the fact that Angelinos have said repeatedly they don't want pro football and in spite of the fact there doesn't seem to be much of a place to put a new stadium or much interest in renovating existing facilities.
On the other hand, we have Major League Baseball and its broadcast network partners, which can't stand the thought of showing a game from Los Angeles or a game with a Los
Angeles team on the field. Wonder of wonders – the Dodgers were on the national game last night and will be on again this weekend.
Why?
Because Boston and the New York Yankees are providing the opposition.
In this corner, the cry of "setting up a schedule with the most interest to the most people" rings a little hollow these days.

Never ceases to amaze

A team (of choice) wins a professional championship.
That note is always followed by some sort of violence that's related to the post-championship party.
Haven't been able to figure that one out.
Happened again last night in L.A. after the Lakers won the ugliest Game 7 you will ever see. Apparently there's some sort of inherent right to destroy property, throw things and get arrested after your local team does well.
Not sure that form of party is worth even the slightest blemish on a criminal record. But no one asked.