The Major League Baseball (MLB) All Star Game
All-star game is a competition between the best players from American League and National League. This breathtaking performance is held in mid season of Major League Baseball. It is also popularly known as midsummer classic. This denotes the halfway point of MLB and generally held in second Tuesday in July.
Sports editor of The Chicago Tribune, Arch Ward gave the idea of All-Star game. It was first held in 1933. It was proposed as a one-time event. But the popularity of All-Star game made it an annual game. From 1959-1962 two All-Star game held every year but it was abandoned pretty soon and the original format was established.
The All-star team consists of 34 players. The players are selected by a voting process. The starting position players come from direct voting of fans. The votes are collected before each mid-season game. 8 National League players are selected in this manner whereas 9 American League players selected by fans. 16 players are selected by the vote of players, coaches and managers of each team. The manager of All-star team select the rest players to make it 33. The last player is selected by the fan’s vote from a list of 5 players selected by the manager of the teams and Commissioner’s Office. The hitter is selected by the fan’s vote. Pitchers and the backups are selected by the players vote.
The manager is not selected by voting. The managers of previous World Series get the chance to coach All-star team. The coaching stuffs are selected by the manager. The players were their team uniform in the All-Star game. But National League players wore special uniform in their first game but this has been abandoned since then. The venue selection is another important factor as it is a one game show. The venue is always selected that place in which a stadium have been opened or have historical importance or to commemorate significant year. The first All-Star game took place at World’s Fair at Chicago. The teams contest to win the right of holding the All-Star game in their venue.
The venue is chosen by the selection committee of MLB. The venue of 2011 All-Star game is Chase field in Arizona. The venue alternates each year between American League teams and National League teams. But this trend had broken twice, the first at 1951 to celebrate the 250th birthday of Detroit City. The designated hitter rules were applicable only when the American League had the home advantage. This rule has been changed recently and Designated Hitter is used in every All-Star game. Since 1962 the best player of All-Star game is awarded with the Ted Williams Most Valuable Player Award. It was previously known as Arch Ward Trophy.
The team of the winner league of All-Star game is awarded with the home advantage. The All-Star game is a show of strength between the National and American League. Though two leagues are now considered as one as both of the leagues are organized by the same committee, still it is a game of honor for the teams of the rival leagues.