The 2011 All-Star Week is more than a game, a home-run derby and a really cool FanFest. Amid the hoopla of retired greats, current stars and traveling Hall of Fame and Negro League museums, there’s a game that literally gives fans a peek at the next wave of top MLB stars.
It’s called the Futures Game
. Packed full of young, minor-league stars, the game pits U.S.-born stars against international-born players. This can mean teammates may face off against each other (the Seattle Mariners had stars on both sides), but this exhibition game is meant to be a showcase, not a hard-fought matchup.
Arizona Diamondbacks’s phenom Tyler Skaggs started for the U.S. team, and former ASU player Jason Kipnis started off the scoring for the U.S. by rocketing a line-drive over the wall in right.
Highly regarded hitter Bryce Harper, who recently drew scorn after blowing a kiss to a pitcher after hitting a home run, went 0-4, striking out looking in his first at bat.
(Photo credit Greg Taylor)
I’ve heard that attendance is going to be down for the MLB All-star Game. Is this something that is being seen at the park. There has been some A-list players that have decided not to make the trip and I really think that they are hurting the tradition of a very traditional sport. They should be excited to play and even more excited just to be invited.
There should be some type of action taken for that behavior.
Go Cardinals!
The stadium certainly wasn’t packed for the Futures game yesterday and just today it was announced that a whopping 84 players had been named to the All-Star squad, far beyond the standard 68.
Some were named because of injuries, but plenty of players just opted out. I agree that there should be a penalty for begging off a game when the fans vote someone in, without a clear medical need.