All Stars

The baseball All Star game is still the best of all professional all star games. The Pro Bowl in football is glorified touch football which mostly serves as an excuse to use the remaining nachos and beer left from Super Bowl Sunday. The N.B.A. all star game is certainly flashier, but the ridiculously high scores and lack of defense make it a dunk exhibition.
The baseball All Star game is real baseball. Yes, they probably don't go as hard into second base to break up the double play and, Pete Rose excepted, they don't take out the catcher on a play at the plate, but the pitches are real and the swings are true.
Last night baseball really scored. They got the President to throw out the first pitch. As an aside, I admire his willingness to wear his favorite team's (White Sox) colors. Some politicians seem to lose their allegiance in the name of "broadening their base". The President seems willing to lose the votes of Cubs fans to stay true to his team.
Baseball also got a tight 4-3 game played in two hours and thirty one minutes. Yes, some kids on the East Coast probably still had to go to bed before the final out, but I bet more kids across the country got to see the whole game. That is good for baseball.
The game also showcased a lot of good young talent. As we leave the steroids era, the shadows of Bonds, Clemens and Sosa seem to fade, at least from the All Star game. Also, while it is nice to see guys nearing the end of their careers get one last turn in the midsummer's classic, it is better to see the rising stars of the game and last night featured a lot of them. The vets who were there, Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera come to mind, were there on merit. Otherwise, fans get to see Ryan Howard, Prince Fielder, Chad Billingsley, Ryan Braun and a host of others who should rule the game for the next 5-10 years.
The winning run scored in a fashion that a true fan loves. A triple by a speedy Curtis Granderson and a sacrifice fly to bring him home. Classic baseball. A game decided not by a 450 foot blast setting off fireworks, but by a guy doing what needed to be done to get the run across.
Baseball had a good night last night.