In what turned out to be a very special evening for baseball, I still can’t shake it.

At the risk of getting labelled as a homer, and tweaking my fellow New York Giants fans and friends, I am declaring that Jason Kipnis was robbed of the All-Star Most Valuable Player recognition. Heck, I could even make the case for Toronto’s Jose Bautista driving in the game-winner with his sacrifice fly early on.

I know, I know, it’s an exhibition and a celebration of the game. And this was a special circumstance. But is baseball now going to go from giving the award to the player who most impacted the game on that night, to turning it into a de facto Lifetime Achievement Award?

What, the car wasn’t enough?

I respect Mariano Rivera, as we all do. He’s all class and grace and deserved every second of reveling in his final All-Star appearance. It was awesome. It was incredible. It was needed. And then he did what he does so often with Terminator-esque efficiency: He retired his three guys in order.

But I have a hard time convincing myself that he impacted the game on the field. And if I’m Jason (or Jose), I’m probably a little bit disappointed myself.

Maybe Jason’s just saving the recognition for a certain other MVP trophy that will be handed to him in late October. That will be a welcome trade-off.

(Read Ryan Pinheiro’s far more diplomatic take here.)

———————————————–

Other Tribal happenings from last night:

  • Brett Myers might need a talking-to. We apparently have another case of “Athlete-On-Twitter-Gone-Rogue.” What started as a mostly harmless objection towards Rivera’s receiving of the MVP award turned into playful needling of Yankees fans to full-on timeline spamming of retweets of mostly angry Yankee fan bringing up Myers’ checkered past, only to have Myers round up his evening by potentially leaving open the possibility of returning to Philadelphia or Chicago. I don’t understand his endgame. Soooooo…
  1. Does he know something we don’t?
  2. Even if he does, he’s still a member of the Indians’ organization even though I doubt he’d be missed if he were free to go.
  3. Those people who say they want him back probably did not see him pitch this year.
  • Twitter can be wonderful if used properly. Maybe Kipnis and Pestano can run a team workshop. And Joe Smith evidently         deleted his account. I don’t remember the last time he used it. So, I’m sad…?

Miscellaneous happenings:

  • FAT-GUY TRIPLE BY PRINCE FIELDER. Above all things that were actually about baseball, this made my night.
  • Neil Diamond made my eyes bleed with his “moves.”
  • Tim McCarver’s recitation of Enter Sandman. I just wish that some sure-fire Hall of Famer’s entrance music was a certain “Hostle” song off of Pantera’s Vulgar Display of Power. Do you think we can talk Giambi into using it the rest of the way this season? I will pay large sums of money to hear McCarver’s send himself (and Giambi) off in such a way.
  • Joe Buck’s homage to McCarver. Awesome. Say what you will about the two of them, but you don’t often see true and pure moments like theirs on-camera.

I’m ready for Friday. I miss it already.

 

 

 

7 Comments

  • The Doctor says:

    ugh, this was a perfect example of why i hate the all-star game: a sympathy MVP award. granted, no one did anything particularly interesting/noteworthy in this game, but come on. i think a case could be made for chris sale or kipnis.

    it has become a joke – between the ever expanding rosters, the goofy requirement that every team be represented, and the ability for fans to essentially vote as many times as they like, the game needs needs to go.

    for the fans that care about the meaningful games (don’t even get me started on the goofy home field thing), taking several days off in the middle of the season to play a glorified people’s choice game is exceptionally frustrating.

    call it what it is – a fan’s choice game – and play it after the season is over.

    • Chris Burnham says:

      I don’t particularly care for All-Star games, either. But nothing else was on.

      • The Doctor says:

        haha, sad but true – hence my suggestion that they do this at the end of the league year – or not at all!

        perhaps have ONLY the players vote on “all-stars” to form al/nl rosters (where no game is actually played), and then if the fans are really insistent that we keep up this charade, they can play some form of fan’s choice game at the end of the season.

        • Cale says:

          They try that end of the season thing in the NFL, none of the players want to be there and they make up lame injuries to not have to go. At least doing it now the best players in the game actually show up.

  • DaveR says:

    This period of summer is the dead zone of pro sports.

  • medfest says:

    Tim McCarver makes my ears bleed.

    Best Bob Gibson quote ever: “The only thing McCarver knows about good pitching is he can’t hit it.”

  • Matthew says:

    Manny Machado deserves MVP for his highlight catch (which doesn’t even reach his own personal Top 10) in the game.