The 2008 All-Star Game from Yankee Stadium was one of the most memorable in recent history, possibly of all time. This was a very fitting final chapter to this storied stadium in the Bronx. However, Scott Kazmir and Brandon Webb pitching on 1 day of rest showed why we need to change how the games are managed.
The managers are overly concerned with giving everyone playing time in the ASG, and i can understand their concerns; these players are playing to represent their league, and all want their chance to shine. However, in many cases, backups are given equal playing time to those voted in by the fans, and in most cases, those who are voted in are the ones who deserve the spots. HOwever, these early mass subs by the coaches lead to lack of backups late in games, especially in the pitching category. Starting Pitchers who would not normally be pitching on the small amount of time since their last start are thrown into games, and this can lead to overuse of the bullpen and also serious injury. Kazmir, Webb, and Dempster should all have been replaced on the roster by fully rested pitchers who could make a strong contribution. When Kazmir pitched the 15th today, he was obviously fatigued, and I do not believe he could have pitched more than one more inning w/o seriously hurting himself. The managers goal should not be to use all the pitchers by the 9th inning, but to showcase the best players on the team against the best in the league.
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