Get It Right!

In recent years the all star games for many pro sports leagues have become jokes, mostly due to the leagues' own doing.   Allowing the fans to pick the players is NOT the best method to recognize the best of the best.  Last year's debacle with the voting scam devised by a tech-savy Royals' fan topped the list of just plain dumb moves by MLB.   Time for reform.  It has been suggested that making the fans vote worth 33% of the tally, the player's vote 33% and sports writers the final 33% would recognize the deserving.  I like it.  Fans still have their say, but the true insiders have the majority of the weight.  I have previously ranted about the ignorance displayed by MLB in last year's all star game, so I won't beat that dead horse.

But take a look at the recent all star games....


The 2016 version of the NFL pro bowl looked more like a touch football game than an actual tackle game.  I know, people don't want to get hurt, but geez make it look like a real game.







An even bigger laugh was the NBA All-Star Game!  I went against my own advice and actually tuned in during the ending minutes of the game.  I saw players taking the ball out of bounds, throwing length of the court passes to teammates "cherry picking" at the other end of the court.  All this in an effort to break 200 points.  Two hundred points??  Did anyone even attempt some defense?  But, what do you expect from a league that makes the poorest excuse for a defensive player the 2015 league MVP?




 The NHL may have just about got it right.  Their 3 on 3 tournament format was entertaining start to finish.  But it wasn't without controversy.  John Scott, a 9 year journeyman enforcer, was selected by an internet campaign that saw him garner the most votes.   The numbers put the C on his chest for the Pacific Division.  The problem?   He wasn't even on an NHL roster.  He had been sent down by his club, the Coyotes, to the AHL.   He was recalled and then traded to the Montreal Canadiens, who promptly sent him down to their AHL affiliate.  Uh oh, according to the rules you must be on an NHL roster to be eligible for the game.  After a fan uprising, the NHL allowed Scott his spot in the all star line up.  What did he do with this opportunity?  His team won the tournament and he was selected as the MVP.   Cinderfella?  I would say so.

Additionally, Red Wing Dylan Larkin wasn't voted in by the fans to compete in the fastest skater competition, but his captain, Joromir Jagr, knew better and placed him in the event.   How'd he do you ask?  Won it all, setting the record for the fastest time ever recorded in the event.



Fans vote by affiliation, not by who is actually deserving.


As Sheryl Crow sings it, "A Change Will Do You Good!"  Time for the pro's to get on board.