You heard Lance Carter was named to the All-Star team and you were pleased. He's a pleasant fellow and his tale of perseverance is uplifting.
But, still, something about it nags. You fret about another player who went uninvited. You double-check the numbers and decide, yes, it's true.
Esteban Yan deserves a lavish apology.
Forget Rocco Baldelli. Forget Aubrey Huff. Yan is the guy whose shorts should be in a knot. Seven months gone and hecklers still are circulating his last known address. Carter, meanwhile, does a Yan impersonation and gets a seat in the All-Star dugout beside Alex Rodriguez and Carlos Delgado.
Yup, baseball has goofed again.
By trying to assign unnecessary importance to the All-Star Game, the commissioner and his cohorts have turned it into an even bigger joke.
Once upon time, a debate about the All-Star roster was good fun. You could argue stats and you could argue reputation. And, 15 minutes later, you could forget the entire conversation because the game was a glorified showcase.
But now baseball's leaders insist the All-Star Game has meaning. That, by gosh, a World Series could hinge on its outcome.
They constructed an elaborate checks and balance system of voting, giving fans, players and managers a chance to have their say.
And then they invited ... Lance Carter?
Please understand, this is not a personal attack on Carter. There are other equally questionable All-Star picks. And Carter, after all, has done a credible job for a rookie. He has endured two major elbow operations and gets more out of his talent than a lot of his peers.
But his numbers do not scream All-Star. They barely whisper closer. Even his manager has acknowledged that in recent days.
No stat is more compelling for a closer than his save percentage. That's the number of saves divided by the number of save opportunities. Of the 20 busiest closers in the majors, Carter ranks last by this crucial measure.
Or, to put it another way, he is operating with Yan-like efficiency. Carter's ERA is 4.17 and he has converted 70 percent of his save opportunities. Yan, last season, had a 4.30 ERA and converted 70.3 percent of his chances.
Yet one is an All-Star and the other an outcast.
When Lou Piniella called him in to tell him the big news, Carter was worried he was about to lose his job. Five minutes later, he was an All-Star.
Okay, you say, nothing new. Every All-Star roster is subject to scrutiny. Every summer has its snub.
Do not be fooled. This situation is vastly different.
You see, baseball's lords are selling a new gimmick. They have attached homefield advantage in the World Series as the All-Star Game's booty.
They are saying the outcome of the All-Star Game could go a long way toward determining the most sacred moment of the entire season.
They are, in short, trying to have it both ways.
They want to put microphones in the dugouts and restrictions on the rosters and then say the game also is of vital importance to the postseason.
So is it an exhibition or a competition?
Should the emphasis be on fun or on the outcome?
Because if the game is supposed to be serious, the roster should be, too. And that means no Carter, no Dmitri Young, no Mike Williams, no Armando Benitez, no Rondell White.
Each of those players was invited only because league rules demand every team be represented. Which means Young is picked because the Tigers have no one else. Which means Carter is picked because there are no more outfield spots for Baldelli or Huff. And that is where the problem lies.
You cannot put something as critical as homefield advantage at stake, then fail to choose the best players. The way the system works, managers can't even pick the best players on a team, let alone the best in a league.
Think about it. Say you're a Yankees fan. You know your team has a chance to be around for Game 7 in October. But now it's July and the All-Star Game is tied in the eighth. You realize the next 15 minutes might decide whether Game 7 of the World Series is played at Yankee Stadium or at Turner Field.
Would you be happy to see Carter in the bullpen?
Didn't think so.
Not when Roger Clemens, Pedro Martinez, Troy Percival and Mariano Rivera are home because the roster was filled with Devil Rays, Tigers and Orioles.
And if you write off homefield advantage in the World Series as inconsequential, you're mistaken. The past eight times a World Series has ended with Game 7, the team with homefield advantage has won.
For goodness' sake, it doesn't need to be this difficult.
The All-Star Game will not suddenly rise in prominence because of this artificial importance being placed on it. The game is supposed to be fun. It's supposed to be a way to see all the brightest stars on a single night.
Forget the gimmicks. Forget the hype. Make it a night of honor and glory. Focus on players. Rising stars such as Baldelli and Dontrelle Willis. Future Hall of Famers such as Sammy Sosa and Rafael Palmeiro.
