Red Sox: Steven Wright watches All-Star Game from bullpen
By Sean Penney
Wright may be at peace with the decision to keep him in the bullpen, but Red Sox fans still aren’t satisfied. Forget that the team had four hitters in the starting lineup. Boston’s pitching staff, bemoaned all year as the weakness of this team, had a worthy starter make the All-Star team. Red Sox fans wanted to see Wright take the mound in the Midsummer Classic. He deserved it.
Perhaps the solution is to revert back to the premise the All-Star Game survived under for decades. Make it so the game doesn’t count. Take away the incentive of winning home field advantage, which was implemented as a ploy to cover up the mistake of allowing the 2002 All-Star Game to end in a tie, disguised as an effort to increase fan interest.
The All-Star Game is supposed to be for the fans, most of whom root for teams with little chance of making the World Series. Why would the majority of fans care who has home field advantage? They are more concerned with seeing their players on the field in the All-Star Game. Only two teams get to play in the World Series, but the All-Star Game is for everyone.
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Not using Wright in the All-Star Game makes logical scene, but defeats the purpose of what the All-Star Game should really be about. Knuckleball pitchers are a rare breed If Yost didn’t have to be quite as concerned about winning, perhaps he’d be more willing to put Wright in the game despite the risks.
Wright may honestly not care about not pitching in the All-Star Game, but we care. He deserved to be out there and the fans deserved to get to watch him.