Top Five Reasons Why I Love The All-Star Game

1. It's a real game
Unlike its defense-free brethren in the NFL, NBA, and NHL, baseball's All-Star Game is played by regular season rules, employing regular-season strategy. The only difference is the frequent platooning of players, and perhaps more freedom on the basepaths for certain players. But in all other respects, it's just another baseball game, and it's just as likely to end up an 11-9 shootout as it is a 3-2 pitchers' duel. It's even better when your team always wins.

2. The uniforms
Since I was a kid, I always got a kick out of the fact that players wore their regular team uniforms for the game. It does look incongruous when you see it, but that fact of the matter is that in baseball, you don't really need to look for a similarly-colored jersey when you throw to first base -- you know that the guy standing there with the glove is your teammate. So, we leave the "American" and "National" jerseys for batting practice night and let the archaic charm of different uniforms stay in place.

3. It counts
As long as MLB insists that awarding home-field advantage for the World Series to the team with the best regular-season record in somehow infeasible, we might as well give it to someone on the basis of skill rather than a simple rotation. Home-field is a minor enough detail that it won't make or break a World Series, but it is certainly worth trying to get. Ozzie Guillen was absolutely correct when he said that come October, some member of the AL clubhouse will be thrilled that his league won the Midsummer Classic. We just won't know who that person is until much later.

4. I get to see Bud Selig make an ass of himself
Pro sports' most media un-savvy commissioner is front and center during the All-Star Game, which allows the viewing public to see him fall flat on his face time and time again. From the infamous shrug during the 2002 All-Star Game tie to almost tripping over the microphone cord last night when he recognized Roberto Clemente (not to mention walking directly behind Michael Young's interview shot), the All-Star Game is worth watching just to see what foible Bug Selig will display next.

5. For one night, I can root for Yankees
I can't stand Derek Jeter, I especially can't stand A-Rod, and I begrudgingly respect Mariano Rivera. For 364 days of the year, Red Sox and Yankees are rivals. But for one night, it's great to have those guys on your side. Once the AL took the lead in the top of the ninth, it was such a pleasure to see Rivera jog in the bullpen. No offense to Jonathan Papelbon, but there is no player I'd rather see in that exact situation than Rivera.