home Bud Selig Letter

Open Letter to Bud Selig

Changing the All-Star game & Interleague Play

Late July, 2010

Mr. Bud Selig
Commissioner
Major League Baseball

First of all, thanks for all you've done while Baseball Commissioner. You have been busy, productive and very helpful to the game. I have an idea to make the All-Star game "pop" more, as well as take advantage of the spark the Inter-League games bring to the season.

One rule I have never really liked, but have been very happy to live with, is how inter-league games always use the home team league rules. I have often thought of how interesting it would be for National League team fans to see a designated hitter bat for their pitchers in home games. Or for American League team fans to watch their pitchers try to hit.

I also confess, that while I understand the All-Star game determining home field advantage for the World Series directly, I thought it was too much pressure on the players, and yet it only really affected 2 teams. The players are playing for something that only affects two teams.

So, I was wondering about some changes that could make the All-Star game affect ALL TEAMS during the season, and how ALL TEAMS in both leagues would determine home field advantage for the World Series.

Here's my idea:

Interleague play is very popular, and to make it more meaningful than it is now, have the league winning interleague play get home field advantage for the World Series. If all those games tie, then the All-Star game is the tie-breaker.

The All-Star game determines which leagues rules are used in ALL Regular Season Interleague play until the next All-Star game. Yes, it would affect the second half of the current season as well as the first half of the next season. This does not change any schedules, it just means that, for example, if the National League wins the All-Star game, Yankee fans will watch CC Sabathia bat in Yankee Stadium if they get the right tickets! If the American League wins, then all interleague games for the rest of the season, and the first half next season, will use Designated Hitters!

I see this affecting more people in good ways. EVERY FAN will want to know what happens at the All Star game, because that may affect ticket sales at the second round of interleague play. It creates special dynamics for a few games, while also making those games more important.

Can you see how teams and fans would cheer at games that would otherwise have little meaning if the interleague series have been close ones? TV audiences may well grow for some of those games.

Mr. Selig, again, you've done a great job and I offer this as a way to (in my opinion) take it up a notch. It keeps the All-Star game very important, and makes for an additional exciting dynamic during the season.

Thank you far all you have done as Commissioner,

Andrey Swystun,
Baseball fan since my first game at Yankee Stadium in 1962,
Red Sox fan since moving to Massachusetts in 1964.

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