http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/al...ar-status_x.htm
"This time it counts." Or does it? Less than one month before Major League Baseball's 77th annual All-Star Game in Pittsburgh, baseball has not reached an agreement with the players union that will reward the winner with home-field advantage in the World Series.
"I'm surprised. I'm not aware of that at all," said Fox Sports president Ed Goren, whose network televises the game and whose marketing campaign uses the slogan, "This Time It Counts."
"In fact, I was under the impression that it was in place this year. Maybe it just counts for us. I don't know."
Commissioner Bud Selig said he is optimistic an agreement will soon be reached to retain the 3-year-old format, but confirmed that nothing is in place.
"We're still hopeful," Selig said, "because I think it's really good for the game. Everyone likes it. The owners. The players. The sponsors. It just adds a lot of meaning."
Said Donald Fehr, executive director of the players association: "We're still talking to them, so we'll see. It's something that has to be negotiated."
The All-Star Game format was changed in 2003 after the previous year's All-Star Game in Milwaukee ended in a 7-7 tie when both teams ran out of pitchers. MLB and the players union originally negotiated a two-year deal and extended the agreement last year. They were hoping to have a multiyear deal this season, but with fan balloting nearing an end for the July 11 game, have instead begun focusing on this year's game.
"I think originally we had hoped that we would have sort of a permanent resolution to this issue," said Rob Manfred, MLB executive vice president/labor relations and human resources. "Time has become pressing because we're getting closer to the game. We decided to focus on a one-year agreement and hopefully have a multiyear done with the next (labor) agreement.
"I'm very optimistic we'll have 'This Time It Counts' for this year's All-Star Game."
Said Goren: "I sure hope something is done because it's become a better All-Star Game with this format. The baseball All-Star Game for years ran counter to every sporting event you televised. From the seventh inning on, when the game was competitive, a lot of marquee players were pulled from the game, and the interest diminished.
"The thing this has accomplished is that managers have taken a somewhat different approach to the game. They've kept their marquee players in the game longer. We're seeing sacrifice bunts, hit and runs, stolen bases, things we haven't seen before. It wasn't a point where you ever questioned the intensity of players, but how many at-bats the key players got. You don't worry about that anymore."
"This time it counts." Or does it? Less than one month before Major League Baseball's 77th annual All-Star Game in Pittsburgh, baseball has not reached an agreement with the players union that will reward the winner with home-field advantage in the World Series.
"I'm surprised. I'm not aware of that at all," said Fox Sports president Ed Goren, whose network televises the game and whose marketing campaign uses the slogan, "This Time It Counts."
"In fact, I was under the impression that it was in place this year. Maybe it just counts for us. I don't know."
Commissioner Bud Selig said he is optimistic an agreement will soon be reached to retain the 3-year-old format, but confirmed that nothing is in place.
"We're still hopeful," Selig said, "because I think it's really good for the game. Everyone likes it. The owners. The players. The sponsors. It just adds a lot of meaning."
Said Donald Fehr, executive director of the players association: "We're still talking to them, so we'll see. It's something that has to be negotiated."
The All-Star Game format was changed in 2003 after the previous year's All-Star Game in Milwaukee ended in a 7-7 tie when both teams ran out of pitchers. MLB and the players union originally negotiated a two-year deal and extended the agreement last year. They were hoping to have a multiyear deal this season, but with fan balloting nearing an end for the July 11 game, have instead begun focusing on this year's game.
"I think originally we had hoped that we would have sort of a permanent resolution to this issue," said Rob Manfred, MLB executive vice president/labor relations and human resources. "Time has become pressing because we're getting closer to the game. We decided to focus on a one-year agreement and hopefully have a multiyear done with the next (labor) agreement.
"I'm very optimistic we'll have 'This Time It Counts' for this year's All-Star Game."
Said Goren: "I sure hope something is done because it's become a better All-Star Game with this format. The baseball All-Star Game for years ran counter to every sporting event you televised. From the seventh inning on, when the game was competitive, a lot of marquee players were pulled from the game, and the interest diminished.
"The thing this has accomplished is that managers have taken a somewhat different approach to the game. They've kept their marquee players in the game longer. We're seeing sacrifice bunts, hit and runs, stolen bases, things we haven't seen before. It wasn't a point where you ever questioned the intensity of players, but how many at-bats the key players got. You don't worry about that anymore."
