Anyone still watch the All-Star Game?

Anyone who knows me knows I'm a pretty rabid baseball fan. I've been following the Yankees (yes, the Evil Empire) since 1979 and probably know more about the career stats of Steve Balboni than probably any human should. In fact, I just got back from a trip that revolved around watching games in Chicago and Milwaukee on consecutive nights (both the White Sox and Brewers lost. Don't the home teams know I flew all the way over there to see them?).

But I don't know how much of the All-Star Game I'm going to watch  tonight. And it's not just because I have to review Last Comic Standing, which comes back tonight after a week's break. It's just that the game has become beyond boring.

I'm not going to go too much into why I think this happened (I mean, this is a TV blog, not a sports blog); despite the fact that the league that wins the game now gets home-field advantage in the World Series, it still doesn't seem like the players or managers are into the game like they once were. Many treat it like the exhibition game that it is; many of the biggest starts skip the game because of "injuries" (coughPedroMartinezcoughMannyRamirezcough) and many of the others goof and pal around with the opposition during the game much more than during the regular season. And the managers are seemingly more concerned with getting everyone playing time than actually winning the game. I mean, in 1987, Dave Winfield played all 13 innings of that year's game; I never saw anything remotely like that since.

But I also think TV has killed off all the mystery and glamor of the game. Ever since ESPN started broadcasting multiple games per week in 1990, it's no longer novel to see the stars of any team on a regular basis. And the coverage has only grown since, with satellite TV, digital cable, and Internet game packages all allowing anyone to see any team at any time.

Well, any decent fan can tell you that. Here's what I want to know: are any of you baseball fans out there going to watch tonight's game? All of it, or part of it? With friends or by yourself? Let me know in the comments.

(Oh, and by the way, I went to PNC Park in Pittsburgh, where this year's game is being held, two years ago. It's a fantastic place to watch a ballgame. Too bad the Pirates usually stink.)