Don’t know if I’m in the vast minority on this or not but I actually like the idea that home field advantage is at stake. That item in the cover story about Justin and Quentin celebrating together I truly think would NOT happen if this were only an exhibition game with nothing at stake. It is the fact there IS something at stake that brings these pro athletes together to want to compete and want to win. With maybe the exception of rookie Longoria and maybe one or two others, these guys are all multimillionaires. They are all winners probably since their Little League days or they wouldn’t be MLB players. If nothing was at stake except pretty weak bragging rights, they would not be hugging each other and celebrating a walk off sac fly just as you don’t see this sort of intensity in the Pro Bowl or the other major sports all star games.

As for the MVP none of the position players were singularly dominant enough to deserve it. I think it should have either been George Sherrill alone or co-MVP’s Sherrill and Soria. They were very impressive when it was late, the game had been exhaustingly long, and the pressure was ratcheting higher and higher as the bullpens got emptier and emptier. Double kudos to those two since their teams have almost no chance barring a second half miracle of benefiting from WS home field advantage.

Same if the NL had won: Aaron Cook would have the MVP IMHO. Someone commented about the AL being conservative in not trying for a sac fly off this guy…are you kidding? He’s got one helluva sinker obviously since one after the other AL star pounded the ball into the ground. Justin got the closest to driving the winning run in on a grounder but for a great play by Tejada and the fact that Justin could beat out Redmond in a footrace but would just be watching Gomez’ exhaust fumes.

Jason, if you didn’t actually watch the entire game, you probably shouldn’t comment on the play by play or at least check the box score. Criket is right that Young drove in the winning run with a sac fly. Drew was on base but did not hit the sac fly. AL fans or players should ALWAYS vote for Michael Young…he’s Mr. July!!! Twice now in two ASG, both times a Twin was involved as Mauer was one of the winning runs in ‘06.

For everyone howling for changes to the ASG protocol, this was probably a once in a lifetime “perfect storm” of circumstances that resulted in this incredibly exciting but almost neverending game. But for the fact that it was in Yankee Stadium in its final year I seriously doubt Francona would have managed the way he did. 1/3 of an inning for KRod???? Because of all the finaigling to give Rivera the honor of closing out the game while also honoring all the other stars by getting them included in the game, his hands got tied big time. In any other stadium in such a close game he might not have used Rivera at all until extra innings.

Last but not least even though I favor having home field at stake, it would have been delicious to see Bud squirm if home field had to be decided on the merits of the pitching arms of JD Drew and David Wright!!! Or for that matter the fielding skills of Scott Kazmir and Brad Lidge wherever in the field they would have been sent.

MN writers don’t make decisions.
Its their job to talk/write/fantasize about such things.

If the Twins Front Office acts upon MN writers fantasies instead of upon their own best judgement, THEN we have crossed over into the “ridiculous”.

Yes, Craig used too many commas, and the blogs premier nitwit, Steve from Fridley, used too few.

Write yourself a ticket, Punctuation Cop.

Either of them would’ve been the MVP in my eyes had their respective teams won.