It’s the tenth anniversary of the travesty that was the 2002 MLB All-Star Game. You know, the one that ended in a 7-7 tie and led to the decision that from then on, the winning side in the game would receive home-field advantage in the World Series. Prior to 2003, the year the rule was implemented, home-field advantage alternated between the AL and NL from year to year.  It’s one of three separate but inarguably connected rule-based controversies that dog the “Midsummer Classic” year in and year out. The second being that popular fan vote decides the starting hitters for each side. The third is that all 30 teams must have at least one representative in the game.

The rules are linked because what was formerly an exhibition game meant to showcase baseball’s best and brightest (in other words, a money-making scheme) now has actual value. As such, many take issue with the game’s starters being decided based on fans clicking mouses and sticking mini pencils through holes. Equally many argue that requiring a player from each team often leaves superior players off the rosters, which detracts from the notion that the contest spotlights the game’s best.

It’s impossible to gauge the impact of playing the first and last two games of the World Series at home. In the nine years the rule has been in effect, the American League has won the All-Star Game seven times. The AL won the game every year from 2003-2009, but its representatives were only champions in four of those seven years. The rule’s effects were minimal, if it had any, as the World Series never saw a seventh game. But in the past two years, the National League has had home-field. In 2010, the San Francisco Giants quickly won their first two home games, and had the Rangers playing scared en route to a 4-1 series victory. Last year was the first time the Series went seven, and the St. Louis Cardinals won the game, and the series, at home.

Even if it is impossible to truly gauge the effects, if you’re a fan of a contending AL team, does it sit right with you that Billy Butler might be in a position to decide if your team gets home-field advantage with two outs and the bases loaded in the ninth? Or if your team’s in the NL, that Huston Street (who has only pitched 21 innings this season) might have to get that final out? Those are just some examples of the possibilities of the “one from each team” rule. Let’s take a look at who the fans chose, and decide whether they deserve to be starting, or in some cases, even playing.

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GQ.com is doing a pretty cool feature where you can vote on which ball players deserve to be on their 2009 All-Wacko Baseball Team.

Some of the notables that you can vote on are White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski (should be on the all douche team), Dodgers’ outfielder Manny Ramirez and Nationals’ outfielder Elijah Dukes.

Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia and A’s infielder Nomar Garciaparra are on the list as well, which I don’t get, but the site has descriptions of why they could be “All-Wacko� this year so check it out.

Click here to cast your votes.

All 2009 Fantasy Articles | 2009 Position Rankings

There’s an unwritten rule among intelligent fantasy football drafters that goes a little something like this: Don’t draft a quarterback before Round 5. That’s because unless you land Peyton Manning, there’s not a huge difference between the No. 2 rated quarterback and the No. 8.

A similar rule can be applied to catchers in fantasy baseball. Chances are if you selected Victor Martinez (the No. 1 rated catcher in most draft rankings in 2008) early in your draft last year, you punched a whole through one of your walls by the All-Star Break.

If you selected a guy like Joe Mauer in the fourth or fifth round, you probably were quite satisfied by his .328-9-85-98 production. But what if we told you that you could have had taken Bengie Molina much later and still wound up with .292-16-95-46 production out of your catcher spot? Sure, you would give up runs and sacrifice average, but you almost doubled your home runs and gave your RBI numbers a boost as well.

What we’re saying is – don’t overvalue the catcher position. Let someone else jump on Brian McCann’s potential or Russel Martin’s stolen base production while you’re concentrating on bolstering the other positions that don’t have the amount of depth that the backstops do.

It’s Division Series time in baseball, and for me it’s one of the most exciting times of the sports calendar, especially if the games go 4-5 games and into the weekend. And though division series play only began in 1995, there have been some great performances in history. Here is a list of the Top 5 in batting average and starting pitching ERA over the course of ALDS and NLDS games since 1995:

Batting Average

1. Cal Ripken (.441)—Ripken’s Orioles played in two ALDS, 1996 against Cleveland and 1997 against Seattle. He had zero homers and three RBI, but was a combined 15 for 34 in those series with five doubles. He’s known for being an iron man, but this dude could sure hit the ball.

2. Mark DeRosa—His 4 for 8 performance so far in the NLDS with the Cubs has let DeRosa creep up into this spot. But before this year and last year’s Cubbies, he was also hitting well for the Braves in two NLDS—in 2001, 2002 and 2003.

3. Fernando Vina (.404)—Fernando Vina hit .404 over the course of three NLDS with the Cardinals—2000 through 2002. He went 19 for 47 with 2 home runs and 6 runs batted in, but then had a .261 average in NLCS games.

4. Mike Stanley (.400)—Mike Stanley was a journeyman who hit .270 during his regular season career and .356 in the postseason with the Yankees and Red Sox. In four ALDS, Stanley hit .400 with three doubles, a triple, a homer and six RBI.

5. A.J. Pierzynski (.390)—He went 2 for 3 yesterday for the White Sox, lifting Pierzynski into the number 5 position on this list. He has also played in two ALDS with the Twins, as well as with the Sox team that won it all in 2005.

Starting Pitching ERA

1. Curt Schilling (0.93)—Schilling has started five division series games in his career, three with Arizona and two with Boston. Bloody sock or not, Schilling is a gamer who cranks it up a notch when it matters most. In addition to the ERA, Schilling is 4-0 with 33 strikeouts and just 6 walks in division series play.

2. Kevin Brown (0.98)—Kevin Brown was always a great pitcher, but he’s another guy who had a second gear in the playoffs. Brown pitched in three division series for three different teams—Florida (1997), San Diego (1998) and the Yankees (2004). He has a 2-0 record with 27 strikeouts in four starts.

3. Todd Stottlemyre (1.69)—Stottlemyre also pitched in three division series with three different teams—St. Louis in 1996, Texas in 1998 and Arizona in 1999. He went 2-1 in three starts with 21 strikeouts in 21 innings.

4. Orlando Hernandez (1.78)—“El Duque� pitched in five ALDS, four with the Yankees and one with the White Sox. Another pitcher who is money in the playoffs, El Duque has gone 3-1 with 25 strikeouts in division series play.

5. Kerry Wood (1.85)—Though he is a closer now and pitched only in relief in last year’s NLDS, Kerry Wood was a starter in his two other NLDS with the Cubs—1998 and 2003. And overall, he is 2-1 with a 1.85 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 24 innings of work.

Source: Baseball Reference