The ol’ clock on the wall says it’s time for the Major League Baseball All-Star Game again. I have pretty much sworn off baseball’s so-called “mid-summer classic” that I once eagerly anticipated, since it stopped being a genuine game decades ago. It even got worse when they abandoned baseball rules for tie games and went to a—yecchh!—“sudden death” home-run derby tie-breaker. Nonetheless, it is still possible for a player to behave like an ass in the run-up to the game, which always includes roster shuffles and substitutions as players get injured or beg out for one reason or another. This year, the designated ass is Philadelphia ace pitcher Zack Wheeler.
The National League has a surfeit of worthy starting pitchers for its All-Star roster, notably Milwaukee’s amazing Jacob Misiorowski, who in addition to being unhittable so far in 2026 also threw the fastest pitch ever thrown by a human being, 104.5 miles per hour. But Misiorowski has a “tired arm” (can you blame him?) and is skipping the game; several other pitching stars have had to back out of the NL squad as well. But when veteran right-hander Zack Wheeler was invited by Major League Baseball last week to join the team as an injury replacement, he refused in a snit.
Ethics Alarms 
“(I)t is an exhibition game, meaning that it exists for the audience.”
It (IMO) meant something when the winner got home field advantage in the World Series.
Appreciate the Le Miz shout-out; best thing for Cream City since Lavern-n-Shirley…
PWS
Saw that one coming, Paulie!
“Saw that one coming, Paulie!”
No “change-ups” from me, YB; straight down the pipe…
Le Miz? Despite not pitching, the 24 year-old kid is getting a LOT of notice; to wit: “This is a look at what it’s like to be the most-marketed player nationally in Brewers history at the All-Star Game.”
There’s White Hot focus on him, and attention like that not only warps its subject’s reality, but attracts despicable rent-seekers after a piece; I just hope he has good people around him.
Apparently Milwaukee hasn’t sought an extension, yet; if he keeps doing what he’s doing, it’ll be YUGE!
PWS
If Jacob DeGromm had been chosen for the AL team, I could see him declining the honor. The Rangers scratched him from his start on Sunday because of a lingering issue, so they really wanted him to have the extra rest at the break.
Barring a real risk of injury, I think it’s not ethical to refuse the invite. And your team should have input into it if there is a potential injury issue.
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I think I prefer the NFL’s approach to tie games. They do play a regular (shortened) extra quarter, but if that is still a tie, then it’s a tie. What’s so wrong with that?
If memory serves, college football uses its silly overtime rules even in the playoffs. Can you imagine the national championship being decided by two point conversions?
$212,279,875.00
Wow! and Wow!