That Was Quite Posibly My Favorite Baseball Game Ever

Not really, but last night's All-Star Game was a lot of fun. I enjoyed it immensely, and unless you went to bed early, appreciate effective baseball management skills or are related to Dan Uggla I'm sure you did too.

The only thing that could have been better than the epic 15-inning marathon we witnessed, however, was the eventuality toward which we were headed. Until Michael Young lifted a lazy sac fly to right, the distinct possibility of a tie existed. Another tie. The same result that caused Uncle Bud to institute the asinine World Series home-field policy. I desperately wanted it, because that sort of train wreck could have highlighted how ludicrous that policy is.

Actually, had that game continued further into the wee hours, a tie might have been horribly unfair to the National League. Clint Hurdle actually managed his club like it was a real ball game, unlike his AL counterpart Terry Francona. The Boston skipper burned through his bench by the eighth and was one inning into the tenure of his final available pitcher, Scott Kazmir, when the game ended. Kazmir was allegedly off-limits due to his high pitch count from a game a mere two days before, but there he was in the top of the 15th.

We can only speculate what might have happened had the game gone on another inning or two. How long would Francona have stuck with Kazmir, the young oft-injured ace of his surprising divisional rival? As a Sox fan I would have loved to see Kazmir forced to pitch six or seven innings, but there's no way Francona would have done that. At some point, perhaps in the 16th or 17th inning, Francona would have repeated the scenario from 2002 and gone to Selig with his hat in his hand.

All the speculation was focused on a potential tie, but why wouldn't it have been a forfeit? NL closer Brad Lidge had more gas in the tank than Kazmir, and with home field for the Fall Classic on the line why wouldn't Hurdle have demanded to play on or press for an AL forfeit? I doubt Uncle Bud would have the balls to do this, but were I Commissioner last night and the situation been handed to me, I'd have made the position players pitch, and Kazmir and Lidge play the field. Turn it into a farce, I say.

Regardless, it all worked out for Francona. Lidge caved, the AL scored and walked off winners. Francona avoided the potential controversy with Kazmir's workload, he once again obtained home field for his league and very possibly his team in the Series, and J.D. Drew was the improbable MVP. Neat and tidy.

Chaos would have been so much more enjoyable.

Update: The more I'm thinking about this, even more possibilities emerge. Let's say the game did go on, and all the pitchers were done, and position players did start pitching. How would that have worked with the DH? Could the DHs (at the time Longoria and Wright) have simply gone in to pitch? Would the pitchers then be out or would they be forced to bat? Or could another fielder take the mound and be replaced at their position by the DH? I need a little help here, fellas.