The All-Star Game

It's great to know that I can leave the Cubs for two weeks and come back to find everything's almost exactly the way I left it.  Sure, the Cubs have swapped in one has-been starting pitcher (Ramon Ortiz) for another (Doug Davis), but they still can't win more than two straight games and still have the second worst record in the major leagues as we hit the All-Star Break.

As for the All-Star Game itself, at least the Cubs' pity only representative in the game is the one who's most worth watching.  But even the presence of Starlin Castro on the National League's roster isn't enough to compel me to tune in tonight.  The whole "this time it counts" novelty has run its course, and not just for me.  TV ratings for the All-Star Game have steadily dropped since the infamous 2002 tie game, to the point where last year's Game was the least-watched midsummer "classic" ever.  While many people may attribute that to Fox Sports's taking over coverage of the game and to "Buck-McCarver Fatigue" in general, I think another culprit helps explain the declining interest in the All-Star Game - interleague play.