he parade floats. So why the heck arent the 36 biggest stars in each league about to line up on those foul lines Tuesday night?Well, they wont be. And where

There once was a time when every team in baseball deserved to have an All-Star to call its own. Unfortunately, that time was, oh, about 1957. Not now.So on Tuesday night, when the 2016 All-Star teams were announced, Eduardo Nunez wound up on this team -- as the Minnesota Twins mandatory rep -- but Carlos Correa didnt.And Alex Colome was on this roster -- as the Tampa Bay Rays designated All-Star -- but Aroldis Chapman wasnt.The Philadelphia Phillies had to have an All-Star, too, so Odubel Herrera will be jetting to San Diego. Not that he hasnt had a nice year. But Starling Marte wont be there (unless he wins the Final Vote nuttiness). And neither will Gregory Polanco. And thats just crazy.Now before I go on here and set the Twitterverse ablaze, I want you to understand where Im coming from. Im not writing this to dump ice water on Nunez, Colome or Herrera. Im genuinely happy for all of them. Theyre about to enjoy the experience of a lifetime. And I guarantee you that not so long ago, they never saw that coming.Nunez was once stuck behind that Derek Jeter guy in New York and didnt get a chance to play regularly until he was 29 years old. Colome is an emergency closer who probably would have finished about 18th on your preseason list of most likely Rays pitchers to make the All-Star team. And Herrera has now completed that improbable journey from Rule 5 pick to All-Star, which happens about as often as we launch a satellite to Jupiter.Im also not writing this to imply that I believe the Twins, Rays and Phillies should have their franchises wiped off the face of the baseball map. I obviously dont think that. I have tremendous respect for the history of those teams, the fans of those teams and the people who run those teams.So this isnt about them, even though I predict that about 750,000 people who wont bother reading this far will conclude otherwise. You know what this is about? Its about the All-Star Game. About what it means. And about what makes it great.Well, this just in: What makes it great isnt finding a way to cram a utility guy from a team 27 games under .500 onto the roster, only because somebody wearing that uniform has to be there.I laid out that scenario to a longtime baseball executive this week. Pointed out that Nunez, fine fellow that he is, was almost certainly going to make this team, but guys such as Correa and Ian Kinsler probably werent. The exec I was speaking with had an instant, heated reaction.That, he said, emphatically, would be wrong.And whats so wrong about it? Heres what: This is no longer just a show. No longer just three hours of yuks and big swings. No longer just an evening for the best pitchers in the sport to see what kind of crazy numbers they can hang on the radar board. And you know why?The. Game. Now. Means. Something.Doesnt matter how you feel about baseballs decision to use the All-Star Game to determine who gets home-field advantage in the World Series. Its a real thing. It has an actual impact on who rides on the parade floats. So why the heck arent the 36 biggest stars in each league about to line up on those foul lines Tuesday night?Well, they wont be. And wheres the logic in that?If it was just an entertainment thing, then who cares? the same exec vented. Put anybody you want out there. But if it matters, put the best players out there.This really isnt a complicated concept, is it? Does the sport want the game to count for something, or doesnt it? If it does, then the hallowed every team has to have an All-Star rule is dumb. Makes no sense. Doesnt fit the narrative.Big game. Huge game. Not just an exhibition game, like those other sports All-Star shows. This one counts! (Except for the part in which we overlook some of our biggest stars so other, less-deserving guys can go.)Where is Kinsler on that American League roster? Where is Adrian Beltre? Where is Dustin Pedroia? Where is Chris Davis? Where is Nelson Cruz? Those men are Stars with a capital S.Where is Brandon Crawford in the National League? Where is Matt Holliday? Where is Max Scherzer? Id be fine with Yadi Molina, because I understand the value of 12 years worth of brilliance. Id even be cool with Ichiro Suzuki, as he chases his 3,000th hit. Those gentlemen belong in an All-Star Game because they, too, are Stars.And if anyone ever elects me as the All-Star Roster Czar, I promise that I will always err on the side of star power. You want to make sure you continue to have the greatest All-Star Game in sports? Keep those stars coming. Its a star-driven society. Feed it.There must be other ways to acknowledge the best players on the worst teams in baseball besides giving them a real All-Star. How about, if youre on pace to lose 100 games on July 1, you get to send an honorary All-Star to the Midsummer Classic? He can wave to the crowd. He can get an invitation to the gala. He can hang out in the clubhouse. He just cant take up a spot that could be used on a more deserving luminary.Just follow my simple logic. You want the game to count? Send in the stars.And if you want someone there from every team? mused the exec quoted earlier. Send the mascots. Jerseys NFL Cheap Online . Olli Jokinen, Mark Scheifele, and Bryan Little each had a goal and an assist as Winnipeg won 5-2, handing Calgary its record-setting seventh consecutive loss on home ice. Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys China . The visitors took a deserved lead in the 16th minute with midfielder Yohan Cabaye curling the ball beyond Adrian from inside the penalty area. http://www.cheapchinaauthenticnfljerseys.com/ . 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LOUIS -- The Cincinnati Reds bullpen reverted back to its early season form Monday night.The St. Louis Cardinals rallied for five runs with two outs in the bottom of the ninth against relievers Tony Cingrani and Ross Ohlendorf to beat the Reds 5-4.The catalysts really were three walks and two hit by pitches and we allowed them to get excited and their fans to get excited and we werent able to execute the pitches we needed to do to finish the inning, manager Bryan Price said.Yadier Molina started the rally with a hit and ended it by getting hit in by a fastball from Ohlendorf with the bases loaded.I was really disappointed to not be able to come through in a big situation like that, Ohlendorf said. It was a fun situation as a pitcher, a chance to really make a difference for us, so it was disappointing when it doesnt happen.Matt Carpenter drove in two runs with a single, Stephen Piscotty singled home another and Matt Holliday walked to load the bases before Cingrani (2-4) was lifted for Ohlendorf, who walked Brandon Moss to tie it before hitting Molina.The Reds bullpen has rebounded after a horrible start to the season in which it had ERAs of 6.21 and 7.25 in April and May, respectively. In July, the relievers combined for a 2.45 ERA, the third lowest in the National League, and had a 2.25 ERA in August entering the game.Its miserable, Price said. Its a miserable feeling but weve just got to come back tomorrow and win the game and get this feeling out of our system.The rally spoiled what had the makings of Cody Reeds first major league win. Reeds six scoreless innings dropped the Reds starters ERA to 2.84 over the last 11 games.It helps the confidence going into the next one, Reed said. We didnt get the win, whatever, its going to happen. It didnt happen today, its going to happen years from now so no worries. Ill just get out there for the next one and try to win that one.Reed set the tone with a scoreless first inning. He entered the game with a 14.63 ERA in the first inning, including giving up ffour runs to the Cardinals in the opening frame in his last outing.ddddddddddddHe made some great pitches especially when he had to, Moss said of Reed. He did a much better job of controlling the strike zone and pitching off of it than he did the first time we faced him.Cardinals starter Michael Wacha struggled to settle in as seven of the first 12 batters he faced reached base. Zack Cozarts double eluded the outstretched glove of Cardinals left fielder Matt Holliday and went off the wall to give the Reds a 2-0 lead in the second. Cozart, who had two hits, scored when Joey Votto followed with a triple.Seth Maness (2-2) pitched a perfect ninth to earn the win.GRAND THEFTBilly Hamilton led off the game for the Reds with a single and stole second and third. He is 17 for 19 in stolen base attempts against Molina, a perennial gold glove catcher, and the 17 stolen bases are the most by any base runner against Molina.STILL STREAKINGMolina walked in the fourth inning to extend his streak of reaching base safely to 21 games. It is the longest streak by a Cardinals catcher since Gene Tenace reached in 35 straight between the 1981 and 1982 seasons.TRAINERS ROOMReds: RHP Alfredo Simon (right trapezius) and RHP A.J. Morris (strained right shoulder) began rehab assignments at Triple-A Louisville on Sunday. Simon gave up a run in an inning and Morris gave up three runs in 2/3 of an inning.Cardinals: LHP Tyler Lyons (knee) saw a specialist in Chicago, but no update was available.UP NEXTReds: LHP Brandon Finnegan (7-8, 4.45 ERA) is coming off a two-hit, six-inning shutout of St. Louis in a 7-0 win last week. His current 12-inning scoreless streak is the longest of his career.Cardinals: RHP Mike Leake (8-9, 4.80 ERA) will look for better results against his former team after allowing seven runs his last time out in Cincinnati. In two career starts against the Reds, he is 0-1 with a 10.32 ERA. ' ' '