You just couldn’t take your eyes off of it. After the ninth inning of the 2008 All Star Game, the only thing left to hope for was a tie. Why? Well first and foremost, to shove Bud Selig’s non-Fox inspired “decision” to make the All Star Game count up his rectum and out his ear holes. The second reason was to watch another 2 hours of some of the most awful broadcast announcing ever seen.

To Joe Buck and Tim McCarver: Yeah, your shtick is to preach to the least educated viewer out there. For those of us who don’t know that the 10th inning has just as many outs as every other inning, your insight into the game is invaluable. But, you know, by the thirteenth inning when it’s after midnight for 65% of the US population, just maybe the people still watching know a little about the game? Do you really need to insult the people still watching by talking to us like this is our first baseball experience?

But the capper was Buck’s line when the game ended about how the most relieved person in the stadium was Terry Francona. Now, Joe. Dude. We all know the reason last night was a disaster was because Fox told Bud that that he needed to do something to pimp up the ratings and that making home field advantage for the World Series just might do the trick. But are you telling us that with the AL out of pitchers Bud would have been LESS embarrassed than Terry? It’s Bud’s (and your bosses’) fault that the game was still going on!

The All Star Game should serve two purposes for baseball fans:

1) The All Star Game should allow hard core baseball fans get to see the one-on-one matchups that have dramatic appeal. It’s an exhibition show. Let’s see something show-worthy.

2) The All Star Game should allow fans of teams with no post-season shot to at least see a player or two from their team get a chance to perform on a premier stage. Back in the 70’s when the Cubs were putrid, the All Star Game had some meaning because of Bruce Sutter and his two wins and a save in three consecutive years.

Going forward, the game needs to have a set ending. Call it a maximum of 10 innings. And what to do about home field advantage in the World Series? Simple. Go back to alternating the advantage like it had from 1900 to 2002.

But what we saw last night must stop. Ironically, Fox wanted the change because the 2002 All Star Game was the lowest rated in history at that point. Last night’s mess won’t do anything to improve Fox’s Nielsen report anytime soon.