2nd Half MLB Preview

Tonight marks the end of a draining drought of sports to watch. (NL fans, I know you guys started last night, but you really need to win an All-Star Game for anyone to give a damn.) The highlight of my week may have been Andy Richter going yard (or, for the ladies, Brian Littrell getting face time) in the Legends/Celebs. I started watching the HR Derby, but after I saw players taking 10 bp pitches waiting for "the one," I decided I'd tune back in a few hours when they might be out of the first round. No, the ASG was not a complete blowout and the NL had a huge opportunity, just like last year, when overrated Papelbon took his rightful place as a 7th inning man and, like last year, almost blew it. But the 9th inning went to Mo and, like always, he said good night. (BTW, did anyone else think that Joe Buck was sounding extra peanut buttery calling Rivera's record setting 4th ASG save?)

Anyway...this has got to stop. No, I don't want to watch summer league basketball; I have a tough enough time dealing with the NBA. And why can't Comcast SportsNet broadcast a soccer game in HD? I've come to terms with the fact that NE Revolution games are poorly attended. Don't try to fool me by lowering the resolution. And don't get me started on the Versus Network and their ability to make the Tour de France feel like a peloton of old people in scooters at Wal-Mart racing to a rollback on tapioca pudding. VS kills sports (see also: NHL).

So, I'm open for suggestions. How do we make this week better? By making a bunch of dumb Celtics fans wait outside the Garden (and every TD Bank in the Commonwealth) for a candy bar and a chance at winning Bruins tickets that they don't care about and are just going to sell on StubHub? Here's an idea, instead of having the Winter Classic and Fenway in January, why not have it during the all-star break? It definitely won't do as much damage to the field as an Aerosmith concert, no one in the stands will have to wear a parka, and there's no chance of snow making any visibility on television nearly impossible. Sure you won't sell as much in concessions as you would at a Phish show, but I think we're all desperate for something other than the Major League Lacrosse "Old School vs. Young Guns" to take us through the break.