It's a lot more than a game

By Silvio Canto, Jr.

Over the years, the MLB All-Star Game was that contest between the two leagues in the middle of July. It used to be an afternoon game and an opportunity for a lot of players to take a break from the daily grind. It also gave us fans in the American League an opportunity to watch Pete Rose or Willie McCovey. My favorite was the 1970 game when Pete Rose crashed into Ray Fosse at home plate. I guess everybody loved that except Fosse, who was never the same after collision. Another favorite was 1979 or watching Dave Parker of the Pirates cut a runner at home.

It was a single baseball game on Tuesday back then. It's a three-day event now. Back in 1995, the Rangers hosted the game, and it was like a business convention around town, from a Triple A All-Star Game to the Home Run Derby to corporate sites all over town promoting their baseball connections. It created a lot of "temp work" and revenue for just about everybody. Even Jerry Jones found a way to get the Cowboys into the festivities.

Down in Atlanta, the commissioner's decision is going to hurt big time, as we see in this report:

Opponents of MLB's decision Monday to move the 2021 All-Star Game to Denver because of Georgia's new voting law suggest the move could end up hurting Atlanta's Black residents rather than helping them.

They note the move will deal an economic blow to Atlanta, which is 51% Black, and provide a boost to Colorado's capital, which is only 9% Black, according to U.S. Census figures.

Yes, the restaurants, the hotels, the activities around town.

And let's not forget that Atlanta was going to honor Hank Aaron, who passed away earlier this year. I'm sure that other places can honor Aaron, but it would have been different in Atlanta, where he hit his historic home runs, from #500 to #715, to break Babe Ruth's record.

Bad move by Commissioner Rob Manfred, who has not had a press conference to tell the world just what he found so wrong about the law.

PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk).