Written by El Guapo | 26 July 2010

The National League finally won the All Star Game yesterday after 14 years of disappointment. The game was one of the best in years, a true pitching duel that was decided by a bases-loaded double. The players seemed truly honored to be there and it showed in the way they played.

That is where I will stop my praise of the event. I hope the city of Anaheim is never again awarded an All Star Game. Los Angeles Metropolitan Area has the largest population of ignorant fans that the world of sports has ever known. The ASG usually starts with the introduction of the players on both teams. The National League was the visiting squad and their reserves were introduced first. Player after player was named and there was faint applause, then the Dodgers players were announced and the entire stadium booed; faint applause followed booing until all the Senior Circuit players were introduced. The American League went next in the introduction of the reserves. The stadium again erupted in booing when the Red Sox players were introduced and it went on until everyone had been named, with the exception of the time that Angels players got their turn in the spotlight.

Booing? At the All Star Game? Seriously? These players are the best in the game according to the fans and they can’t get any respect?

I can understand booing when your team is playing the Red Sox for the American League Championship Series, but this is the freaking All Star Game. I don’t care how you feel about Dustin Pedroia’s team, you can hate the Sox, but you have to respect the player. This is how ignorant L.A. fans are. Maybe that’s why they don’t have a pro-Football franchise anymore. They can’t handle it.

To make matters worse, the ridiculousness didn’t stop there. Then we were forced to watch some Hollywood ersatz celebrities introduce People Magazine’s Real Life All Stars. Salma Hayek with her phony accent (Oh, how it irritates me! We have been speaking English the same amount of time, yet my accent is almost gone and hers seems to mysteriously get heavier with every passing year), Larry, Curly, Moe, and Harrison Ford (someone should tell him he is too old for long bangs and pierced ears) having sold their dignity to the highest bidder. Actually, I take that back, to the only bidder, because they probably have as many job offers as Vanilla Ice and MC Hammer do these days.

Hollywood has a way of ruining perfectly good things. This could have been an emotional celebration if they had used a Hall of Fame player introduce these people rather than the talentless of the silver screen. And it didn’t end there!

Who was the girl that sang the Star Spangled Banner??? An actress from Glee? What the f**k is Glee???

She sang some Christina Aguilera song and then stuck around for the national anthem. So close to Hollywood and they couldn’t find a real singing celebrity to perform? Why is it that every wannabe feels compelled to freestyle on the anthem?

…And the ro-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-ohohohohoh-ckets redddddddd glare…

There should be a law against freestyling on the anthem, and there should be an amendment to that law that states that only bona fide singers are allowed to perform it in nationally televised sporting events. I guess that’s going to disqualify about half the recording artist population from singing it, but that’s ok, there are some things that deserve respect. It’s like having someone other than Harry Caray sing Take Me Out To The Ballgame at a Cubs game.

So, in the midst of all this peripheral crap, there was a nine-inning jewel played between the AL and NL best players; where pitching dominated as it has all season. I got a thrill from watching my boy Josh Johnson mow down Ichiro and Derek Jeter (go tape more commercials, ya bum!)(do they tape commercials anymore? What is it called these days? Record commercials?), I also got a thrill from watching Hanley Ramirez do well at the Home Run derby. Can’t help it, I bleed black and teal…Go Fish!

And if anyone out there thinks that the National League is inferior…well…I’ve got news for you, the Senior Circuit is where pitching and defense have their zip code; and as your little league coach used to tell you: pitching and defense with games.

Eat your hearts out Angels fans (along with everyone else rooting for an AL team, especially the much hated Yankees and Red Sox) the National League reigns supreme! (For the next 360 or so days at least)