The inside pitch on baseball
In honor of tonight's major league baseball All-Star Game in Chicago, The Rail is putting on its rally cap and borrowing information from Sports Illustrated, which surveyed 550 major league players about their likes and dislikes.
Their answers follow:
Who's the greatest living player?
- Barry Bonds (pictured above)
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What should be done with the designated hitter?
- Keep it as is: 47.8 percent
- Abolish it: 34.8 percent
- Use it in both leagues: 12.5 percent
- Don't know: 5 percent
Which is your favorite ballpark?
- Safeco Field in Seattle
What is your least-favorite ballpark?
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- Olympic Stadium in Montreal
Which city has the best fans?
- St. Louis
Which city has the worst fans?
- New York
Which is the best road city?
- Chicago
Which is the worst road city?
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- Detroit
Should Pete Rose be in the Hall of Fame?
- Yes, unconditionally: 74.2 percent
Who is the best manager?
- Dusty Baker of the Chicago Cubs
Who is the worst manager?
- Larry Bowa of the Philadelphia Phillies
This, Bud, is for you
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And Commissioner Bud Selig, who allowed last year's All-Star game to end in a tie, has yet to answer this question:
If the winner of tonight's game gets home-field advantage in the World Series, what happens if there's another tie?
Best All-Star moment
The Rail still thinks the classic All-Star Game moment occurred in Cincinnati in 1970 when Pete Rose, before his hometown fans, bowled over American League catcher Ray Fosse to score the winning run in extra innings.
Rose, known as Charlie Hustle, pretty much sidetracked Fosse's career.
Before then, Fosse was one of the best catchers in baseball and an up-and-coming star. Afterward, he never attained his early promise.
But, hey, when a player is running down the third base line and the catcher is blocking the plate, that's what he's supposed to do -- All-Star Game or not.
To contact The Rail, send an e-mail to features editor Dean Rhodes, who will be rooting for a tie in tonight's game, and he'll forward it to The Rail, or click on the Valley R&R icon at In-Forum.com
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Today's best bet
Josh Harty & Trevor Krieger, 9 p.m. to midnight.
Granite City Food & Brewery, Fargo
