Red Sox fans, among the most outspoken fans on any subject, are perhaps the most up in arms about the MLB’s decision.  The 2012 season will mark the 100^th anniversary of Fenway Park, among the oldest and most fabled venues in baseball history.  Though the Red Sox were the hosts of the 1999 All-Star Game, the Fenway faithful feel they deserve another.  Of course, with the recent success of the Red Sox, not to mention the Celtics and Patriots, spoiled Boston residents are starting to feel a like they’re entitled to everything these days.

Disappointed fans should take a page out of Armando Galarraga’s book; keep your mouth shut and take the high road.  Even if you’re a little upset Fenway Park won’t host their second All-Star game in just over a decade, but don’t ruin this for the poor folks down in KC.  It’s not like fathers and sons have had a lot of great baseball memories in Kauffmann Stadium over the years.  You had Nomar Garciappara, they had Mark Grudzielanek, for your Curt Schilling and Pedro Martinez, they were left with Darrell May and Jimmy Gobble.  Boston has had its moments; for a team that went decades without a title to their name, you would think they know what it’s like to be down at out.  Let Royals fans have their mid-summer day in the sun, they’ve been stuck in the cold, dark cellar for long enough.

Delving deeper into the matter, this amateur diagnoses concludes the Rays currently suffer from what, for lack of an official medical term, we can only refer to as “Happy Gilmore Putting Syndrome.” Stuart Sternberg, the team’s principle owner, is probably just one more lethargic home-stand short of screaming, “That’s your home! Are you too good for your home?!” Tampa Bay has compiled an untouchable 25-13 road mark, tops in the bigs.  While it is reassuring to know your team is resilient enough to win in unfriendly confines, the flip side of this impressive stat is their alarmingly average 20-19 home total.  Looking up and down the standings, the Blue Jays, Athletics, Mariners and Nationals all boast better home records, and that’s just teams playing.500 baseball or worse. 

The Rays overall .584 winning percentage makes any comparison to such lowlife franchises an utter embarrassment, much less a comparison in which they’re on the losing end.  Frustrated fans could only imagine the lead they might have if the team played halfway up to their potential in games the hometown crowd could actually attend.  Baseball is a game of endless numbers and statistics, some prove significant and others trivial, but this jury is still out on whether Tampa Bay’s relative troubles at Tropicana Field could be indicative of larger team issues down the line.

So, now a few weeks into his career, how great was his opening act and how bright is Strasburg’s future?  The performance in and of itself was no less than legendary, but those calling for a Cooperstown career shouldn’t be so certain just yet.  Not to take away from Strasburg or discredit what was an outing that will go down in baseball history, but he isn’t the first young pitcher to burst onto the scene with an awe-inspiring introductory game.  In 2008, former 11^th overall pick Max Scherzer made his major league debut for the Arizona Diamondbacks while on the road against the Houston Astros.  Coming out of the bullpen, Scherzer pitched a perfect 4 and 1/3 innings without allowing a hit or walk.  At one point, he retired  13 consecutive hitters (still the high mark for a debut game) on his way to racking up 7 Ks.  Starting out as a reliever, Scherzer was no doubt under less scrutiny than Strasburg, but the on-field portion of his performance stands up to that of the celebrated rookie sensation.  For the record, now in his 3^rd year of service, Max Scherzer currently has a less than stellar 12-21 career record with a 4.37 ERA.  This season his ERA has ballooned to 6.14 on the way to a 3-6 start.  Not to say the fire-baller won’t be one of the better pitchers in the league one day (already boasting his own 14 K game last month), but so far Scherzer has learned it’s a long road to stardom.

Scouts have hyped the National’s new guy as arguably the greatest pitching prospect of all time.  Analysts across the airwaves are singing his praises, and rightfully so, but bear in mind we are still only 2 games into what will hopefully be a long major league career.  When he takes the mound Friday, let Strasburg continue to earn his big league reputation, pitch by pitch, before listing among the all-time greats.

While Strasburg was seemingly anointed as the best player in the draft class, prior to last year’s MLB Entry Draft, he will still face an uphill battle to take home the league’s Rookie of the Year award.  Working with a 2 and a half month advantage, incumbent candidate Mike Leake, right hander for the Cincinnati Reds is off to a stellar start in the majors with a 5-0 record and 2.22 ERA.  Even were Strasburg to come out and live up the enormous billing he has had thus far, such numbers are simply hard to come by for a first year player.  Leake, though less heralded as a cant miss prospect in preseason hype, was taken just 7 spots behind Strasburg in last year’s draft at 8^th overall, so his early season success should come as no surprise.

This season is seen as a changing of the guard for the Atlanta Braves team as rookie sensation Jason Heyward, along with second year pitchers Tommy Hanson and Kris Medlen, comprise the young core of team that is suddenly bringing a lot of hope and optimism to fans in the Atlanta area.   The return of another young arm, Jair Jurrjens, who has missed the majority of the regular season nursing a strained left hamstring, rounds out a top of the rotation that draws comparisons to the Maddux, Glavine, Smoltz trio that led the Braves to repeated success throughout the 90’s.  As the recent winning trend has hit a hiccup on the road in L.A., we are reminded that this still has many weaknesses it will need to improve to stretch its season to October in a very competitive division.  While they sport an otherworldly 19-6 record at home in the Ted, the Braves have struggled on the road, as many young teams do, posting a 14-18 mark.

Recently retired legend, Ken Griffey Jr. was once thought by many fans and analysts to be the  future Home Run King and arguably the greatest of all time.  ‘The Kid,’ as he was known in his younger years was a lock for a 40 homers no matter what, year in and year out, until the injury bug struck during his second year in Cincinnati.  Griffey went on to have season ending surgery in consecutive years from 2002-2004, and though most certainly a future hall of famer, was never quite the same.  Sizemore is still only 28 years old, so the potential for a fully potent rebound is there,  but Sizemore’s legacy and the return on his once promising career is hanging in the balance.

While Ortiz’s first two month’s read like The Tale of Two Cities, what if any predictions can we expect from this guy for the rest of the season? Are all of his kinks finally worked out after accumulating enough at-bats to heat up?  Though it’s early in June, this month’s early numbers might make Red Sox nation take pause before heading all-aboard back on the Big Papi bandwagon.   Through his first 6 games of June, Ortiz has regressed to a meager .105 batting average.  Like any big league hitter, Ortiz is susceptible to streaks both hot and cold.  Take Phillies’ outfielder Jayson Werth for example who recently snapped an 0-21 hitless streak but endured much less criticism.  Kansas City’s Jose Guillen used his hot start amass a quick 13 HRs on the year but hasn’t hit a single deep shot since May 21 and has regressed to a .247 average.  Sure, David Ortiz isn’t a guy who’s going to hit 40+ HR’s anymore and, despite a torrent May, you shouldn’t expect him to be, but don’t expect David Ortiz to fade into the baseball afterlife just yet.

The question posed to baseball commissioner Bud Selig: can and should he overturn an obvious mistake?  Joyce has come out and admitted he simply blew the call followed by a tearful personal apology to Galarraga.  The situation is unique because any reversal would not alter the outcome of the game, as Galarraga finished out the game with no further blemishes to his clean sheet.  Baseball traditionalists argue that human error has always been and should always be a part of the game, but why deny a 28 year old young man, with otherwise unremarkable major league credentials a chance at greatness?   Sure, this game, arguably even more than other perfect games, will live in the memories of fans forever, but to see your name etched into the record books side by side with the legends of yesteryear is an experience Galarraga, though deserving, may never experience.