From Mark: Just read about the all-star game and its format and I personally don’t like it. Why not just have East VS West and if you really want to add excitement to an otherwise meaningless game,follow Major League Baseballs example and give the winning side home ice advantage in the Kelly Cup finals. I think that would give both sides more motivation to play at the level that is usually expected of an all-star.

Mailbag Post:

From: Mark
Comments: Just read about the all-star game and its format and I personally don’t like it. Why not just have East VS West and if you really want to add excitement to an otherwise meaningless game,follow Major League Baseballs example and give the winning side home ice advantage in the Kelly Cup finals. I think that would give both sides more motivation to play at the level that is usually expected of an all-star.

Mailbag Response:

Mark,

To each his own. Whenever you make changes to tradition, there are going to be plenty of folks resistant to the change or that don’t like it. We feel the positives are too many to ignore.

Unlike the major leagues, our games aren’t televised on major networks. Fans know most of the players in the major league all-star game. That’s typically not the case at our level. Certainly there will be fans who follow the Condors closely that will be familiar with players from opposing teams, but for the casual fan, they are just going to know who the Condors players are. So if they’re going to come, why not give them the opportunity to cheer for their hometown team, instead of just a few players?

There are plenty of people that don’t like the major league baseball rule you cite, so either way, it’s not going to please everyone.  But we’re looking forward to a great All-Star Classic, and displaying an event that Bakersfield can be proud of. Hope to see you there!

-The Mailbag Guy