The All-Star Break

America is getting ready this weekend for the All-Star break. More specifically, American baseball fans are getting ready for the All-Star break.

This annual event pitches the best players from the American League vs. the best players from the National League in a single game. There are about twenty-five “stars” on each side. The rest of the players and all the teams (30 exactly) get three days off. In addition to the game, there is a must-watch home run derby contest, the Fan Fest, fireworks, concerts and other hoop-la.

The All-Star break is also the psychological mid-way point of summer. About six weeks gone – about six weeks more to enjoy.

In addition to bragging rights, the winning side gets the benefit of home-field advantage in the championship World Series match in October (hosting the first two games at one's own ballpark and playing no more than three games on the road, out of a possible seven). This idea was started a few years ago and the practice has since been extended indefinitely.

The All-Star Game, made its debut in July 1933, at Chicago's Comiskey Park. In 2008 the game was played at Yankee Stadium in New York – the last season before the great stadium was demolished for a new one. This year’s game is in St. Louis with its famous arch overlooking the Mississippi River – a quintessential American setting.

I saw this on the internet the other day: the average ticket to the All-Star game July 14 is $679, down from $1,460 last year when the game was played in New York, according to RazorGator.com, a ticket market site.

That’s an interesting statistic because it means that the ticket price this year is about 53% less than last year – or about the same percentage as the decrease in the stock market and the value of homes. Still - $679 ain’t cheap.

I’m staying home to watch the All-Star game on TV. To celebrate the spirit of baseball, I'm reading The Summer of ’49 by David Halberstam – his account of the great Boston Red Sox – New York Yankee summer campaign of 60 years ago. The book is from the library – free.

Chill the beer, fire up the grill, take an All-Star break.