Summers are notoriously slow for sports, and until August the only sport that fans are able to watch is baseball. If you’re a casual baseball fan at best, similar to yours truly, then you’re in the middle of a long, tedious, Yankees, Red Sox, blah, blah, blah sports-filled summer. As an attempt to reconcile with a game I used to love, I thought I would give the Major League Baseball All-Star game a chance.

After falling asleep somewhere during the middle of the third inning I had come to the realization that there was no amount of beer in the world that could make me watch an entire nine-inning baseball game. So I’ve decided to offer a list of suggestions that could possibly help promote the midsummer classic to attract the casual fan.

1. Eliminate the “every team must have a representative in the game” rule.

There are bad teams in baseball for a reason because their rosters are usually littered with bad players. Perfect example of this rule: Kansas City Royal Mark Redman was chosen by American league manager Ozzie Guillen to be a pitcher on the American League team. Redman and his 5.27 era will have National league batters in lock and load mode. They will be ready to tee off on Redman like he is the Pebble Beach golf course. More than likely Redman won’t even get close enough to touch the mound. So who gets penalized for playing on a good team? Minnesota Twins sensational rookie Francisco Liriano who only boasts a 10-1 record and a 1.83 era will be sitting at home. Casual baseball fans do not want see mediocre, bad or Mark Redman baseball.

2. The NL and AL managers should be the managers of teams with the best record and they should not be allowed to pick any of their own players.

Why are the previous years’ World Series’ managers allowed to coach the All-Star game? The teams with the best record during the first half of the year should be allowed to manage the game. The Detroit Tigers are the best story in baseball and they have MLB’s best record. It would be nice to see Tigers manager Jim Leyland lead the all-star team after working a miracle in Detroit, just two years after the team lost an incredible 119 games in 2004. Detroit’s reward for a stellar first half; three all-star selections. While the Chicago White Sox, defending world champions, boast seven All-Stars.

Unfortunately, sometimes the All-Star game rewards players for their previous year’s accomplishments.

3. There should be a veto rule against ridiculous fan choices on All-Star game starters.

Die-hard baseball fans are truly one of a kind. They know every miniscule, completely useless statistic and are confident they always know who should start in the All-Star game. Unfortunately, they usually pick the same 10 to 12 guys for 10 to 12 years whether they are having a great first half of the year or not. For instance, Ivan Rodriguez was chosen by the fans to start at catcher. He gets the nod despite the fact that Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer has the same number of home runs, six more RBIs and, oh yeah, he’s batting 70 points higher than Rodriguez. Fans are the lifeblood of every sport, they are passionate and energetic, but they are also known to be a little overzealous about a name they recognize.

4. Promote the All-Star game better.

Of the four major sports in America, MLB and the NHL do the absolute worst job of marketing their players and games. If you don’t have or watch ESPN would anyone know the All-Star game was last night? I’m sure there is some guy out there picking up the newspaper saying, “The All-Star game was yesterday, huh?” The NHL playoffs were televised on something called the Outdoor Life Network and yet it still managed to actively advertise its game.

5. The winner of this game should not decide what team will have home field advantage in the World Series.

It’s possible that Florida Marlins star Miguel Cabrera could face Redman in the bottom of the ninth to decide who will have home field advantage in the World Series. The Royals and Marlins have a combined record of 35 games under .500 and they could possibly decide home field advantage in the World Series. Make any sense? Of course not.

According to a May 2006 survey by Sports Goods Manufacturers Association, which monitors trends in American sports participation, more people in the U.S. play soccer than baseball.

When you have more people interested in imitating guys named Ronaldinho, Zidane or Henry, then MLB has a serious problem.

If MLB cannot adapt and make an effort to attract a younger and broader fan base, then the national pastime will once again prove it’s exactly that, past its time.