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World Series in Atlanta is better than All Star Game

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

Amaurty Pi-González

The Atlanta Braves eliminated the Los Angeles Dodgers in the sixth game of the NLCS and they are now in the World Series for the first time since 1999. We remember what happened last summer when Major League Baseball relocated the 2021 All Star Game from Truist Park in Atlanta, because of a new voting law in the State of Georgia.

Now the Braves will have a chance to play in two (maybe three) games of the 2021 World Series that begins next Tuesday at Minute Maid Park in Houston, the home of the American League Champions, who took care of the Boston Red Sox. Because the Astros ended with the better record as they won the AL West, they will have the home-field advantage and host games 1 and 2, and possibly (if necessary) games 6 and 7 also at Houston. While the Braves are scheduled to play games 3 and 4 and 5 (if necessary) in Atlanta.

That voting law that Major League Baseball objected and then moved the All Star Game from Atlanta to Denver, Colorado, has not changed. That is still the law of the State of Georgia, plus the All Star Game is one game with a week of festivities, however, now Atlanta is in a much better situation, instead of one game in July, they will have 2, maybe 3 games in the World Series.

This will generate the revenue and some of the prestige and exposure that the City of Atlanta has lost after Commissioner of Baseball Rob Manfred ordered the game moved from Atlanta to Denver. It is easy if you ask any baseball fan, what you prefer: your city MLB team ballpark to host the All-Star Game, or to be in the World Series.

There is zero competition. It is the World Series. At the end MLB has to eat crow. The law in Georgia was not reversed and the Braves are now in the Fall Classic, which is a much prized event than the All Star Game. Atlanta, Georgia is laughing all the way to the bank.

Some sarcastic remarks made on social media posted stuff like “Mr.Manfred, would you now also move the World Series out of Atlanta for a “neutral” city, while others in Georgia made comments like “Who needs the MLB All Star Game when you get to play in the World Series?”

I have maintained for years that sports leagues should stay away from politics, but that seems to be impossible these days in our country. And it happens from leagues, fans, government and so on, everybody wants to be in this soup and not only in the US, but in some cases it has international repercussions.

Example: Last week Boston Celtics center Enes Kanter called China’s leader Xi Jinping a, “brutal dictator” on social media and spoke into the camera, about the culture genocide in Tibet. Immediately the television carrier of NBA in China banned all Boston Celtics games inside China, a market of 1.4 billion people. That would never happen here in the US, but in China the communist government controls all media and they do not allow any criticism against the communist party of their leaders. Free speech is a commodity that China does not understand.

The last time the Atlanta Braves played in the World Series was 1999 as they were swept by the New York Yankees. In 1995 the Braves won their only World Series championship since they play in Atlanta as they defeated the Cleveland Indians in six (6) games. The Houston Astros are favorites to win it and give manager Dusty Baker his first World Series title.

Dusty Baker will be the second oldest manager (72 years) to reach the Fall Classic. Only Jack McKeon was older (by days not years than Dusty), when he took the Florida Marlins to the 2003 World Series to win it in six (6) games over the New York Yankees. Last time Dusty took a team to the World Series was in 2002 when he lost in seven (7) games to the Los Angeles Angels.

I was there in Anaheim with the Giants broadcasting and I know how Dusty felt after that last seventh game. I wish Dusty a better outcome this time, he is a good manager and even a better man. Never heard a player on his teams or the opposition said anything negative about Dusty Baker. The ultimate players manager.

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