The 73rd annual Major League Baseball All-Star game and festivities were definitely a night to remember. Amid the rampant, running rumors of steroid use and a possible strike, this year’s all stars and Major League Baseball put on a brilliant show for 11 innings.

But instead of baseball historians noting it as a great extra-inning game, it will go down as one of the most bizarre endings ever, a 7-7 tie. Despite the unsatisfying ending, the midsummer classic needs no monumental modifications to the current system.

But the way the managers manage the rosters should be looked at. It took 73 games before the annual contest ended because of depleted rosters. So why change the system because of one game?

The all-star game is respected the most by sports fans simply because it is far more competitive than the all-star games in football, hockey and basketball. Historically, it always has been a game that has meant more than its counterparts because the best baseball players on the planet are going head-to-head and playing with more intensity on defense than the others.

If the all-star game is known for its competitiveness, then the managers should treat it as such. In a regular season game, managers don’t make an effort to get everyone in the game, so why should they here.

Of course, the starters shouldn’t play the entire game, but the managers shouldn’t have to devise calculus formulas to get everyone in the game.

I would have loved to see San Francisco Giant left fielder Barry Bonds go for his second round-tripper of the evening or even Chicago White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko continue a night that ended with him going two-for-two with two RBIs.

On a local note, I admit I felt some type of gratification that a Detroit Tiger contributed to the scoring. But the all-star game would have been fine without left fielder Robert Fick, who was only chosen because baseball wants every team to have a representative.

The only team that should be required to have a representative at the all-star game is the home team - period.

As far as Tuesday night’s game was concerned, it ended the only way it could have. Due to an exhaustion of available players, the 2002 Major League Baseball All-Star game was called after 11 innings. With the given number of players, New York Yankee manager Joe Torre and Arizona Diamondback manager Bob Brenly made the common sense decision.

Once the announcement was made that the game would end after the 11th inning - tie score or not - I instantly switched my American League allegiance to the National League. For the sake of the game, I knew the baseball gods would give the National Leaguers a chance to save baseball from another black eye. But with Seattle Mariner pitcher Freddy Garcia on the mound and the rejuvenated San Francisco Giant catcher Benito Santiago at the plate with two outs, I knew it just wasn’t meant to be.

In my book, the baseball season has always taken a back seat to football and basketball, respectively. But I’d hate to see it come to an end with another strike.

With 1994 being the last time the all-star game went to extra innings and the last time Major League Baseball went on strike, things aren’t looking good.

It would indeed be a shame if the baseball season were to come to an early end. The season has seen so many great moments in just a half season of play and more possibly to come.

If the season were to end we’d miss out on another home-run race, not to mention Sammy Sosa attempting to crack the 60 home-run barrier for the fourth consecutive year. For the second time the Montreal Expos could possibly be screwed from playoff contention because of a strike and that’s just not right.

Sad to say the events that occurred from the middle of the 11th inning to the end of the game Tuesday night could foreshadow the fate of the 2002 baseball season. The 73rd all-star game ended with Santiago taking a third strike as players, coaches, management and the unfortunate fans of Major League Baseball watched helplessly.

No winners. No losers. And the crowd chanting, “Let them play.”

Romando J. Dixson can be reached at dixsonro@msu.edu.