This year's Major League Baseball season has been filled with its fair share of excitement and drama.

Fans have seen walk-off homers, bench-clearing brawls and even two no-hitters in the first three months of the season. However, as the MLB season reached its halfway point, it was time for a special event where the best players in the league come together for the Major League All-Star Game.

This is a time for the top players in the game to show off their skills and a reward to those who have performed outstandingly in the first half of the year. While many might argue baseball is a slow-paced game and not exciting to watch, when it comes to all-star games and festivities, baseball's midsummer classic takes the cake.

While the slam dunk contest and slap shot competitions are exciting, the All-Star Home Run Derby tests skill, strength and stamina all in one event. If you think baseball is lame because there isn't enough action, here is one night packed with nonstop action as the best long-ball hitters in the game put on a show for the fans.

This year's home run derby was no different, as Vladimir Guerrero of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim finished with 17 homers and went home as the champion after defeating Toronto's Alex Rios in the final round.

With players blasting baseballs more than 400 feet into McCovey Cove and thousands of dollars raised for charity for players who hit homers on the "gold ball" pitch, this year's derby definitely was a hit.

Perhaps the best part about the home run derby is there is no time limit or famous home run that people try to duplicate over and over again. The rules are simple in that you take your best cuts and try to go deep as many times as possible before you get ten outs.

While the derby might be the most exciting part of the all star festivities, the game itself is the reason why baseball's all star game tops all the rest.

First of all, players actually give their full effort in the game because they are playing for home-field advantage in the world series. While many people criticized this move when it was first announced, I personally thought it was a brilliant idea. It gives the players motivation to try in the game, which clearly is not the case in the NBA or in that awful display of football referred to as the Pro Bowl.

A prime example came when Ichiro Suzuki stepped up to the plate Tuesday and smacked an inside-the-park home run. He was flying down the base path at top speed, making sure that he was going to score and become the first player in all-star history to hit an inside-the-parker. Ichiro didn't have to run that hard, but because they actually are playing for something, it gave him extra motivation to do so.

Second, players who deserve to be selected generally are. I can recall this year when Shaq was voted an NBA all-star starter after only appearing in 12 games and putting up career lows both in scoring and rebounding. That isn't the case in most MLB all-star games, as the best players during the first half of the year are selected.

A prime example was last year's home run champion Ryan Howard. Howard - a rising star in the league - was not selected to this year's all-star team because indeed he is having an off year. If Kobe Bryant was having an off year, I have no doubt in my mind he would still be starting in the game and, chances are, he would probably take the spot of other worthy players.

Finally, the MLB all-star atmosphere tops all the rest. Playing outside in the beautiful city of San Francisco and launching home runs into McCovey Cove outside AT&T Park - how can you beat that? It's simple: You can't.

In the final inning of Tuesday's game, fans were on their feet as the National League mounted a ninth-inning comeback. When the NL loaded the bases, you could hear the fans in San Francisco cheering at the top of their lungs for a game-winning hit.

What it really comes down to is Major League Baseball's summer classic is not just a bunch of players trying to showboat and impress everyone. Personally, I think it is much more entertaining to watch a good game where players actually care and have some form of motivation to play the game.

If you aren't an avid baseball fan, do yourself a favor and try watching next year's summer classic. It should set an example for what every other sport's all-star game should ultimately strive to be.