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Could paying All-Stars like Manny Ramirez be the way for MLB to go? (AP Images)

All-star games of any sport lost their edge long ago. They're more pageants than contests and the only pageants men watch with zeal are those that involve cups positioned above the participants' waistlines. Baseball's exhibition game remains the most hyped because its fans get a little weak in the knees when they rhapsodize about the traditions of their sport.

The attempt by commissioner Bud Selig four years ago to add meaning to the MLB All-Star Game by awarding the winning side home-field advantage in the World Series has already lost any novelty it had. Postseason positioning means nothing to Dmitri Young and Gil Meche at this point. Even for players on contending teams, the midsummer classic is seen as an impediment to a long weekend.

Last year, Manny Ramirez infamously claimed he couldn't play because he had a knee injury, but he didn't miss any of the 19 innings Boston endured in the last game before the All-Star break, a 6-5 loss to the White Sox. Players like getting voted into the All-Star Game because it means they satisfy an incentive clause that pays $50,000 or thereabouts; most don't like having to suit up and play.

"After you've done it, older players would rather have the three days of rest," said Frank Thomas, the Toronto Blue Jays' slugger and five-time All-Star. He wasn't chosen for the 78th duel between American League and National League in San Francisco, so he'll be spending the first three days of this week away from the diamond. According to him, many of the 64 players who will be at AT&T Park will wish they could join him.

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