Fading Stars

We've come to the Sunday on the calendar where sports fans are trying to sit back, relax and begin the build to next week's Super Bowl.

And since this is the week off to relax and build up hype, it's become the weekend to bring out the stars and showcase their leagues, as both the NFL and NHL have their All-Star games.

But do these showcases even matter any more? And will you even watch?

When I was growing up, the All-Star game was one of the highlights for the year. Didn't matter which sport it was. Baseball was my favorite, back then. And I remember being upset if we weren't going to be able to make it home in time for the first pitch.

Back in those days, the dawn of cable, the annual event was the chance to see the top players in each game on TV -- something we didn't get to do every night. And there certainly was not a whole night of highlights and talk on SportsCenter after the game -- or the next night.

Of course, the events have become much more than a showcase of the players. It's become a showcase for the league and its sponsors. As I write this, I'm watching the NHL's Skills Competition, which is being brought to you by some company. And each event has its own sponsor and their logo out on the ice as part of the competition's props.

And as such, a lot of the players don't even show up. The Anaheim Ducks' Teemu Selanne -- a multiple-time all-star, and the best point producer for his team -- opted out before the teams were announced. And one of the league's biggest names -- Alexander Ovechkin -- decided not to go because of a suspension (and his numbers weren't the best this year, either, so he made plans).

Then there's the debacle that is the NFL Pro Bowl, which is the All-Star game the least like a regular season game. Despite the free trip to Hawaii (the long-time home of the Pro Bowl), a lot of the best players in the league opted out every year. And now it's being played in the week in between the conference finals and the Super Bowl, it means two teams won't have representatives there.

Each league has its quirks. The NHL and baseball have tried to throw new wrinkles into their games in an attempt to drum up interest. Baseball's game "counts" now, deciding the World Series home-field advantage (and by the way, the magic of league vs. league seems watered down thanks to interleague play). Hockey ditched its conference format to allow two team captains to choose the teams.

The tweaks have helped to some degree. But it still doesn't seem to be the same.

But if you're like me, and you're going to try and watch each of the games, here's one man's rankings of the four major sports' All-Star games.

1) National Basketball Association: And it's not even close. The game is fun, run-and-gun and showcases its stars and game to the audience. And while it is in direct contrast of a regular season game, that's not a bad thing. Regular season games can be dreadful affairs. But the All-Star game? It's magic.

2) National Hockey League: Hockey purists scoff at the free-flowing game, and yeah, it's not a hard-hitting grinding affair. But it is a lot of skill, goals and excitement. And the new set-up with captains choosing teams helps break up the monotony of conference vs. conference. The goalies work to put a stop to it, but they really don't want to get hurt.

3) Major League Baseball: It's still not a bad game. But the add on of having it mean something somehow takes away from the fun of the event. Plus, in baseball, you have a lot of guys who get voted in on name alone, which takes away spots from new blood. The other issue is those pesky pitchers. They can control the game as much as the offense does in a sport, and that will take the sizzle off the game.

4) National Football League: Again, not close. No blitzing. No big hitting. All the things that people tune in for every Sunday. The NFL really needs to rethink its game (they've thought about eliminating it, too). My idea: go to an eight-man line-up. Make it about the offense and skill guys. I know it cuts out a lot of the guys who do the work in the trenches, but you can take the same amount and rotate them onto the field in units. It's not "football," but it would at least garner some interest.