The 2014 MLB All-Star game takes place on Tuesday the 15th of July and is the 85th edition of the MLB All-Star Game. The game this year will be played in Minneapolis, Minnesota at Target Field which is the home of the Minnesota Twins. This 85th edition will be the 3rd time the Twins have hosted an All-Star game. Since 1965 Minnesota has hosted the game in three different locations, the first in 1965 at the Metropolitan Stadium, then in 1985 at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome and now at Target Field this 2014.
The game will be televised on the Fox Sports Network in the United States, which is part of a new eight year deal with Major League Baseball. In addition the Metro Transit Company has prepared for this year’s All-Star bash by completing it’s a two city Transit System, the new light-rail that runs from downtown Minneapolis to downtown Saint Paul. The system started their services on the 14th of June this 2014.
In the bidding for this 2014 MLB All-Star game the only other team that submitted a bid was the Chicago Cubs even as it is standard for the league to rotate hosts each year except for back in 2006 and 2007 when the game was hosted by the Pirates of Pittsburgh and the Giants of San Francisco and thus 2014 was to be the American League’s turn for the All-Star game for 2014.
The fan balloting for this 2014 All-Star game actually started on the 24th of April and ended on the 3rd of July this 2014. The ballot was for each position determined by the top vote getters and that included the position of the designated hitter in the American League along with the top three outfielders for each League with the results being made public this past 6th of June 2014.
Then after the League revealed the rosters they developed a 2nd ballot for five players from each League for the Final All-Star Vote which was to determine the final 34th player of each League and that balloting took place from the 6th of July through the 10th of July 2014.
On the 14th of July, the day before the All-Star game the annual Home Run Derby will be held with two of the favorite players (Trout and Cabrerea) bowing out saying they prefer to watch from the sidelines.
This is an annual contest that is among the top home run hitters in Major League Baseball to determine who can hit the most home runs. Currently Gillette is sponsoring the contest. The format for this 2014 contest has changed to more brackets like system. There will be five players from each league that will hit in the 1st round and each will be allowed seven outs rather than 10 outs they were allowed in previous contests. There will be four rounds in total with the fourth and final round features the winners on each league semi-finals to determine the winner of the event. The proceeds of this event go to charity.
For those that Bet the MLB at an Online sportsbooks or with their local bookie, the odds will only be offered for the All-Star game and the MVP of the game.