The skis are on for baseball's All-Star game. (Jumping The Shark).

The Red Sox jumped the shark when they sold Babe Ruth. The Bills took their NFL leap when Scott Norwood's kick in Tampa sailed wide right. Bobby Knight had his legendary chair toss at Assembly Hall.

"Jumping the shark" refers to the moment on Happy Days when Fonzie, fully clad in his leather jacket while on water skis, jumped over a shark--Richie, Potsie and the show never recovered.

I know what you're thinking. Having the home-field advantage in the World Series determined by the winner of this year's All-Star Game will be the moment the midsummer classic jumps the shark, right? I can see your point. A game-winning Aubrey Huff single off Rocky Biddle determining home-field makes as much sense as Cousin Oliver joining The Brady Bunch.

The All-Star Game has had its fair share of classic moments. Carl Hubbell striking out a parade of Hall of Famers and Ted Williams' homer off Rip Sewell's "ephus pitch" remain, like the Splendid Splinter's corpse, frozen in time. Who could forget Pete Rose barreling into Ray Fosse, or Fred Lynn slamming a N.L. winning streak that rivaled the run of NBC atop the Thursday night ratings? Dave Parker's throw, Bo Jackson's homer and Larry Walker's flipped batting helmet won't soon be forgotten.

The free-agent process began to make its mark in the '70s and '80s as the majors kept expanding, and a fin was spotted. Garry Templeton's "If I ain't startin', I ain't departin'" became a decree for players who preferred three days of rest to attending the game. Starters spent less time on the field than Valerie Harper did on ...