To the editor:

I would like to respond to the July 12 syndicated piece written by Bob Klapisch. To his notion that interleague play has ruined the All-Star game, I say baloney! He laments that all players now know each other intimately (because they have the same agents and they all golf together). Therefore, he says that there is no fire anymore in the players at All-Star time.

He used the example of Pete Rose crashing into a catcher in the 1970s compared with Alex Rodriguez tiptoeing to the plate when he was out by 5 feet. Well, perhaps the reason is A-Rod was out by 5 feet (not likely to jar the ball out of the catcher’s mitt) and perhaps Pete Rose was an arrogant jerk.

Personally, I think interleague play has brought back some excitement to the game. Relying on a World Series berth in order for the Cubs to play the White Sox or the Royals to play the Cardinals is not very satisfying or realistic. I still relish the time that my daughter and I flew to Chicago for the day to watch the Royals play at Wrigley Field. Baseball still has many problems. But interleague play affecting the All-Star game affecting home field advantage is not one of them.

Roger Liebst,

Lawrence