The World Series opens tonight in Tampa Bay where the Rays will host the Philadelphia Phillies. Interestingly, the reason the game is being played in Florida is that Brad Lidge of the Phillies gave up a sacrifice fly to Michael Young of the Texas Rangers in the 15th inning of the All-Star game at Yankee Stadium in July.

Scott Kazmir, who will start the game for Tampa tonight, got the win in that contest.

It’s strange that Commissioner Bud Selig’s twisted idea for making the All-Star game matter actually worked out this year. But as John Smoltz said on the Dan Patrick Show this morning, it’s still a stupid idea.

This was one freakish occurrence where the stars aligned and players involved in the Fall Classic actually played a role in determining who won the glorified exhibition game. Why would you let that exhibition game – a game where every team has to be represented and managers do everything they can to clear the benches – determine home field advantage for one of the biggest sporting events in the world?

It would have worked out fine this year anyway, as Tampa finished with 97 wins compared with Philly’s 92. Other options for determining home field could be who wins the most games between leagues in Interleague play or the alternating home field advantage that was used for years before the change.

But the All-Star game? That’s still a terrible idea. Smoltz told Patrick if he had a chance to talk to Selig it would be one of the first things he’d bring up. “It wouldn’t take very long after saying ‘hello,'” Smoltz told Patrick. “I hate it with a passion. I’d just as soon do homerun derbies to determine home field advantage.”

Smoltz suggests an International players versus American born stars game as a way of reinvigorating interest in the All-Star game and finding some more legitimate way of determining World Series home field. He also realizes Selig would immediately dismiss any of his thoughts out of hand.

“It’s going to get shot down but that’s what I’d like to see,” he said.

And he’s right on all counts.