The days are getting longer, the weather is getting hotter, and, with our nation’s birthday having just passed, the attention of baseball fans around the country is on one event — the 2003 Major League Baseball All-Star game.

The rosters for both leagues were announced Sunday, and, as happens every year, some great players didn’t make the squad and some mediocre players took their spots.

This year’s snubs were worse than most. I can’t remember the last time so many great players and legends were left out of the Midsummer Classic, which leads me to ask the question — is the All-Star game really an “all star” game anymore?

Perhaps the most notable absence on this year’s squad is rookie pitching sensation Dontrelle Willis of the Florida Marlins. Only 21 years old, Willis has compiled an 8—1 record and currently leads the majors with a scant 1.98 ERA. Thought to be a lock for a spot on the team, Willis said last week if he was to be named the starting pitcher for the National League, he would decline that honor, feeling that other veteran players were more deserving. I guess modesty and great statistics don’t mean anything, because Willis didn’t make the rotation at all.

And then there’s Roger Clemens. At 40, Clemens finally eclipsed the 300-win mark earlier this year, helping solidify his spot in the Hall of Fame. Even though his numbers aren’t quite Rocket-esque (8—6, 3.75 ERA), Clemens is still a great pitcher who can scare even the best hitters with that high 90s fastball. In his farewell season, the end of a brilliant career, surely Clemens would go out as an All-Star, right?

Another sentimental snub was another future Hall of Famer, the Texas Rangers’ Rafael Palmeiro. Although his batting average is not what it used to be, Palmeiro is still on pace for another 40-home run, 100-RBI season, so why not vote him in? Maybe it was those Viagra commercials.

As for players who shouldn’t have gotten in, start with Hideki Matsui. There is absolutely no way he should be starting in the outfield, no matter how many overseas votes he gets. (Most of the fan votes for Matsui came from Internet voters in his native Japan). “Godzilla,” as Matsui was dubbed in Japan for his power, has been anything but a home run machine. So far, Godzilla has only nine homers and scares pitchers about as much as the gecko from those Geico commercials. Anaheim’s Garret Anderson and Toronto’s Vernon Wells each have more than doubled Matsui’s home run total, but they are both still only substitutes.

And then there are the players coming to Chicago because of the inane rule that each team must be represented in the game. For instance, Pittsburgh closer Mike Williams made the team and, although he did have 24 saves through Tuesday, he’s 0—3 with a huge 6.29 ERA and only 15 strikeouts.

And then there’s the Mets’ Armando Benitez, who made the team despite leading the National League with six blown saves. That’s like a starting pitcher making the All-Star team with 12 losses.

These guys aren’t stars, they’re just decent players who made it onto the team by default. Should players like this be on the team when the winning team of the All-Star game now gets home-field advantage in the World Series?

Before the home-field advantage rule, it was fine if some good players didn’t get in and some bad players did. That way, fans of every team got to watch one of their players, but now there is much more on the line, and changes definitely need to be made.

The rule that each team gets a member on the team must go. Now that there are such high stakes to the game, neither league can afford to put so-so players out on the field. The best players in baseball should be playing in the game, not the best players from bad teams.

Another factor hurting the strength of the All-Star teams is the fans’ favorite players are the ones who start the game. Professional managers, not fans, should decide who starts the game, since those are the players who will be playing the most. Although the fans should still have a say in who makes the team, the managers need to be the ones who are in charge of winning the game.

The list of solutions to the new All-Star fiasco could go on and on, but perhaps the best solution is right under our nose — go back to the way it was. Go back to the time when the World Series home-field advantage rotated every year, and the All-Star game was just a fun, meaningless showcase of talent. Now, thanks to commissioner Bud Selig, the game is no longer a relaxing break from the regular season for the players. It’s just another stress-filled game.