Compared to Nippon Professional Baseball, which simply gathers star players from various teams to play a few gas and call it a day, Major League Baseball's All-Star Ga operation is more mature, more comrcialized, and also shows more humanity.
Selected players are not only required to participate in the final day's main event but also have to complete a series of "tasks" such as dia Day, charity events, and Red Carpet Day. As star players voted in by fans, they have the responsibility and duty to give back to the fans and contribute to the promotion of baseball.
Take dia Day as an example, Major League Baseball officials have set up small booths with players' nas in a venue, and anyone with a credential, whether from professional dia like ESPN, Fox, YouTube baseball bloggers, or even so VIP ticket holder fans, are eligible to have face-to-face dialogues with their favorite stars.
Under the heavy promotion by MLB and its official sponsors, today's dia Day attracted quite a crowd.
Like superstar players at their peak such as Clayton Kershaw and Mike Trout, and hotown stars Giancarlo Stanton and Marcell Ozuna, the crowds outside their booths were packed so tight that not even an ant could get through.
Unexpectedly for Lin Guanglai himself, his booth also attracted a lot of people, including over 50 professional dia outlets from North Arica and Asia, and plenty of YouTube vloggers with their own filming equipnt.
The questions they asked were bizarre and varied, ranging from serious questions related to the Major League, and the All-Star Ga to his life in the United States, his feelings about Miami, and eventually so highly controversial topics, getting more and more outrageous.
It was Lin Guanglai's first experience witnessing the full-fledged prowess of Arican journalists, only until now did he realize how restrained they had been during pre-ga and post-ga interviews.
"Lin, how does it feel to participate in the All-Star Ga for the first ti?"
"Lin, regarding the perfect ga and the Yankees' performance in the first half of the season, what do you think?"
"Lin, I heard you liked Miami's weather in previous interviews, have you considered playing in Miami in the future?"
"Lin, about your love life…"
"Lin…"
Honestly, since becoming famous all over Japan during his college years, being interviewed has been almost a common affair for Lin Guanglai over the years; but even so, facing this pack of voracious dia made it difficult for him to handle, often having to use convoluted language to navigate controversial topics.
"Perhaps in the future, I should say my English isn't proficient and find a Mandarin or Japanese translator to help speak?" This thought briefly appeared in Lin Guanglai's mind but was quickly dismissed.
"Hahahaha, though the North Arican dia is indeed quite pesky, it's actually the first ti I've seen you so awkward; it's hilarious, hahaha—"
Having finished his interview early, Bryce Harper with nothing better to do, ca over to Lin Guanglai's booth and almost entirely witnessed the ordeal he endured at the hands of the dia; and after the interview segnt ended, he rcilessly mocked Lin Guanglai right in front of him.
In contrast to Lin Guanglai's dia image as a "gentleman," Harper has always been cast in the "bad boy" persona since his debut, with a relatively tough attitude toward the dia. Due to his explosive temper, he often ends up creating big headlines, making him a typical Arican white guy whom the dia love and hate but love more.
Actually, Lin Guanglai sotis doesn't want to deal with so much dia, but handling dia relations is a necessary aspect every baseball player must prioritize, especially for those whose stats are stellar and have a chance to be inducted into the Hall of Fa. Because it is in the hands of veteran journalists that they hold the power to decide the life or death of a decorated player's eligibility for Cooperstown.
Unlike the basketball Hall of Fa where almost any star player can be inducted, the difficulty to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fa is significantly larger: only those who receive over 75% of the votes from the mbers of the Baseball Writers' Association of Arica are eligible to beco part of the National Baseball Hall of Fa.
Among retired players, figures like Barry Bonds, the ho run king, and Roger Clens, who won seven Cy Young Awards in his career, are forever without hope due to poor dia images and controversies surrounding drug use; Curt Schilling, the "bloody sock" winner by nature, is also barred due to his big mouth.
To win over the critical journalists, aside from excellent performance on the field, players must have a good moral standard and diligently cultivate a positive dia image. Any controversial behavior on or off the field could permanently sever a player's path to Cooperstown — this is why many fans refer to the National Baseball Hall of Fa as the "Saint's Hall."
Seizing the opportunity at the All-Star Ga, Lin Guanglai t many other team's star players and through his enthusiastic personality, established connections with everyone:
Including this year's All-Star Ga catcher partner, Kansas City Royals' Salvador Perez, Rockies' star player and one of the league's best third basen Nolan Arenado, and Dodgers' "prince," the top favorite for this year's National League rookie Cody Bellinger.
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