All Star Games

Minus the physicality and emotion that make hockey compelling, NHL All-Star games tend to become snoozefests or scoring sprees. But in the league's first All-Star contest since 2004 -- the 2005 game was canceled by the lockout and the 2006 game was skipped in deference to the Turin Olympics -- players felt obligated Wednesday to become entertainers. As these things go, they succeeded.

Splashed across the sports page was the headline, "The Decline of the Shrine." That was 20 years ago. Today, the Shrine all-star football game is accustomed to adversity. Started in 1952 to raise money for young orthopedic and burn patients at Shriners' Hospital of Los Angeles, the event has brought in about $20,000 in each of the last 10 years -- small change compared with the $22 million in private donations needed each year to support free medical care at the 60-bed facility.

Motivated by last summer's All-Star Game embarrassment, Major League Baseball owners, meeting in Phoenix on Thursday, are expected to endorse a recommendation by Commissioner Bud Selig that the winning league in the midsummer exhibition gets home-field advantage in the World Series. There will be no changes in the size of rosters.

So much for reality programming. . . . People used to say televised sports were the original reality shows, but real life is s-o-o-o unreliable. Thus we have last week's NBA All-Star game with its heartwarming story lines: Nate Robinson playing "Krypto-Nate" to Dwight Howard's Superman in the dunk contest; Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal falling into each other's arms -- well, metaphorically -- as co-MVPs of the game.

ATLANTA -- A decent game broke out here Sunday, a surprising turn of events that made the NHL's 56th All-Star game one of its most entertaining in recent years. Competitive All-Star games are rare in hockey because these extravaganzas tend to lack urgency or oomph, and hockey loses much of its attraction when physical play is replaced by the matador defense that usually prevails. Too many goals, and it becomes an exercise in higher math. Too few, and it becomes boring.

NEW ORLEANS -- Nothing is guaranteed, not even local star Chris Paul winning the MVP award that would have been the bow on the ribbon of the gift wrap of this weekend. Paul thrust himself into contention, scoring 16 points with 14 assists as the West came from 13 points down in the fourth quarter to take the lead . . . before the East came back to win, 134-128 Sunday night.

Having learned to wait a week, which is how long it took the horror stories to surface after last season's Battle of Las Vegas All-Star game, I think it's safe to say: This year's All-Star game went great! NBA Cares looked like a truism, not an ad campaign. The All-Stars competed, as they do about every five years. Even the lame dunk contest came alive as a caped Dwight Howard flew through the air and Gerald Green blew out a candle on the back of the iron.

For the first time since Bo Jackson and Nolan Ryan graced Anaheim Stadium, the All-Star game is returning to Southern California. The Angels have been awarded the 2010 All-Star game, with Commissioner Bud Selig scheduled to make the official announcement Wednesday at Angel Stadium, according to three sources not authorized to speak publicly in advance of the announcement.

Galaxy stars David Beckham and Landon Donovan headline the roster for the MLS All-Star Game, which will be played July 24 in Toronto against the English Premier League club West Ham United. Also selected to the team were midfielders Sacha Kljestan of Chivas USA, Cuauhtemoc Blanco of the Chicago Fire and Robbie Rogers of Columbus, defenders Jimmy Conrad of the Kansas City Wizards and Frankie Hejduk of the Columbus Crew, and forward Kenny Cooper of FC Dallas.