Trevor Hoffman: "We're not talking about how far the ball is going to travel in the Home Run Derby. We're talking about what these issues are."

Tom Glavine: "...it's unfortunate that so much of this is taking away from the fun and the excitement of the All-Star Game."

Mike Piazza: "Obviously, there are some issues that need to be addressed, but I hope the fans can enjoy this event and put (off-field issues) on the back burner for a while."

Curt Schilling: "This is about the All-Star Game, and I'm going to have fun, and worry about that when the time comes."

Derek Jeter: "Obviously, there are story lines off the field, but you hope that you can forget about that for a few days."

Well, sorry, guys. But speaking as one of the dwindling number of people who care about baseball, and one of the microscopic number who think there's a chance they might still care after another strike, I think you'd damn well better worry about these issues. Because, frankly, I'd like to know whether I should bother watching another game or checking another box score or reading another article. Because if you can't worry about the very future of the game, why should we?