I was listening to sports talk radio tonight driving back to the hotel after the All Star Game. I heard to hosts talking about how boring the game was. How it needed to change. How stupid it is to have so many players on each team.

I didn't think it was boring. I thought it was fascinating. There were so many stories to cover. So many people made an impression. Here are some of my thoughts.

Justin Verlander tried to throw the ball through the brick wall. On the ultimate national stage, Verlander wasn't content to throw in the mid-90's or use his secondary pitches. He wanted to-no, he needed to throw 100 MPH. He did. And it was straight as an arrow. I thought he looked nervous. Uncomfortable. He pitched as if he had never been on the biggest stage before tonight. It was a much worse showing than the hits he permitted. Rather, it was a bad performance. Period. He didn't have command. He threw cookies over the plate and got hit. Hard.

Melky Cabrera has proven himself to be a professional hitter. He has shown that last year was not a fluke. He has hit in the American League and now he is hitting in the National League. The real mistake was made by the New York Yankees. They traded a young player before he was ready to play. They traded a young player before it was necessary. So did the Kansas City Royals. They traded him for left hander Jonathan Sanchez. The Giants were going to cut Sanchez. Non-tender him. They offered Sanchez around and got one--that's 1 taker. That was the Giants. The rest is history. Cabrera is a league hitting leader.

Pablo Sandoval showed how valuable he can be. He showed that he's a player the team can depend upon down the stretch. Sandoval and Cabrera form a one-two punch that will drive in some runs. Add some pitching to that, which they have, and the Giants will be tough to beat.

Mike Trout got a hit in his first at-bat in an All Star game. And then he stole a base. He's an amazing, mature talent. In an interview before the game I asked Trout who was faster, Peter Bourjos or himself. I said, "What do you do home to first?" His answer? "Run." And then he laughed. He knew what I meant. He said he can run at 3.5. He said Bourjos can beat him around the bases, but not home to first.

Bryce Harper was with Trout in the interview room. He said he and Trout were like Bird and Magic.

Cole Hamels looked really tough to hit tonight. His stock soared.

Greg Kimbrel threw 100 and was upstaged by Aroldis Chapman who threw 101. But Kimbrel threw strikes. Chapman threw strikes and balls and more balls. But his arm is really alive again. The zip is back and he looks like he's pitching pain free.

Balls hit in the air died. The atmosphere was such that nothing really flew. And at dusk, Harper lost a ball in the lights. He threw his hands in the air when he lost it.

David Price's cutter is one great pitch. He has this nice, easy delivery and then he throws down the hammer. Just a solid pitcher.

Ryan Braun took a pitch to the opposite field with great ease. He has the ability to use his strong wrists and his great hand-eye coordination as assets. His bat is really quick.

2000 media credentials were issued. The press box was packed. It was tough to see the game. I stood in front of the windows and watched as I was tweeting away. It was festive. Good food (the same as the other two nights) and plenty of good conversation among colleagues.

Kansas City has a beautiful ball park. They have the clearest Jumbotron I've ever seen. They also have miles of lower level tunnels where the media was sent to do interviews and meet the players. It was a confusing maze, but the staff did a great job helping everyone navigate the scene.

The crown mowed in to the grass in center field was really awesome. I don't know how it showed on TV but it was really a neat piece of work.

The press pin had a royal crown at the top. Pretty cool.

I really didn't hear the pre-game entertainment.

Joe Mauer is going to have an amazing second half. I just have a hunch about that. He's centering the ball very well. I see some doubles in his future. Not many homers, but some doubles. And a Mauer type batting average. He looks healthy to me.

You want speed? Not only Trout. How about Jose Altuve. He can really fly. I like the guy a great deal.

Classy move by Ian Kinsler regarding the ground ball hit by Chipper Jones that turned in to a hit. I saw what he did. I respect it. Chipper leaves his career with a hit in his last at-bat in an All Star Game.

Losing home field advantage for the 3rd time could once again doom Texas if they get to the World Series. That's why this game was so huge.

So now All Star Week is over. I'm exhausted but it was great. I prefer the Futures Game to any of the events. I didn't like the Home Run Derby.
I didn't like Cano getting booed. I didn't like all the pitches the hitter's took. I didn't like how long the whole thing took. I didn't like that it went on and on and on. Here's what I would do to make the event better-

Appoint a home town player and add 3 others via the Captain system.
Put a clock on the hitter. He gets a total of X minutes or X number of pitches. Once his clock or his number of pitches run out, he's done. The way it is now is too open ended.

Games begin again on Friday. Hope all is well with your teams.

Follow me on twitter @BerniePleskoff