Every MLB team gets at least one All-Star, even teams horrifically tanking and actively trying to drive away fans in a "Major League"-style scheme. The Oakland A's apparently view their lone All-Star, pitcher Paul Blackburn, in that perfunctory spirit.
When the A's wrapped up their last-place first half in Houston with a 5-3 win on Sunday, they apparently let their players scatter to the winds for the All-Star break. That includes Blackburn, who had to get to Los Angeles for the actual All-Star Game. Antioch's Blackburn was set to fly commercial to the highest honor of his professional career when the hated Astros stepped in.