By BOB MATTHEWS
Rochester (N.Y.) Democrat and Chronicle

As The Sports World Turns: Awarding the home-field advantage in the World Series to the league winning the All-Star Game struck me as a horrible idea from the start, but the fact that the 30 Major League Baseball owners this week unanimously approved the gimmick was the clincher.

When was the last time baseball's owners collectively made a smart move?

The league winning each season's interleague competition in legitimate meaningful competition would be a much better way to determine the home-field advantage for the World Series than giving it to the winner of a one-shot exhibition game.

It is sad that baseball's braintrust had to admit that the All-Star Game needs to be made more competitive and fan- and sponsor-friendly. For the event's first 60 years or so, that wasn't a problem. But now that it is, here are three suggestions:

Establish significant financial rewards to the participating players and make it a 75-25 winner-loser split.

Reduce the size of the rosters so the best players could play more innings and managers could focus on winning the game instead of trying to figure out how to squeeze every man on the overpopulated bench into the box score.

Make it a nine-inning game. That would spare MLB from the embarrassing possibility of running out of pitchers again. The fans and media would be more inclined to accept a tie if it was part of the format.

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Classy pitcher Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez (9-3 with a 2.51 ERA in postseason play) is a Montreal Expo for now, but would anyone be shocked if he winds up back with the New York Yankees for the stretch run and playoffs? The Yankees might need a pitcher and the Expos always need money.

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Is there an anti-Montreal Expos bias in baseball Hall of Fame voting? Gary Carter needed six years to be elected and Andre Dawson didn't come close to election in his first two tries despite some exceptional credentials: one of only three players with 400 HRs and 300 stolen bases (with Willie Mays and Barry Bonds), won eight Gold Gloves and won one National League MVP award and finished second twice.

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Pete Rose's nomination this week to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame probably was no more than a publicity stunt (and a good one; who knew Canada had a baseball Hall of Fame?). This year's 46 nominees were born in Canada or played for or managed Canadian teams. Rose was born in Cincinnati and played in 95 games for the 1984 Montreal Expos without distinction (.259, 0 HRs, 23 RBI in 278 at-bats).

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Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos this week repeated his vow to fight a relocation of the Expos or any other team to Washington, D.C. or northern Virginia. He claims it would "erode" his team's fan base. Angelos should be an expert on that. During his watch, the Orioles have gone from one of the two or three most-respected organizations in the sport to an aimless laughing stock.

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Results of the Hall of Fame Veterans' Committee vote will be announced Feb. 26. It could be good news for Ron Santo and friends and family of the late Gil Hodges.