Seattle. The 72nd Major League Baseball All-Star game is over. Anyone who thought the game was still the important part of the evening, as important as when Ted Williams hit a home run that won the 1941 game, need wonder no more.

In the middle of the game, MLB Commissioner Bud Selig took to the field for a 15-minute presentation to Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gwynn, both of whom will retire at the end of the season. They received awards for their service to the game. The awards were most warranted, the timing most interesting.

In the wake of discussions about making the game more meaningful, this is a reminder that MLB knows it isn’t.

The first player rule of the all-star game is “don’t get hurt.” The second rule is “don’t hurt someone else.” Both rules are appropriate in light of the player’s need to be ready for the second half of the season, especially if their team is in the playoff hunt.

When Williams hit his home run to win the game in Detroit, Joe DiMaggio was on base. Two points to consider as to how the All-Star Game has changed:

One, Williams would write in his book after retirement that the 1941 home run was the greatest thrill of his career.

Two, that home run was hit in the ninth inning and Williams and DiMaggio were still in the game.

That will not happen now. There are not starters left in the ninth inning of an all-star game. Not that that’s bad, things change.

Riding to the ballpark the day of the game to introduce former pitcher Rollie Fingers and Hall-of-Famer Brooks Robinson at a private business gathering, Fingers said to me, “After I pitched in the 1974 World Series, I went straight home and back to work for Sears and Roebuck stocking shelves. We were making $15,000 a season then, you had to work another job.”

Nobody from last year’s World Series went to work anywhere, much less stocking shelves.

Bob Gibson, one of the greatest pitchers in the game’s history, appears at autograph sessions during all-star week as often as he can. The money is real good. Does the massive increase in player salaries help the retired players and their pension plans?

“We get cost of living increases,” said Gibson, “that’s it. None of the increases since I played have had any effect on my pension.”

There is no bitterness. That’s the way it is and he doesn’t begrudge the current players their dollars.

Former Red Sox slugger Jim Rice is in Seattle. Like many former players he attends private luncheons and meetings for a fee. Hall-of-Famers are seen running from one session to another. The “HOF” next to their name means a dramatic increase in fees.

Collectors lurk on every corner, hoping to catch a player. They have bags of balls, bats and pictures. They sneak into the private functions. They know the players’ signing schedules better than the players.

Ted Williams didn’t have to deal with such distractions in 1941. He was more concerned with hitting home runs – meaningful home runs.

Old Town native Gary Thorne is an ESPN and NBC sportscaster.