At Yankee Stadium July 15th.

The starters:

American League Pos. Player Team
C Joe Mauer Twins
1B Kevin Youkilis Red Sox
2B Dustin Pedroia Red Sox
SS Derek Jeter Yankees
3B Alex Rodriguez Yankees
OF Josh Hamilton Rangers
OF Manny Ramirez Red Sox
OF Ichiro Suzuki Mariners
DH David Ortiz* Red Sox
*injured, will be replaced by the Rangers' Milton Bradley.

National League Pos. Player Team
C Geovany Soto Cubs
1B Lance Berkman Astros
2B Chase Utley Phillies
SS Hanley Ramirez Marlins
3B Chipper Jones Braves
OF Ryan Braun Brewers
OF Alfonso Soriano Cubs
OF Kosuke Fukudome Cubs

A-Rod had the most votes overall. Utley led the NL in votes.

AL Pitchers and Reserves:

Pitchers Pos Player
P Justin Duchscherer, OAK
P Roy Halladay, TOR
P Scott Kazmir, TB
P Cliff Lee, CLE
P Joe Nathan, MIN
P Jonathan Papelbon, BOS
P Mariano Rivera, NYY
P Francisco Rodriguez, LAA
P Ervin Santana, LAA
P Joe Saunders, LAA
P George Sherrill, BAL
P Joakim Soria, KC

Reserves Pos Player
C Dioner Navarro, TB
C Jason Varitek, BOS
1B Justin Morneau, MIN
2B Ian Kinsler, TEX
SS Michael Young, TEX
3B Joe Crede, CWS
3B Carlos Guillen, DET
OF J.D. Drew, BOS
OF Carlos Quentin, CWS
OF Grady Sizemore, CLE

NL Pitchers and Reserves:

Pitchers Pos Player
P Aaron Cook, COL
P Ryan Dempster, CHC
P Dan Haren, ARI
P Brad Lidge, PHI
P Tim Lincecum, SF
P Ben Sheets, MIL
P Edinson Volquez, CIN
P Billy Wagner, NYM
P Brandon Webb, ARI
P Brian Wilson, SF
P Kerry Wood, CHC
P Carlos Zambrano, CHC

Reserves Pos Player
C Russell Martin, LA
C Brian McCann, ATL
1B Adrian Gonzalez, SD
1B Albert Pujols, STL
2B Dan Uggla, FLA
3B Aramis Ramirez, CHC
SS Cristian Guzman, WAS
SS Miguel Tejada, HOU
OF Matt Holliday, COL
OF Ryan Ludwick, STL
OF Nate McLouth, PIT

Final Vote Candidates (one per league will be chosen in online voting):

AL nominees are outfielder Jermaine Dye of the White Sox, first baseman Jason Giambi of the Yankees, outfielder Jose Guillen of the Royals, Evan Longoria of the Rays and second baseman Brian Roberts of the Orioles.

NL nominees are outfielder Pat Burrell of the Phillies, outfielder Corey Hart of the Brewers, outfielder Carlos Lee of the Astros, outfielder Aaron Rowand of the Giants and third baseman David Wright of the Mets.

I was listing to the Blue Jays' pre-game on radio (the Jays have only 1 All Star... W's man Roy Halladay), and they were noting how, despite having the best record in the Majors (54-32), the Rays have only 2 All Stars: Scott Kazmir and Dionner Navarro. Are they doing it with mirrors?

Other top teams, such as Boston (52-38) and the Cubs (52-36) have 7 All Stars each.

Even Texas, barely over .500 (45-43) has 4 All Stars.

Jason Varitek? Really? A .219 BA, 7 HRs and 27 RBI?

Is there any truth to the rumor that Madonna and Lenny Kravitz will team up to perform the national anthem?

George, you are right, his numbers are not All Star worthy...however, he's the best catcher out there, and calls a game better than any other catcher.

This is not in any way measurable, so Sawx fans love to say it. A laughable reserve pick by the players, the only group less capable than the fans of judging All-Stars.

Cub fans are the new Yankee fans as far as ballot stuffing goes... Soto is a defensible pick (tho McCann is far more established), but Fukudome and Soriano as starters is a joke.

The clear choices for the "last" spots are Roberts and Wright.

I'm sorry Mr. W sir...but can you tell me the name of a catcher besides Jason Varitek who has called a good enough game to catch TWO NO HITTERS since the last All Star Game?

No, you can't.

lol at giving catchers most of the credit for no-hitters. Absurd.

If it makes you feel better, Mike Young deserves to start over Jeter.

Obviously the pitcher deserves alot of credit for throwing a no hitter, that goes without saying dumbass.

But it's completely ignorant for you to even think that Tek had nothing to do with them. ANY pitcher will tell you how important the catchers calls are. That is why Tek is in the select group of catching FOUR no hitters over his entire career. How many others have that? There are az few, and they are great.

Oh, and BTW....If Curt Schilling didn't shake off ONE PITCH that Tek called for....It would be five no hitters.

But why am I arguing with someone who actually defends Barry Bonds?

Varitek isn't having an All-Star-worthy season. It doesn't matter what he's done in the past. He shouldn't be on the roster this year.

Is it just because I am an adult, but I remember as a kid being SOOO excited about the All-Star Game and that it was such a special night in our house to stay up and watch the game...

Now, it just seems to have lost its luster.

You're right Joe, although he has done great overall, it shouldn't have merit. But what should is what he has donw since the last All Star Game, and in that time period he has caught two no hitters.

Now, his batting numbers don't lie....they're pretty piss poor and he's in a big slump there. But apparently his skills behind the plate overtake the fact that in the batters box, he's falling downhill. I'm not saying it's right, I'm just stating fact. It's why Manny gets away with all the shit he does. He's a good hitter. And because of that he's touted as a great baseball player, which he isn't, he's only a great hitter...not an all around player.

So, it's been happening with other players, Let it happen to Varitek.

You Sawx fans must learn the same script; who writes it?

That David Wright has to get a vote for "the last spot" while a no-hit catcher makes it is ridiculous. (Sorry -- offense is way more important than defense, individually. Look at the Hall of Fame membership rolls.)

Honey, I love you more than my Tumi luggage, but I completely disagree. I see the All-Star Game as being a reward for performance in the first half of the season. Varitek is arguably the 8th to 10th best catcher in the AL thus far this season. As for defense or pitch calling, I think 98% of the credit for no-hitters go to the pitcher; the catcher is but a vessel. On defense.....well, nobody ever intentionally used the words Varitek and defense in the same sentence. On the bright side, it'll be someone else the Yankee fans in attendance can boo.

varitek and his .215 BA in the all-star is a joke.

wagner who blew 6 saves, and almost blew another one last night, in the all-star is a joke.

ryan dumpster in the all-star is a joke.

the comparison with manny is a little off-base. manny's an elite player and hall of fame bound.

if wright's not good enough to be an all-star starter, i'd rather he stay home. what's good about being an all-star reserve? weak.

MM, I have no idea what Tumi luggage is....but if you love me more than you love Tasty Cakes, then I know that's HUGE

Anytime I've seen a pitcher talk about pitching in general, especially during a low hit/no hit game, they always say how essential the catcher was with the calls, and they always say they were a big help. And I've never heard a pitcher speak negatively about Tek behind the plate...So that's where I got my line of thinking of the importance of a catcher...I've heard it all the time from different pitchers.

most pitchers say that to all catchers anyway.

The All-Star reserves often play longer than the starter, and Larry "Lucky to Make It to 502 Plate Appearances" Jones certainly will need to be spelled.

So we're going to choose All-Stars based on what people SAY? Apparently Varitek got in through some weird runner-up total in the player vote anyway. Even though the game COUNTS (have you noticed a couple NL teams have won the WS without "crucial" home-field advantage?), it's still played like an exhibition.

Arguing that catching no-hitters should be a factor in All-Star status is like saying Don Larsen should be in the Hall of Fame for his WS perfect game.

Tek was voted into the game, by the players...I think that speak volumes. The amount of skill, control, and respect he has behind the plate completely overshadows the fact that the is in a slump right now. There has been numerous times throughout the ASG history where players have made it simply for who they are. With Varitek, an argument can be made as to why he is there.

It just shows that players vote for their favorites or their friends or whatever, just the way fans do.

Besides Varitek's subpar hitting, he's only thrown out 19.6 percent of base stealers. Of the catchers in the AL who have played in at least 45 games (because every team after today will have played at least 90), there are 12 with higher caught stealing percentages than Varitek. A total of 13 catchers have caught more runners than Varitek's 9. There have been 37 stolen bases against Varitek (he's tied with Kurt Suzuki and Jeff Mathis, but Suzuki's thrown out 21 runners and Mathis 14). Only two catchers -- AJ Pierzynski (62) and Ramon Hernandez (60) have had more runners steal bases, but even Hernandez has a higher CS%.

My feelings about the problems with the All-Star game are somewhat expressed in this column. It's now a bunch of gimmicks. Fan voting (which is all I've ever known since I started following baseball) probably started it. Then, requiring one player from every team, the "winner gets home advantage for the World Series," expanding paper ballots to online voting, the "Final Vote" for the last player on each team, the players and MLB office combining with the All-Star managers for adding backups, etc.

The All-Star game is pretty meaningless to me now. I remember when I was a kid I wanted to punch out the ballots like crazy. I was excited that one of my older brothers, who had a partial season ticket plan, took me to the 1976 ASG at the Vet.

Now, I can't be bothered to punch out ballots. The ushers pass them out at the games and I pass them down the aisle without taking any, and I don't bother voting online either. I hardly even watch the game.

As long as it isn't Roseanne Barr

Final Vote winners: Corey Hart of Milwaukee (will he wear his sunglasses at night?) and, in a shocker, Desperate Housewives star Eva Longoria Parker...no, wait, it's Evan Longoria of Tampa Bay.

Matt Holliday is replacing Alfonso Soriano in the NL starting lineup, so the NL has one more player to choose.

Who had better be Wright. (Looks like Milwaukee has the best ballot-box stuffers.)

JiP is right, the ASG is all sizzle and no steak. Still played like an exhibition, and yet taken less seriously than it was in the '70s.

Same here. I don't remember the last time I voted, because I've always felt it represented the organization that did the best job of getting its fans to stuff the ballot boxes. It's probably ten years since I watched the game itself. The only thing I still do is watch the pre-game introductions and ceremonies, which I do because I like ceremony, and because I wanna see which players are hot.

David Wright was named as the roster replacement for Soriano.

I haven't watched the game in years but I got free tickets to actually go, so I guess I may as well!

Did you get one for me?

I am bemused at the hoopla around the HR Derby every year by the media which kvells year-round over "performance-enhancing" drugs.

But I'll be watching tonight for GRADY SIZEMORE CLOSEUPS. (Probably on mute; do not want Chris Berman.)

i'm not interested in the HR derby, but i'll probably look for josh hamilton closeups.

josh hamilton is awesome.

Holy shit, Josh Hamilton just tore Yankee Stadium a new a-hole.

Josh really stole the show with a record 28 homeruns in the first round. He didn't even need the second round, but as has happened in the past too many swings in the early rounds can lead to fatigue in the finals. Even with the crowd on their feet, Josh could not surpass Justin Morneau's 5 homeruns in the finals.

...and, after seeing their prefabricated storyline ruined, ESPN pretended he won the thing anyway!

Apparently it was Hack Sportswriter Rick Reilly who yelped at a Hamilton blast, "It's a lousy night to be an atheist." Gee, I guess Morneau must be born-again too.

Nice shot of a Stankee security guard with his hands around the neck of a fleeing interloper in the black batter's eye section, which ESPN swiftly cut away from. Don't they recognize a signature Yankee Stadium moment when they see it?

awesome, just awesome

http://youtube.com/watch?v=aLGzDCBzGAc

lol chase.

i saw you at the parade. you were hot.



damn, all of them were HOT, including all-star bear kevin youk!

Terrific seeing all those Hall of Famers. Reminds you what's great about the game of baseball.

I turned off the pre-game parade at 7:05. Then I got a call from Falconpride asking if I wanted to go to karaoke. So I did. I just got home and find that the game just ended a couple of minutes ago!?!?!

Oh, and the NL lost. Quelle surprise.

As distracted as I got watching the forms of Matt Holliday, Dan Uggla, Evan Longoria, and all the other incredibly hot displays of raw masculinity, there was one lingering question that I'm hoping someone can answer for me.

When they introduced all of the Hall of Famers in their respected positions, does anyone know why Nolan Ryan was not included?

And what about Clemens? Sorry, dumb joke

Actually, seriuosly....when Josh Hamilton ran out to position, why did ignorant Willie Mays not even acknowledge him?

I think Clemens has about as much chance of making it to the Hall as Bonds!

Wasn't it Mays who didn't even acknowledge the crowd when they called his name? And yet Willie McCovey stood himself up in his wheelchair to acknowledge the cheers and the moment. Now that's some class!

I enjoyed seeing George Brett and Cal Ripken, Jr. I forgot how attractive some of these former players were (and still are).



It took you over an hour to get home? Geez...sorry dude. It was totally worth it to hear you sing Madonna and Steve Winwood's "Higher Love". I could have listened to the chorus for hours.

I think we're tied in our "Key West Idol" competition.



Don't be hating on my crush!

Actually, Clemens might have a snowball's chance in hell of making it to the Hall. Bonds has as much of a chance as I do of making Temple's football team.

Corey f***ing Hart caught that sac fly totally off-balance. THANX, MILWAUKEE 'FINAL VOTE' FANS! I was rooting SO hard for Tie #2, certainly to make Francona pay for selecting SIX closers, the most overrated players in the game...

I laughed hard at Satanbrenner crying like a grandma. (also at NY columnists today griping that it didn't come off like the Ted Williams Moment)

This was my 38th Star-watching experience, so of course I saw all the good stuff in the 9th-15th cuz I slept through the middle-innings crap (ie Wagner & Papelbon; see overrated, above).

What a bravura Russ Martin block of home.

Dan UGG-LY.

As far as Nolan Ryan's absence from the ceremonies goes, why single out him? Lots of other HOFers weren't there (Tom Seaver, Joe Morgan).

And to the major thinkers above, they should blow up the Hall of Fame if Bonds and Clemens don't get in.

OK Joe, next gathering, I want to see you sing






HAHAHHHAAAAHHHHAAAAA!

Thanks for giving me a nice morning laugh

I'm sure you get lotsa laughs at the home.

Not really, these crazy people don't have much of a sense of humor.

So, are watching Game 1 of the WS from Fenway?

Actually, I agree that Bonds and Clemens should get in the HOF. They were in that class when they were clean....unlike Mark McGwire, Rafael Palmero etc.

Other thoughts....

What the hell was Wade Boggs doing with a Yankee hat? Sellout!

Great to see the tricolored "M" of the Expos worn by Gary Carter.

Yep, the more I see Willie Mays, the more I see why Barry Bonds is the way he is.

Only made it thru the ninth. Guess i missed the good stuff.

I'm currently reading the Barry Bonds biography, "Love Me, Hate Me: Barry Bonds and the Making of an Antihero" by Jeff Pearlman. Mays is a part of the reason Barry Bonds is the way he is, but Bobby Bonds is, naturally, more of a factor.



Show up in...wherever...on...whenever...and make sure there's a karaoke night and booze.

Willie Mays is fine the way he is.

Montreal can keep Gary Carter after his classless lobbying for the Mets' managerial job (like that would ever happen).

I noticed Tom Seaver and Nolan Ryan were missing, too. Hard to believe they could have had "other commitments" they couldn't re-schedule. Especially Ryan - isn't he essentially running the Texas Rangers nowadays?

I tuned out after the first pitch - the game just means nothing to me now, whereas when I was a kid I looked forward to it for weeks.

Seaver is fairly passionate about his new profession of winemaking, and I bet he chose to stay at his California home this week in favor of attending a more personally significant event at the end of September in New York: ceremonies at the last regular-season game at his former office, Shea Stadium.

Apparently JD Drew would've been Francona's next pitcher last night, with Kazmir moving to the outfield!