The clock in my living room said 4:58 PM. I went ahead and picked up the remote on my coffee table. Hitting the "POWER" button, I was excited to watch the greatest baseball players of all time just fifteen feet in front of my eyes. But no. The game didn't start there. As they were introducing the hall-of-famers, I had goosebumps; I was trying to imagine myself standing at Yankees Stadium for their last All-Star Game. Then again, I was steadily getting impatient because I wanted the game to start.
After 45 minutes of an opening ceremony that seemed to last 45 hours, Cliff Lee finally threw his first pitch. Foul ball. I thought to myself, "Wow this guy has an arm! No wonder he got to start for the American League!" After a 1-2-3 inning, I figured "You might as well use Lee for the whole game then!" but of course starting pitchers never go more than two innings in an All-Star Game.
The game quickly got boring at the end of the 2nd inning, when each team mustered just one hit. Nobody scored in the 3rd inning, so I thought this All-Star game was going to be boring and scoreless. I turned off my TV and decided to play some games online.
Dinner arrived, and I turned on the TV in the kitchen to watch the game. It was the bottom of the 7th inning, and the NL was leading 2-0. "How could the AL POSSIBLY get shut out by the 7th inning stretch?" I asked. Then, as I saw JD Drew hit that ball, I was thinking "Hey! Do we go from a shutout to a tied game?" Yes we did! Drew, a Red Sox player, actually TIED the game! Yankees fans were actually CHEERING a Red Sox home run!. That's something you don't see every day.
After the 7th inning, the game was tied 2-2. Miguel Tejada got on base and tried to steal second base. Dioner Navarro made one of the UGLIEST throws I’ve seen in baseball, and Tejada proceeded to third base. He then scored on a sac fly. Yet Yankees fans BLAMED Jonathan Papelbon for being overrated and allowing that run. They just blew things out of proportion and should have blamed Navarro for the crappiest throw in the game of baseball. Ok well I’m sure there have been crappier throws, BUT in an All-Star Game? If the object of catching a runner stealing is to COMPLETELY miss the second baseman/shortstop, that would have been a SPECTACULAR play.
Anyways, 3-2 going into the bottom of the 8th inning, and I figured the AL was screwed. When Sizemore got on base, I was thinking “Okay that’s just ONE base. Not like you can do that at least two more times.” But then, Sizemore STOLE second base…UNCONTESTED. I mean what the heck was up with Russell Martin? He should have AT LEAST thrown it to second in case Sizemore got injured during the run.
And when Longoria came up to the plate, I was really wondering if a ROOKIE can pull his LEAGUE back into the game. Turns out he did! And it was a ground-rule double that allowed Sizemore to score. HAD Sizemore not advanced to 2nd on the steal, he MIGHT NOT have scored. I don’t know the rule about ground-rule doubles with a runner on first base, but the only time I remember that happening was in the All-Star Game only five years ago. Andruw Jones had come onto the plate with Scott Rolen at 2nd base and teammate Rafael Furcal at 1st. Jones cracked the ball into left field, where it rolled into foul territory beyond third base. Rolen easily scored, and Furcal scored too, BUT a FAN interfered with the play! What did the umpires say? They awarded home plate to Furcal because of how fast he ran. Plus, in my opinion, that fan tried to interfere with the ball TO PREVENT FURCAL FROM SCORING. Because obviously he was an American League fan, so he tried to HELP the American League in a stupid, and not to mention ineffective, way. But other than that, I think the runner at first should go to third base. Unless if it’s INTENTIONAL FAN INTERFERENCE, then the call HAS to favor the visiting team. Home-field advantage SHOULDN’T give you that advantage either.
Anyways back to the game, the steal by Sizemore was CRUCIAL because the batter after Longoria got out.
After the 8th inning, the game was tied at 3. After a top of the 9th that saw Francisco Rodriguez get 1 out, and Mariano Rivera get the last two, it was the bottom of the 9th. At the rate the AL scored, I was SURE they could get at least ONE run. When JD Drew came up to the plate again, I was thinking “if he hits another home run, he’s automatically MVP.” But nope. He struck out looking on a full count. Extra innings for the first time since the infamous 2002 All-Star Game!
As extra innings proceeded, I was thinking that virtually ANYBODY could be MVP, even if they hadn’t done anything beforehand. I mean, Michael Young was MVP in the 2006 All-Star Game, and all he did was drive in 2 runs in one at-bat. Ichiro Suzuki was MVP in the 2007 All-Star Game, and all he did was hit an inside-the-park home run (his two other hits in that game were meaningless). If anybody hits the game-winning home run in extra innings, HE’S the MVP.
In the top of the 10th inning, Rivera got into trouble, but managed to squeeze out of it after Dan Uggla GIDPed, almost beating the throw to Morneau. Then, Uggla, or should I say Uggly, made two ugly errors to help load the bases for the AL. The clock at Yankee Stadium said 12:00, and the AL was just 90 feet away from winning their 12th All-Star Game in a row (NOT counting the infamous 2002 game). After Aaron Cook intentionally walked an AL batter to load the bases with NO outs, I figured that would be the DUMBEST decision in a baseball game. Well turns out it was one of the SMARTEST because of the two force-outs at home. Then, Tejada, falling down, made an UNBELIEVABLE throw to Gonzales that reminded me a little bit of Tadahito Iguchi.
It was the 11th inning. NL failed to score, and the AL was threatening AGAIN. Ian Kinsler got on base and tried to steal second, but was called out. Kinsler didn’t agree, and neither did instant replay as it showed Tejada COMPLETELY missing the tag. How crucial would it be? VERY crucial for the NL. Dioner Navarro, not good at running, made it to second base, and Michael Young tried to drive him in. However, Nate McLouth managed to throw out Navarro at the plate, even though it looked VERY close. From my standpoint, it looked like Martin applied the tag after Navarro’s foot touched home plate. BUT it wouldn’t have mattered had Kinsler’s call been safe at second cause then Kinsler would easily have scored the game-winning run. So then we go to the 12th inning!
After SO many more chances, and SO many missed opportunities, I actually decided to write down a list of players who COULD win MVP:
For the NL: Aaron Cook and his three AMAZING innings. Adrian Gonzales for his sac fly and excellent fielding during the 10th inning. Russell Martin for his great plays at home plate (including the tag on Navarro). Nate McLouth with that great throw to home plate. Miguel Tejada with that unbelievable play to save the game.
For the AL: Evan Longoria the rookie coming through in the clutch with an RBI. JD Drew with his 2-run home run to get the AL back in the game. Sizemore with the Stolen Base and the game-tying run. Carlos Guillen hit a double in the 12th inning. HE could have been MVP…too bad his shot ricocheted off the wall, and nobody drove him home. Navarro was involved in a “strike ‘em out throw ‘em out” double play to end the top of the 9th inning with that great throw across the diamond to catch Cristian Guzman stealing second base. Ian Kinsler could have been a good candidate as well…if not for the umpire who called him out at second.
So the clock struck 1:00 at Yankee Stadium, and the game was still going on! I wondered when this game will end! At the time, JD Drew was facing a full count. I was thinking home run. Uggla was thinking ugly error. His THIRD error of the game, and he easily should have had that. Luckily, for Uggla, AGAIN, the NL pitching bails him out.
There were some other interesting parts of the game that I took note of. Uggla also missed a tag on second base when an AL player tried to steal second base. After Guillen struck out to end an inning, I heard him say the F-word really loudly. Nate McLouth and Russell Marin ALMOST hit home runs to lift the NL ahead (I thought McLouth’s shot was out of the park for sure). Sherill of the Orioles had the longest pitching performance of his season: 2 innings…and in the All-Star Game. Not something you see every year.
When Scott Kazmir came in, I figured “He is the AL’s last hope. Their last resort. If he can’t come through in the clutch, the AL is officially screwed.” After having thrown 104 pitches on Sunday, Kazmir managed to get out of the top of the 15th inning quite easily. Then, Brad Lidge came in.
First batter hit the ball into left field. Did it drop in? NO A WEB GEM NOMINEE BY RYAN LUDWICK! And to do that in an All-Star Game! Wow! Amazing catch! Had he not made the catch it probably would have been a walk-off-inside-the-park-home-run for the AL!
The clock at Yankee Stadium said 1:34. JD Drew was facing a 1-1 count against Lidge. Lidge then walked Drew.
Managing to get RISP, the AL had ANOTHER chance to win. Stepping up to the plate was Michael Young. Of all players, Michael Young. Usually, I root for the NL, but in 2006, I rooted for the AL because of an AP Statistics project. My partner (who currently attends HARVARD) and I decided to analyze baseball batting averages for each league. At the time, the Toronto Maple Leafs…err…Toronto Blue Jays had the best batting average in baseball. And we calculated a Type I error of only 1.7%, which indicated a SIGNIFICANT difference in batting averages explained by the presence of a DH. We predicted an American League victory in the All-Star game. And the AL did win…only because Michael Young was Clutch and Trevor Hoffman sucked. Had the NL won that game with their two runs from Mets players, I probably would NOT have followed baseball AT ALL anymore. BUT the AL, with the draconian-style managing of Ozzie Guillen, won, and that’s all that mattered.
This year, I rooted for the AL to win because I made a bet on a sports application on facebook that the American League would win. I had already lost 100,000 chips on the Wimbledon Final, and I wasn’t going to lose another 100,000 on the All-Star Game. And yes, I know it’s fake chips, but they could be used to purchase tickets for raffles the application has every now and then.
Anyways, when Michael Young hit that ball into right field, I figured the game was going to be over. When Morneau tagged up from third base, my eyes were STRICTLY glued to the baseball until I saw home plate. Then, McCann just missed the tag on Morneau, and the AL finally won the marathon 4-3 after having been tied or trailed the ENTIRE 290 MINUTES OF THE GAME. Crazy ending to a crazy game huh? Michael Young’s celebrations at the end weren't indicative of it.
The two years I wanted the AL to win were the two years Michael Young delivered the game-winning run. First, the two-run triple off Hoffman when his LEAGUE was down to their last strike of the game, and now the Sac Fly in the 15-inning marathon. When the umpire called Morneau safe at home, Francona acted as if he won the World Series just 8 months after that feat.
I had been talking to Jon on AIM at the start of the 15th inning discussing my thoughts about the game so far. Before we parted, I told him that I predicted JD Drew to get MVP honors for his 2-run home run and other parts that didn’t really play a factor in the game (except for the walk in the 15th inning).
Then, the MVP ceremony was on TV. I saw a Red Sox player. Is that Drew? Or is that Pedroia just like how RedSoxStillRock08 predicted BEFORE the game? Nope. It was Drew all right! And I was right in predicting the MVP!
Other notable things I noticed:
After the game, I saw a commercial for some fruit drink, and it featured some Diamondback players. I saw JD Drew wearing number 6 for the Diamondbacks in that commercial! What??? The player who just won MVP honors for the American League in the midsummer classic is featured on a National League team in a commercial??? My mind must be driving me nuts! Also, the SAME commercials were being played 2-3 times since I started to watch in the bottom of the 7th. Lou Pinella’s commercial with Aquafina was hilarious, yet illogical. I also grew tired of the overplayed classical music that kept playing after each half of the inning. They should have used something like NHL on NBC that exhibits drama and tension.
Anyways that was the 2008 MLB All-Star Game from my perspective. The National League came oh-so-close each of their last three years, and they came oh-so-short. But I believe they will win the 2009 All-Star Game in St. Louis simply because they’re DYING to win a game.
On another note, Bud Selig and future All-Star managers may want to change the gameplay of future All-Star Games. Either get more players or allow teams to reuse players who have already played. Let's not have another heart-stomping All-Star Game where managers are worried about not only playing EVERYBODY, but exhausting the reserves.
Today is Black Wednesday, a day when there are no MLB events on TV, and one of two days when there are no scores to display on ESPN's bottom-line to recap the day in sports. However, there WAS a AAA All-Star Game today, in which the Pacific Coast League defeated the International League by a score of 6 to 5.
Posts
