I say AL takes it. 5-3. Mo with the save.

I predict at least one All Star, likely a pitcher, will sustain a serious injury, leading to the (re)awakening of the debate over in-season "exhibitions".

National League will be on the verge of winning, when suddenly.... ARod and Kate Hudson put out word that they're about to announce their engagement on ESPN. The stadium empties, as the baseball world's attention is drawn to the World Wide Leader. Not enough players remain to finish the game. Bud declares the game a tie, and announces he will officiate ARod's wedding, and that Scott Boras will give the groom away.

Remember, this time it counts, bitches.

Howard is gonna do something

it might be a walkoff grannie or it might be tearing his ACL...but something

Here's a question for you .... if Pete Rose wiped out Ray Fosse in the 2009 ASG, would Selig suspend Rose?

(snark alert)

That flag is made in China.

(end snark alert)

[3] oh, and Manny Ramirez will announce his engagement to Selena Roberts...

but nobody will notice.

[5] Gritty play, no suspension!

I throw down the gauntlet (sp?): The Yankees must do everything possible to trade for Roy Halladay. A staff of Doc, CC, AJ, Andy and Phil would bring us a championship..the team is very close, but bringing in a killer like Doc would put us over the edge.

Joba, Melky, A-Jax and cash for Doc & Vernon Wells...Jays get two MLB ready players + a solid prospect, they dump Well's awful contract and save millions..

fox doesn't want to show that someone other than gwb can throw a ball all the way from the mound to home plate

[2] prolly be halladay swingin' the bat or runnin' the bases...

Ichiro singled? i'm shocked!

there goes the no-hitter ...

over/under on Cap'n grounding into a DP?!

OH NOOOO!!!

that sounded bad. real bad. : (

Lincecum is Mitch Kramer from Dazed and Confused. And after the drilling of Jete, he needs a definite paddling.

[8] yeah, but then we'd be stuck w/ Vernon's massive contract and recent suckitude. plus, Doc's right-handed and older than Johan. plus, the Blow Jays aren't giving time for an extension...

Mauer's gonna go yard here...

[14]

I was only kidding in [2], really!

[17] and by yard, he listened to me literally - the ball went three feet!!! ; )

Who's Doc gonna plunk to avenge his new shortstop?

that was "teh" awesome!

[18] if he's hurt, it's on YOU!!! ; )

It's plays like that that prove the A.L is superior and the N.L. will continue their downward spiral. : )

error by the Great Pujols?!?!

i hate skinny kids with long hair! ; )

did hamilton really just DIVE into first??? he must like Melky...

[24] Hey! That hurts...

[26] are you skinny w/ long-hair, too?! i sure am...

i love this Hanley kid. i hope he stays relatively healthy and has a loooong career.

[27] skinnyish, but me lady made me cut my hair recently.."if you can't take care of it properely, you can't have it" etc etc..still mid-length though, thankfully I am no longer at Monolith Japanese Company Inc., so I can dress and look casual now!

ARod didn't even make it as the backup 3Bman? Who got that spot?

how do tim mccarver, joe morgan, steve phillips, eric young, buck martinez and fernando vina have jobs in MLB?!?! : /

Angels hot to trot for Halladay By BOB ELLIOTT, SUN MEDIA
... thinks the Yanks are #2 in the Halliday competition.

ANGELS 5-2
YANKEES 3-1
Yankees may be a third-place team, according to one scout who saw them in Anahiem. They need a starter and are looking at Ian Snell of the Pirates. Yanks could move Phil Hughes, plus prospects.
CARDINALS 9-2
PHILLIES 4-1

[30] One of the Obama girls. Who's ARod?

[29] that's awesome! no girl can ever make me cut my hair! i understand about cleaning it up though. mine's approaching my waist, but i need to cut a good 6 inches...very soon! i cut over a foot a few years ago and donated it to Locks of Love. GREAT cause, and it was a mitzvah, but i can't cut that much again - too traumatic!

yeah, at my advanced age, it's becoming "skinny-ISH", as opposed to rail thin. i recently broke 140 lbs, for the first time ever!!! : (

[31] THAT'S the announcing team tonight?? yuck..

[35] no, it's t-mac w/ joe buck. just made me think of the other crapitude on the air for MLB...

I wish baseball was pure again .... no turf .... no dh ... no roids ... no greenies ...

sigh

[37] but before there were no greenies, there were...

no blacks, no latinos, no japanese players.

then again, there was no tim mccarver and THAT is a time i'd like to visit! ; )

[35] Jazz Tokyo - going back to the earlier Thurman thread of the day...

REG-GIE, was - and still is - HUGE in my house. but Reggie was my older brothers' guy and i needed to have one of my own. Thurman was my captain, he was involved in all the plays, so he was there on all the pitches and on my tv screen in queens (Far Rockaway) and i guess i dug his fu-manchu-like 'stache.

we had an awesome Reg-gie poster hanging in our room and i had a GREAT Reggie t-shirt, but Thurman was my first idol. i always loved him and emulated his corkscrew swing from a VERY early age, but i never idolized him.

Obama speaks beautifully. he's an orator.

that broken bat sounded really weird...

T-Mac is a MORON. just said Victorino is the FIRST position player to come out of Hawaii. um, no. come on down, Benny Agbayani!!!

ooh, that was messy!

and i'm talkin' to myself again... : ~

Prince Fielder, is at least TWO of me!

[39] That's great, I had a Reggie poster too, and of course many Reggie-bars..I remember my aunt bying me a picture of him in an Angels uniform..it just wans't the same though..

[41] Benny plays here with Bobby V! He's very popular with the fans.

[44] i don't like caramel, but the 2nd carnation of Reggie bars freaking RULED!!! i bought them by the box in the mid-90's. i wish they still made 'em...

[45] i knew Benny was in Japan!

ugh, how in the hell did Angel Hernandez draw an All-Star invitation??? he's a terrible umpire!!!

[41] And what about Mike Lum? Is outfielder not a position player?

[47] wow, good call! yeah, Timmay said there have been 3 pitchers from Hawaii but Victorino was the first ever position player. of course, no one corrected him. ugh. : /

[47.48] Whatever happened to El Sid? Did he return to Hawaii??

nice inning for buehrle, with assistance from jetes and tex. beuhrle for 300? he's a long ways off, but i guess he's got a shot...

[48] Maybe he meant Hawaiian players who've been all-stars?

juuuuust a bit outside!

[51] i guess it could be, but he didn't specify All-Stars. ah, who knows - either way, mccarver's still an idiot! : )

[52] is Uecker there?? I miss that guy! Still hard to believe he was on Mr. Belvedere...

This has really been a very lackluster allstar week

wow, lotsa late minute break on that pitch!

[54] mr. belvedere! hard to believe i used to watch that show... nope, don't think he's there. i posted that comment when Haren threw one about 40 feet wide of the catcher...

[55] true. but it's better than NO baseball at all! : )

i HATE the fact that the winner of this exhibition game determines home field advantage for the World Serious. that is total garbage....

i dig Carl Crawford, too. wish his 25-homer power potential would've come to fruition, but it never materialized. he won't end up in "my" 300-300 club. oh well...

[57] man, we ALL watched some bad tv back in the days...i remember loving Fantasy Island as a kid..watch an espisode now, it's apalling..

[58] would be cool if they then played the game seriously..

That Utley play was sweet.

Jete's all the way around!

tie game.

[61] yes, it was.

Jeter with two runs scored. Time to start flooding the Allstar MVP balloting

damn.

defense in this game!

Anyone ever watch "My Mother the Car"?

Oh no .... its a tie game!!!!

huh, i thought it was ted williams and lou gehrig. gehrig won it once, didn't he? (ah, i guess i could look it up...)

[65] uh.... wha?!

[65] No..never even heard of it..I HAVE seen "Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot!" though..

yup, gehrig got one. so did mantle.

1933, was the only year there were triple crowns in both leagues - chuck klein and Double-X. there have been back-to-back years twice - '33/'34 (Foxx, Gehrig), '66/'67 (Frank Robinson, Yaz)

Hoffman vs. A.Jones is a cool matchup..

Edwin Jackson's story is one we should think of when we wonder if Joba will blossom.

Jackson came up at 19 or 20 with the Dodgers, floundered with them, scuffled with the Rays, and has seemingly found himself now with the Tigers.

Some guys take a few years to figure it out. Joba is still very inexperienced.

[69] yeah, us long-haired, skinny, 35-yr. old jazz aficionados have to stick together! : )

Hoffman in. AL has hope.

i thought by the time i got home tonight this whole bloody all star break would be over!!

tied up huh?
i like them to wear al or nl jerseys rather than home club jerseys.

[71] i think Adam Jones is gonna be a monster. in fact, the Oreo's have a plethora of young talent.

i just don't see how Trevor is Hall worthy...

[72] Boo-yah! I've been referencing Maddux and Clemens - and you came up with an even better argument.

How did they turn that double play? Wow.

[76] Numbers blind the voters, man. Somehow just because Hoffman has so many saves, he's somehow a more worthy pitcher than Bert Blyleven. Unreal.

That said, I do think Hoffman is Hall-worthy. Ignoring the saves total, which is really irrelevant, the guy has been a very good-to-great pitcher for a very long time.

Man, this Taco Bell commercial is horrible. Thank God for TiVo.

Its all about Eleanor Roosevelt's baby??? :-)

[76] Hoffman doesn't belong. He's done little besides be a closer for a long time and get the counting numbers that would come from that. If you put Hoffman in, you might as well throw Franco and Smith in too.

ooh, i love King Felix. there are a few young players in this game i really, really enjoy. that's nice!

[69] A true classic. A dude's mother is reincarnated as a car. The good news is the guy gets to keep Mom in the garage. It starred Dick Van Dyke's younger brother, Jerry.

Wikipedia - My Mother the Car is an American television situation comedy which aired for a single season on NBC between September 14, 1965 and September 6, 1966. Thirty episodes were produced in all, produced by United Artists Television.

Critics and adult viewers generally panned the show, often savagely. In 2002, TV Guide proclaimed it to be the second-worst of all time, just behind The Jerry Springer Show.[1] In 2009 the O'Reilly Factor voted it the worst TV show of all time, with Jerry Springer second.[2]

[80] i agree. and speaking of MVP balloting - i think if it stays close, it'll go to whoever hits the game winning rbi...

[32] If the Yanks were get Halladay, I'd prefer trading Chamberlain to trading Hughes... Anyone else?

My Mother the Hummer
My Mother the SOB ... I mean SUV
My Mother the Hybrid (part angel/part b**ch)

[81] Agreed, love King Felix.

[82] Wow..that sounds truly, truly awful..even worse than the one about the little girl who was a robot (can't remember the name now, late 80s I think..excruciating show..)

[82] Jerry van Dyck was hilarious on Coach - but man, that sounds pretty awful.

[81] Lots of exciting kids in this game - Hanley, THEJustinUpton, Lincecum, King Felix, Greinke, Fielder, Mauer.

[86] "Small Wonder" - and I was thinking it might be as bad, too!

[82] that reminds me of the Hampton Grease Band album, released in 1971. it went down as the second worst selling record in Columbia Records history, "ahead" of a Yoga instructional record.

of course, in 1996, it was given a deluxe edition 2cd reissue, with fancy booklet and all...

[86]

Small Wonder?

this game is going FAST!

what the hell made you even think of my mother the car oyf?!?

[87] yeah it's nice that there are some good young players emerging. gotta agree with thelarmis on adam jones

Are we allowed to go to the bathroom now?

[87] Love watching the young 'uns..
[88] Yes! that was the one..terrible show, only "Full House" made me want to vomit more, and at least the brunette on FH was beautiful..
[89] Ever heard the soundtrack to the "Sgt.Pepper Lonley Hearts Club Band: Movie!"..with Steve Martin, the Bee Gees, Aerosmith, etc..voted one of the worst films AND albums of all time!

[92] Mr. OK Jazz mentioned Mr. Belvedere, (in speaking about Bob Ueker), and i think OYF was just bringing up a tv show from the generation before us...

[93] i was thinking the same thing. hilarious!

Good grief .... I just saw this commercial on another channel, and I thought it was an SNL parody .... but is REAL!

http://chiaobama.com/

[95] oh thanks. it just seemed so totally random and the stuff oyf posted about it just doesn't seem like a show you would think about

paplecrap has to thank crawford for that

If we must lose, I'm fine with Papelbon blowing the AL's winning streak.

if the al wants to win they might not want to roll the dice with paps

I notice Papelbap is being used in the 7th.

I wonder who Maddon will use to close the game out?

Flomax sponsoring the replay ... hmmm .... Flomax is supposed to PREVENT "replays" of bathroom runs ....

i wonder how much that catch hurt Crawford's wrist.

more importantly, i wonder how Jeter's wrist feels after being hit in his 1st AB...

Mariano's son? how cool! he looks pretty grown. never saw pics of his fam before...

here's another player i really dig - Granderson.

WOOHOO

Is that Buck's 3rd Sterling-like homer but not a homer call? Or his 4th? I lost count.

[103] Granderson really should be a bigger star than he is. He needs to get out of Detroit

i betchya it was Jeter in the dugout mocking V-Mart (i HATE that nickname, by the way) to bunt at the intentional walk pitch!

here comes the Kid. i betchya Adam Jones gets it done! that's the name of the TooL guitarist!!!

[103] FWIW, Granderson isn't young, really - 28 this year. I think he's awesome too.

Charlie Manuel is a fool. I'd rather face Martinez than Jones. Where's Mike Carminati when we need him?

[106] he's well-spoken, too. i enjoyed reading his blogs at ESPN. i think it was last season...

[108] yeah, that's why i just said "player" and not young gun.

good call on Mike C. i forgot about him, from the Toaster. Wilker is back up and running and i've read all his posts at his new place...

Papelbon in line to win it, if the AL holds on.

[111] oh, boo. then again, Mo in line to save it = yay! : )

is anyone else having trouble posting comments?

oh for fuck's sake - youkilis signed an extension with the sox rather than wait and go on the open market.
and i'm sorry but someone that ugly cannot be mvp.

zobrist is having a pretty great season - i didn't think he would amount to anything

[108] The guys at FJM perfected it, but back in the day, Mike C. was the original destroyer of Joe Morgan chats.

I miss him. I am looking forward to Wilker's book, too.

Hey McCarver - Youkilis has never been a free agent, no wonder why he's so cheap. Moron.

[113] surprisingly, no. i have lately though. prolly just my old laptop...

[114] agreed on all counts!

[114] McCarver has never let facts get in the way of a good story.

I will say that Buck was almost right about Boston's bullpen - 2nd in MLB, 1st in AL in WXRL and ARP. Dodgers are #1.

Yanks are 4th overall in WXRL - and far better in Defensive Efficiency than both TB and the Sox. I was surprised by that.

[115] i miss FJM.

All we hear is Timmy M gaga ...

Am I wrong, or does this ASG lack the mashers of the past? I can remember when 5-6 guys in the lineup were HR threats.

i wonder if the Yanks or Mets ever scouted Joe Nathan (Jonathan?!) when he was in college at Stony Brook...

hell, if I made baseball money, i'd give LOTS to charity, too. Sloan Kettering and Penn State Music to start...

but, i make "starving artist" money. and i'm currently taking donations, so... : )

Mo going to the back of the 'pen to do his traditional stretching.

Bud's hairpiece and coloring look terrible!

[122] Dude... at 140 lbs, how much food do you need?

wow, Torre & TLR standing next to each other. that's A LOT of managerial wins right there...

[121] Good question. Sabean was still a Yanks' executive at the time - I think he was Scouting Director, right? - you wonder if he was paying attention.

I remember when Nathan first came up, he was pretty bad as a starter.

[124] well played, that was awesome!

right now, i'm eating haagen-dazs! tomorrow, i'll get fat off pizza! : )

i plan on practicing furious fusion after the game tonight to work it off!!!

Girardi would kill Maddon if he went to Rivera now. Nathan better get the big guy out . . .

Does Maddon have a lefty in the bullpen, 'cuz now's the time to use him. I don't care how much I hate LaRussa's bastardization of the bullpen - Howard can't hit lefties.

Uh Oh

[128] Can he hit a knuckler?

is Raging Tartabull still around? here's his spot!!!

My bad, wikipedia tells me Sabean was with the Giants in '95, just not as GM.

[130] good call.

[126] was he always a pitcher? something tells me he was a 2nd baseman in college. i could be waaaaay off...

[130] If it was straight, he might hit the arch. Besides, isn't Timmy Maddon's "break glass in case of extra innings" guy?

[135] ah, good thinking!

this matchup is fun though. power vs. power!

Thank you, Ryan Howard. Thank you.

Mo still in line for the Save!!!

ENTER THE SANDMAN!!!

[139] there you are! i was wondering...

When was the first pitch (by Halladay, not the President)? 8:30ish? Could this game actually be done in 3 hours?!

One more inning and we get Home advantage for the WS!

[140] hey man!

[141] i think it was later than that. this should be less than 3 hours...

[144] After last year, I'm grateful.

[141] it has been a super quick game. earlier there were so many first pitch swings!

wow, what a catch!

The Sandman Cometh!!!

Well, Enter Sandman

[145] me, too - i gotta go practice! : )

[149] i'd play it on my marimba, but i'm afraid it's too late...

Mo's two boys!!! how cool!!! : )

I feel like I've watched Mo's kid grow up

[152] That was very neat to see.

Someday, Upton will tell his grandkids about the one time he got to face the great Rivera.

96 mph?

[152] i must hvae looked away. damn

wow, nice play.

wlecome to the real big leagues justin

Wonder what Joe's thinking right now? "Gosh I miss that guy?" I mean, Broxton is awesome and all, but there's only 1 Mo.

[156] earlier, they showed what appeared to be the older one, in the dugout talking to Captain Jetes.

Jesus

my god that was brutal!!

[159] mmm....tea.

[159] Didn't Willie Randolph basically say that in his first year with the Mets?

every All-Star watching Mo's every move. i LOVE it!!!

[160] approximately when? I can reweing in a bit. oh there they are!

OOOOOOOWWWWWEEEEEEEEE... That's Mo!

hawpe vs mo is not even fair

Tex just saying "it's not fair man, it's not fair"!!!

siddown, dude. Hop back to the bench, Hawpe

most unstoppable forces in sports history:
Kareem's sky hook, Mo's cutter, Bo Jackson on a sweep?

MO!!!!!

All Rise. : O

THE SANDMAN!!!

AL wins ..... thhhhhhhhhhhhhheeeeee AL ..... WINS!!!!

Praise be to Mo.

An ASG in 2009 in under 3 hours? Wow.

mariano rivera ladies and gentlemen

rbj was pretty close with his prediction

Ladies and Gentlemen, Mariano Rivera.

Mo's the BEST!!!

another record for Mariano.

good god, i REALLY hope we have home field in the WS!!!

time of game was 2:31 according to the fox graphic

Shaun - 2 hrs. 31 mins.

[179] how many milliseconds did you beat me by, i wonder?! ; )

Night folks!

0.0000000000000000001 :}

how long til friday at 7:05?!?

2 hours and 31 minutes?! Incredible.

Granderson MVP?

Crawford. Not a bad choice.

Carl Crawford = MVP ???!!!

um...okay.

[183] ugh. i figured we had a game Thurs night. boo! : (

From MLBN: Marte starts his mL rehab on Thursday.

i can't believe loser gets the win

[189] hmm so edpcy's left arm might be breathing a sigh of relief

[189] Ech.

i hope they interview Mo.

here it is!

[193] I think you're going to get your wish.

i love my MO!!!! : )

[195] i'm still on a high from getting to see him live in person here in Atlanta, 2 games in a row!!! i think my throat is still sore from yelling. it really was louder than any rock concert at The Ted, when he strolled in from the 'pen, and my seats were right there!

Mo is like royalty even amongst that group of players.

well, the AL won, i saw Mo's interview...i'm out. time to go practice for a coupla hours...

good night all

[197] I got to see Mo pitch in Toronto, and in Boston, but never in the Stadium 1.1. One of my few regrets, I would have liked to have experienced him coming in there just once.

thealarmis - it might be too late now, but Harold Reynolds is interviewing Mo on MLBN - or he was 3 minutes ago, says my TiVo . . .