Inside Pitch

Not much to say about last night's MLB All-Star Game, a 5-1 win for the National League in Phoenix. Bud Selig insists it counts, so I'm sure the Phillies, Giants, Braves, Cardinals, etc are happy for the chance to have homefield advantage in the World Series.

The stage shifts tonight to Salt Lake City for the 24th Triple-A All-Star Game. It will air at 9 p.m. on MLB Network and Radio 1520 AM with Brad Mills (Las Vegas-Toronto) starting for the Pacific Coast League and Zach McAllister (Columbus-Cleveland) going for the International League. The Bisons' lone representative is pitcher Chris Schwinden.

Once tonight's game is over, the focus shifts to Coca-Cola Field, which will host the 25th anniversary game on Wednesday, July 11, 2012. The all-star game began at then-Pilot Field on July 14, 1988 but was a much simpler affair back then with few ancilliary activities. Next year's activities will include the Triple-A Home Run Derby on July 9 and a gala luncheon at the Adam's Mark on gameday.

The Bisons have opened ticket sales for the events, at $35 for the Home Run Derby and game, and $25 for the luncheon.

---Mike Harrington
(www.twitter.com/bnharrington) 

I'm told it's pouring in Yankee Stadium and with the forecast bad all night, the Yankees made an early call to postpone tonight's game against the Rays, banging it about 90 minutes before the scheduled first pitch.

So Derek Jeter remains stuck at 2,998 and only has two home games left before the All-Star Game. (Jeter pulled out of that today and so did A-Rod, as we noted on our previous post). The Rays did not agree to a doubleheader on Saturday like the Yankees wanted so the game will be made up later in the season.

The teams thus play Saturday and Sunday afternoons. If Jeter doesn't get two hits, he'll pick up the chase again next Thursday in Toronto. Bet there will be a ton of Yankees fans there if that's the case.

---Mike Harrington
(www.twitter.com/bnharrington) 

Derek Jeter is two hits away from 3,000 but there is breaking news coming from Yankees camp prior to tonight's game against the Rays -- Jeter is not going to the All-Star Game.

The shortstop has apparently just told reporters gathered for what's now a daily pregame press conference on the road to 3,000 that he pulled himself from the game for precautionary reasons in the wake of his calf injury. Jeter is 4 for 18 at the plate since sitting out 18 games with the injury.

Alex Rodriguez, meanwhile, is not in tonight's lineup and is apparently headed for an MRI on his injured knee. When I was in Cleveland Wednesday night, A-Rod's gait was clearly not right. He didn't run well to first base and didn't run well in foul territory after a popup. Something tells me he's going to join Jeter and Mariano Rivera in begging off the trip to Phoenix as well. (5 p.m. update -- A-Rod has also pulled out as well)

Also not playing for the Yankees tonight is Nick Swisher, who pulled a quad last night while playing right field. The Yankees have lost four of five and have fallen behind the Red Sox in the AL East. Jeter's quest is proving to be a distraction.

---Mike Harrington
(www.twitter.com/bnharrington) 

Monday night -- July 11, 2011 -- will mark the one-year mark for the countdown to the 2012 Triple-A All-Star Game, which will be held July 11, 2012 in Coca-Cola Field. The giant signs advertising the game (and the Home Run Derby on July 9, 2012) have been hanging in the left-field corner for a few weeks.

To start the festivities, the Bisons will be hosting a watch party for MLB's Home Run Derby from Chase Field in Phoenix Monday night at 7. For a $5 donation to Team Gary, the fund to aid injured Buffalo police officer Gary Sengbusch, fans can watch the derby on the BisonsTV HD Board and will receive a free hot dog and Coca-Cola product, as well as chances to win prizes based on the result of the derby.

Fans will also have a chance to compete in the Bisons' Home Run Distance Challenge. Fans will get one swing off a tee at home plate with the longest hits winning prizes that include tickets to next year's Triple-A game. There will be live music from Tom Stahl and the Dangerfields from 7-8 as well as a cash bar at Pettibones Grille and open concession stands. 

In addition, the team will be opening sale of the Triple-A All-Star Game/Home Run Derby ticket packages and making merchandise available for the first time at the MLB Derby watch party.

The 2012 Triple-A All-Star Game will be a signature element of Coca-Cola Field's 25th anniversary season. The first Triple-A game was held in Buffalo on July 13, 1988. in front of a sellout crowd of 19,500.

---Mike Harrington
(www.twitter.com/bnharrington) 

Commissioner Bud Selig has issued his statement on the death of George Steinbrenner, calling the late Yankees owner "a giant of the game."

MLB is reportedly planning a press conference featuring Derek Jeter and other Yankees prior to tonight's All-Star Game in Anaheim and will have a moment of silence for Steinbrenner. Tributes continue to pour in on Steinbrenner's death, rounded up in this blog post from the New York Daily News that includes the words of Yogi Berra.

---Mike Harrington
(www.twitter.com/bnharrington)

The big boppers go for the fences in Anaheim tonight and it's hard to say how much people are into this event anymore. I've been to five of them and -- save for Josh Hamilton's incredible showing two years ago at old Yankee Stadium -- they have generally been snore-inducers.

They go on too long (do we really need 10 outs in the first round?), too many guys either take too many pitches or do very little when they swing, and many of the top sluggers are shying away from the thing for fear of injury or ruining their swing for the rest of the season.

ESPN always gets great ratings for it, usually better than most games. And there's a huge corporate sale of tickets in conjunction with Tuesday's game. So I doubt it's going away. But it has the feel of the NBA Slam Dunk contest. It's a great idea whose time might be over. 

---Mike Harrington
(www.twitter.com/bnharrington)

poll by twiigs.com

Tim Wakefield and Victor Martinez were the only ex-Bisons in uniform for the All-Star Game Tuesday night in St. Louis but as my column in Wednesday's sports section points out, there were several other Bisons having decent seasons. Two in particular (Russell Branyan and Marco Scutaro) had a case to be at Busch Stadium.

Take our poll below and pick the best season being put up by a former member of the Herd.

---Mike Harrington

(www.twitter.com/bnharrington)

     Prince Fielder of the Brewers won Monday's Home Run Derby at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. He hit one of his homers more than 500 feet, but there were no Josh Hamilton-like runs similar to last year.

     Did you think the Home Run Derby has lost a bit of its edge? Is it still fun to watch? Let us know what you think.

You can see the All-Star selection show Sunday at 1 on TBS and fans will then be told the candidates for the final roster spot on each team, which will be selected via an online vote.

In Sunday's Inside Baseball column, I make my picks. Some of them, obviously, won't match the fans choices (no Derek Jeter here), so we'll have some points to argue. Here's the recap of my choices for starters:

American League

1B:  Justin Morneau. 2B: Ian Kinsler. 3B: Evan Longoria. SS: Marco Scutaro.

OF: Jason Bay, Ichiro Suzuki, Torii Hunter.

C: Joe Mauer

National League

1B: Albert Pujols. 2B: Chase Utley. 3B: David Wright. SS: Hanley Ramirez.

OF: Raul Ibanez, Ryan Braun, Brad Hawpe.

C: Yadier Molina.

What do you think? Where did I go wrong? Have your say in the comments section.

---Mike Harrington

(www.twitter.com/bnharrington)

NEW YORK -- Oh, where to start? Longest All-Star Game in time and innings. Sixty-three players. Even the latest media shuttle ride through the Bronx, stretching past 3 a.m. You should try it sometime. Yikes. Anyway, be sure to read our Web site for a full report on the game, including comments from both clubhouses.

I started the day on a high with the meeting with the Hall of Famers and ended it on the same high from the game. Work wise, not so good. Total meltdown of Internet access in right field. Could barely keep it going for more than five minutes at a time. No way to live blog. What a shame. Imagine how long that one would have been??!!

Here's some random thoughts I scribbled down:

---Mariano Rivera's entrance was sensational. You hear that gong from Enter Sandman and the place erupts. I've seen it many times in the postseason and it's always one of the most electric things you'll experience in any ballpark.

---Yankee PA announcer Jim Hall had a brutal week. Bad pronunciations and wrong guys hitting in the Futures Game. More mistakes in the All-Star Game. Said Corey Hart was hitting when it was Ryan Braun. Said Dioner Navarro was pinch-hitting for Dustin Pedroia when he was hitting for Jason Varitek. In the 10th, he announced Russell Martin was hitting when Nate McLouth went to the dugout to get a new bat after he broke one. Brutal.

Dude, pay attention and keep your scorecard better. No Bob Sheppard.

---Lots of empties in the box seats when the game went extra innings. Clearly out-of-town MLB corporate types. No way that happens in a Yankees game.

---I'm told the wireless was working fine in the basement work room. But there was no way I was coming here for this event and watching it on a TV in a basement bunker. Can't hold that against me, can you?

----The Yankee Stadium grounds crew dances to the "YMCA" every night in the fifth or sixth. They were joined on the first-base line this time by the Village People.

----Even with all the commercials on Fox, we played 4 1/2 innings in just 71 minutes. Little did we know what we were in for.

---Sarah Jessica Parker of "Sex in the City" fame got plenty of laughs during an on-field discussion of baseball's contributions to the fight against cancer as she stood next to Bud Selig and called him "Commissioner SELL-ig.''

===The right-field bleacherites do a roll call of each Yankee at their defensive position in the top of the first at every game. I was wondering how they were going to handle this one. Answer: They acknowledged only Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez and then did a "Bob-by Mur-cer, Bob-by Mur-cer'' salute to the late Yankees outfielder who died Saturday. Nice.

---There was a commotion in the fourth inning in the bleachers with, um, a rather hefty man being pulled away from another fan by police. Chanted the bleacherites: "Eat a sal-ad, Eat a sal-ad.'' Cracked up the whole right-field press box. And we needed a laugh through our Internet access misery.

---The bleacherites were all over Florida's Dan Uggla as he started booting the ball everywhere. Their best efforts: "Hit the ball to Ug-gla, hit the ball to Ug-gla." That was followed by "Trip-le-A, Trip-le-A" and "Al-bu-quer-que, Al-bu-quer-que."

---A-Rod left the ballpark after the fifth inning when he was pulled. Jeter stayed in the dugout for all 15 and talked to the media afterward. A-Rod's departure from the game -- a nice in-game gesture from Terry Francona -- was hardly noticed. Jeter got wild applause. So did Rivera. The fans cheered for A-Rod I think because they felt they had to.

---And now, since I had to listen to it about 300 times the last three days, you can close the All-Star blog the way they they wrap up every Yankees game. Take it away, Ol' Blue Eyes.

(And excuse the pictures from the family-I-don't-know-but-did-a-great-YouTube-job).

---Mike Harrington

NEW YORK -- Greetings from Yankee Stadium as we get set for the 79th All-Star Game. The official Fox coverage comes on the air in about 10 minutes but don't look for a first pitch much before 8:40 or 8:45 because there's going to be a huge ceremony in celebration of Yankee Stadium featuring more than 40 living Hall of Famers.

We'll try to keep you updated on some of what's going on here and also have a live blog on the game. That's the plan. Keep your fingers crossed that the wireless Internet here in the right field press box doesn't conk out.

---Mike Harrington

8:27 p.m. We will try for some live blogging tonight. After a 30-minute outage that lasted through the entire opening ceremony, we harbor no guarantees. Technologically speaking, it's time to bulldoze this place.

7:52 p.m.: Nice video tribute to late Buffalo native Tim Russert is greeted with applause. His wife, Maureen Orth, and son Luke are introduced behind the plate.

7:50 p.m.: There is a giant tent in center field behind the fence, ostensibly to house the HOFs before they hit the field. Red, white and blue starts are being painted in the infield dirt, as well as a section in the grass just behind second base. This ceremony should be akin to the one in 1999, when the current all-stars all met Ted Williams on the Fenway Park mound, and like last year's in San Francisco, when they greeted Willie Mays in center field. How about a home plate meeting with Yogi Berra?

NEW YORK -- ESPN.com has put together a fabulous virtual reality section with views from different parts of Yankee Stadium. Check out the 360-degree view from the subway ramp, an entrance gate and the press box.

And be sure to go to the view marked "outside clubhouse ramp." I'm typing this right now in a room maybe 50 yards down the hall from that spot outside the Yankees clubhouse. Look how narrow the hall is. That's it, folks. You follow the blue line on the floor through the basement maze to know you're going toward the Yankees clubhouse (a red line takes you to the visitors). Look down the ramp the Yankees take into their dugout with the famous Joe DiMaggio quote hanging from the ceiling. That's how the media gets on the field too. Quite a scene.

---Mike Harrington

NEW YORK -- Commissioner Bud Selig held a 45-minute question-and-answer session today during the Baseball Writers Association of America's annual All-Star luncheon meeting and, as usual, no subject was off limits. As far as controversies go, this chat paled in comparision to the 6,000 Barry Bonds question Selig got last year in San Francisco.

One of the key points he made: Instant replay may be coming, and it may be here before the postseason.

"We are looking at it intensely," Selig said. "No decision has been made but if it occurs, it will be in a very limited form. Once we're convinced the bugs are out, it will come quickly. Is there a chance it could be before the postseason? The answer is yes, there is a chance. But we've got work to be done."

Replay is going to be focused on determining home run balls (e.g. fair or foul, out of the park or in play). The bugs I'm sure refer to making sure every park has the right high-quality cameras to capture the areas by the foul poles and the outfield fences. An overdue move. Umpires have blown too many of these calls in the past, especially this year.

---Mike Harrington

NEW YORK -- I've interviewed a lot of big-name athletes in the last 15 years and it takes a whole lot to wow a sportswriter but I have NEVER spent 40 minutes feeling as blown away as I just did.

More than 40 living Hall of Famers are about to be trotted down Sixth Avenue for a red carpet parade to kickoff today's All-Star festivities but first they were herded into a room at the Hotel Intercontinental to talk to us.

In honor of Phil Rizzuto: Holy cow, what an assignment! Each Hall of Famer was at a table in front of a replica of their Hall plaque. I had to take two minutes to walk around and check out the scene before figuring out who to approach first.

Amazing. So I thought about last night's Home Run Derby and went right to Hank Aaron's table. And this was no mob scene like yesterday's player availability. You could walk right up to them and only have maybe one or two other reporters with them (WHERE WAS THE REST OF THE MEDIA HORDE? FOOLS).

Aaron was great, as wide-eyed as we all are about Josh Hamilton's performance. I moved on and it just went from there.

Dave Winfield. Tony Gwynn, Tommy Lasorda ("Asking my best memory here is tough because you see so many things. It's like saying, "What's the best steak you've eaten? What's your best plate of pasta?" How the hell do I know? I eat every one of them."), 2008 inductee Goose Gossage ("I can't believe and I'll never comprehend not being able to walk into Yankee Stadium ever again"), Cal Ripken Jr., Wade Boggs.

But like that, 40 minutes seemed like four. I would have loved to have talked hitting with Rod Carew or baserunning with Lou Brock. Home runs with Harmon Killebrew. Knuckleballs with Phil Niekro. Spitters with Gaylord Perry. Or the end for Tiger Stadium with Al Kaline. Strategy with Earl Weaver and Dick Williams. There was only so much time.

Disappointments? No Reggie. Would have liked to have asked him about Hamilton. No George Brett -- except for a gift shop sighting. Would have liked to have heard him reminisce as we approach the 25th anniversary of the Pine Tar Game.

The Astor Ballroom at the Hotel Intercontinental. That's one for the books. Don't tell the bosses at One News Plaza but I think I should just retire right now. When am I EVER going to do that again?

---Mike Harrington

NEW YORK -- You be Terry Francona for a minute. You've got a late lead in tonight's All-Star Game. What do you do to finish it?

Does Mariano Rivera have to get the ball in the ninth inning just because we're in Yankee Stadium? Especially since Francona also has big-league save leader Francisco Rodriguez and his own guy, Jonathan Papelbon, at his disposal.

What should Francona do?

---Mike Harrington

NEW YORK -- Wish I had asked that question. Some sharpie in the Yankee Stadium clubhouse just asked that of Josh Hamilton because there were no losers in the All-Star Home Run Derby. Not with the way Hamilton thrilled a packed ballpark and a national TV audience with a record 28 home runs in the first round even though Justin Morneau was the overall winner.

Hamilton agreed there was no loser. He told anyone who would listen Monday that soon after he became sober in late 2005 after years of drug and alcohol abuse, he had a dream about being in a derby in Yankee Stadium. Spooky.

"I said after the first round if I don't hit another ball out or don't win this, I'm not going to be disappointed," he said. "Obviously, it's human nature but we accomplished what we wanted. That dream I had sharing Christ with people, I didn't see how many home runs I hit in that dream or whether I was a winner or not. The Lord doesn't care about that. All he cares about is us glorifying him. I got that chance to tonight.''

Hamilton said he was pretty pooped in rounds two and three, trying to swing too hard rather than just relax like he did in round one. After those 28 taters, he went inside the Yankees clubhouse to sit down but David Ortiz came in and told him to get up and keep sweating.

Hamilton couldn't come close to the first round but it didn't matter. I'm usually a big thumbs-down to the derby. Not on this night.

"This is Yankee Stadium. I'm thinking [about] Babe Ruth, or Mickey Mantle or Joe DiMaggio or whoever," Hamilton said. "To be here tonight and just see the way the crowd responded and to see my family up there being able to hear and experience that was the best thing I could ever ask for."

Hamilton was asked if he was going to watch ESPN's late-night replay.

"I rarely watch myself," Hamilton said. "But damn, I think that would be pretty cool."

Yep, the whole thing was pretty cool.

---Mike Harrington

(AP Photo: Hamilton embraces 71-year-old coach/pitcher Clay Council -- whose name is misspelled on his shirt -- as Justin Morneau looks on.)

NEW YORK -- Greetings from Yankee Stadium and tonight's Home Run Derby. I have a GREAT view of the proceedings from the second deck in right field, which is far closer to the plate than right field in virtually any other ballpark. I'll keep you updated on the latest from the derby as well as some nuggets about the scene in the Bronx.

Some balls went into the upper deck in batting practice and it's weird that the famous overhang is above my head. We even hear the "clang" of the balls hitting the metal railings up there. Bizarre.

---Mike Harrington

10:50 p.m. With the crowd on its feet roaring and flashbulbs everywhere, Hamilton simply had nothing left. He grounds out for the last out, finishing with just three home runs in the final and drawing huge groans. Justin Morneau, left, is the winner. Pretty anticlimactic. In future years, no one will remember who won the thing. They'll only be talking about Hamilton.

10:47 p.m: Hold on. Maybe Hamilton is spent. Four outs and only one bomb so far.

10:40 p.m. This baby is basically over. Morneau had just five for the finals. The folks in the bleachers just broke out their "box seats [stink], box seats [stink]" chant. Gotta love it.

10:25 p.m: Hamilton stayed loose with four more home runs for a total of 32. He also nearly took out a bevy of photographers with a foul rocket behind first base. What are those clowns doing so close to the plate anyway? Jeesh.

10:20 p.m.: Braun hits six more for a total of 14. So it's Hamilton and Morneau in the finals. Hamilton doesn't need to swing but he's going to take a few to stay loose before the finals.

10:17 p.m.: A brief rant: I forgot to mention I HATE the leagues' batting practice jerseys, just a total marketing play by MLB to sell more merch. Guys should be in this thing wearing their own teams' duds. End of rant. Ryan Braun is still swinging.

10:07 p.m.: Morneau adds nine more for a total of 17, eliminating Berkman. Braun is next.

10:01 p.m.: Berkman opens the semis with six more, giving him a total of 14. Not much noise. The place is drained after Hamilton. Lot of empty seats. People needed a drink or a dog or a bathroom break. No one moved when Hamilton was up -- and he was up 28 minutes!

9:49 p.m.: It's over with Hamilton at 28, making outs on his last two swings. The place erupts and players from both teams stream to the plate to greet him as the flashbulbs explode. Gotta believe that's the moment we'll remember from this derby. Amazing to see this guy do this from where he's come. "I got chills,'' Hamilton told Erin Andrews about the crowd's chants.

So it's Hamilton, Morneau, Berkman and Braun in the semis. Uggla, Sizemore, Utley and Longoria are toast.

9:47 p.m: Hamilton is up to 28 -- smashing Bobby Abreu's record of 24 set in 2005 in Detroit. The whole crowd is on its feet roaring. And let's not forget that Hamilton's pitcher is 71 years old! Yep, 71. It's his former American Legion coach Clay Council, who helped him develop a swing at age 13.

9:42 p.m. Hamilton hits No. 21 and David Ortiz walks off in mock disgust. He's seen enough and the crowd is chanting "Bos-ton stinks, Bos-ton stinks." Or something like that. Texas teammate Milton Bradley comes out to wipe Hamilton down (left).

9:40 p.m. Now the whole place is chanting "Ham-il-ton, Ham-il-ton" as the Texas slugger takes the lead with a ridiculous 18 bombs, including one that clanks off an ad board on the facing of the loge maybe 40 feet to my left. A rocket. I would have ducked. Plus he just hit one in the black that a fan tried to grab as the cops chased him and he escaped down the runway.

9:28 p.m. Attendance is announced at 53,716 (media takes up some space). Josh Hamilton has hit two monsters -- including a 502-footer off the back wall above the bleachers that get the crowd on its feet roaring. I've never even seen a ball hit that sign in batting practice all the times I've been here. Wow. The bleacherites chant in unison, "Holy Bleep, Holy Bleep". Appropriate and hysterical.

9:20 p.m.: Milwaukee's Ryan Braun makes a late rush to finish with  seven home runs. The zanies in the right-field bleachers aren't impressed. They spend most of his at-bat chanting "booor-ing, boooor-ing." The top four go to the semifinals so Morneau, Berkman and Braun have clinched spots with Josh Hamilton left to hit.

9:11 p.m. As I'm watching Justin Morneau of Minnesota play pepper with the upper deck, the amazing thing is to watch the ball go into the seats at that distance while it's still rising. Pretty wild.

Morneau finished tied with Berkman for the lead with 8. So the standings are Morneau 8, Berkman 8, Uggla 6, Sizemore 6, Utley 5 and Longoria 3. Ryan Braun and Josh Hamilton to come.

9:07 p.m.: Michael Kay interviews Mariano Rivera on the field and the crowd roars. When the interview ends, over the loudspeakers come a few bars of Rivera's entrance music, "Enter Sandman". The place explodes. Just imagine what it might sound like heading into the ninth inning tomorrow.

9:02 p.m.: Houston's Lance Berkman, left, takes the lead with eight homers, recovering from a slow start. He pounded the upper deck, topped by a 476-footer, and became the first player to reach the black in center field. It felt like I was back in Las Vegas in '98 watching Berkman torment the Bisons in the Triple-A World Series.

8:57 p.m.: Berkman is up and the switch-hitter is batting left-handed to go for the short porch. He just launched a 459-footer above my head that's the longest so far.

8:48 p.m: Chase Utley finished with five home runs but he cranked one off the facing of the mezzanine where we're sitting in right. Guess you can get it here with a long drive to get it under the upper deck.

8:46 p.m.: Quick question -- What's the point of IT people if they look at people's laptops and have no idea what to do? Anyway, let's see how long this outage goes. Catching up, Grady Sizemore finished with six home runs (hooking too many foul to right field) and Tampa's Evan Longoria followed him by flaming out with only three as he was roundly booed (guess the Rays have arrived). He was also taunted from the bleachers with chants of "We want Ja-son, We want Ja-son'' by Yankee fans who would have preferred Giambi.

Before Longoria, Chase Utley and Alex Rodriguez were honored as the top votegetters. A-Rod got a huge ovation. He should be out here swinging.

8:30 p.m.: Grady Sizemore smoked his first two for home runs -- including one over my head into the upper deck. Then he drilled a foul ball into the seats. Bet those folks weren't expecting that!

8:27 p.m.: Decent start for Florida's Dan Uggla with six home runs. Just noticed the "Hit it Here" sign to win a million bucks. It's well to the left of the linescore above the fabled bleachers in deep left-center field. There is no way -- no way -- anyone is coming close to that. Silly.

Ex-Bison Grady Sizemore of the Indians is up next taking aim at me in RF. That's ex-Herd skipper Jeff Datz pitching to him.

8:18 p.m: Michael Kay is interviewing Reggie Jackson on the field. What if Jackson had been in a derby: "I would have dropped them in the upper deck and won 'em all. No problem." Would it have hurt your swing? "I don't know but it wouldn't have bothered me." Hmmm. Is that a shot at A-Rod?

8:15 p.m.:  As soon as ESPN signed on, the wireless has started cutting in and out. Lots of frayed nerves out here.

8:14 p.m.: standing o and the obligatory "Reg-gie, Reg-gie" chants as Reggie Jackson goes to the mound to throw a first pitch with Derek Jeter catching. And the flashbulbs are popping. The crowd chants "Der-ek Je-ter, Der-ek Je-ter"

8:08 p.m: There introducing the lineups and flashbulbs are popping everywhere. But no Alex Rodriguez. He should have accepted the invitation. ESPN.com's Jayson Stark took him to task yesterday and I agree. A-Rod should be here. No one would chant "Ma-donna" here. (OK, maybe not as many people would).

8:04 p.m.: Hey, I like that Yankee Stadium home run montage ESPN just showed. Roger Maris, Mickey Mantle, Chris Chambliss, Reggie Jackson, Aaron Boone. I can see every spot where those balls landed. Awesome.

7:56 p.m: "Three Doors Down" just started a mini-concert on a stage behind second base. Shame on me, perhaps. Am I supposed to know who they are?

7:53 p.m.: Yankees announcer Michael Kay will be our in-house host on the field. Better than hearing Chris Berman scream all night you would think, except that Kay just called the derby "one of the greatest spectacles in all of sports." Huh? Um, no.

Of course, everyone in the press box was hoping for Erin Andrews. No dice there.

7:45 p.m.: The Red Sox and Mets are not going to get ANY respect here these two days. Mets third baseman David Wright got booed hard during a batting practice interview on the field with Yankees announcer John Sterling showed on the video board and that was expected. But they just introduced an all-star lineup of mascots and who got howling hoots? Mr. Met and Wally the Green Monster.

At least I was able to simply walk out here and not take an elevator ride with the mascots like I did last year. I saw that Mariner Moose on the field tonight and I had flashbacks of an antler to the head.

(Photos: Associated Press)

NEW YORK -- Out of the Manhattan Ballroom and upstairs to the Empire Ballroom in the Grand Hyatt. A sea of reporters and cameras stretched the length of the monstrous hallway before finally being ushered in for the American Leauge session, which just ended. Here are some quick impressions:

---Manny Ramirez was the only no-show (as usual). Some wondered if Alex Rodriguez would be on hand given all the Madonna talk but A-Rod showed (right) and answered every question -- about baseball. There were two Yankee and MLB officials behind his podium, clearly making sure the topic stayed straight. The only media mob close to what I saw around A-Rod was last year's cluster around No. 25 in San Francisco. A-Rod, of course, attracted all the extras you don't normally see here like Inside Edition, CNN and the like. And the mob was about 20 deep but I didn't hear any bizarre questions or answers.

---Derek Jeter on Yankee Stadium's last All-Star hurrah: "It should steal the attention. The stadium should be the story. It deserves this attention, this going-away party."

---Lots of talk about the odd bedfellows Red Sox and Yankees players will make with the rogues from Boston getting inside the sacred home clubhouse.

A-Rod: "Sharing my locker room with the Red sox will be weird."

Derek Jeter: "They'll be fine -- we stuck them all in the corners."

Jason Varitek: "I'm worried they might put my chair outside."

Dustin Pedroia: "That's going to be weird. We know one way down the hall. One way to the field -- to go out and get booed. Now we're in the other dugout and we're going to be cheered? Hmmm."

---Joe Girardi was smiling at his podium and even had his young children helping hold reporters' microphones.

---Grady Sizemore insists he's not trying to hit home runs this year in the wake of injuries to Travis Hafner and Victor Martinez. And he's not worried about his swing getting affected by tonight's Home Run Derby. As for BP pitcher Jeff Datz, the former Bisons manager, Sizemore said, "I'm telling him to throw BP just like he always does -- but I don't want him to get mad if I stand there and take a few extra pitches while I'm taking it all in."

---Mariano Rivera said he's fine with not starting the game, as large segments of the New York media were pushing for. And Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon said he's fine if his own manager, Terry Francona, uses Rivera to close it out rather than go to his own man. "Hey, [Rivera] is like the Godfather of closer, no pun intended since we're in New York," Papelbon joked.

---Lots of reporters crowded around Josh Hamilton's table to get the story of the former No. 1 pick's battle back from drugs and alcohol abuse. Lots of Latin media crowded with Rivera and David Ortiz.

I'm not figuring on anywhere near the drama or interest in the National League session, which begins at 1:40. But I'll put an update here on anything that might pop up.

UPDATE: As I suspected, there wasn't nearly the crowd for the NL media hour. Cubs manager Lou Piniella regaled the masses with his memories of Yankee Stadium and lots of talk about his first-place club. It was "Cubs Row" with eight players in the room from Chicago. Kosuke Fukudome got most of the attention from the Japanese media with an even bigger crowd than Ichiro got. Not too many other mob scenes. I was able to chat up Cubs closer Kerry Wood and ex-Bison Ryan Ludwick of the Cardinals quite a bit without 20 boom mics flying in over my head, so that was different.

---Mike Harrington

(Photo: Associated Press)

NEW YORK -- The starters and lineups are going to be announced in a few minutes for Tuesday night's All-Star Game and we're attempting to go live (hoping for no connection snafus) from the palatial Manhattan Ballroom in the Grand Hyatt to give you all the info. The managers and starting pitchers are the first ones scheduled on the podium.

MLB.com is already reporting that Milwaukee's Ben Sheets will start for the NL because both Tim Lincecum and Brandon Webb threw Sunday. I'm thinking ex-Bison Cliff Lee of the Indians will get the AL nod although you could easily make a case for Toronto's Roy Halladay or Los Angeles' Joe Saunders.

11:05 a.m.: Still waiting for the press conference to begin. NL manager Clint Hurdle just entered the room to speak with some Make-A-Wish foundation kids sitting in the front row.

11:11 a.m: Just realized MLB.com is streaming this affair live. It still hasn't started.

11:15 a.m.: The principals have entered and are at the podium. And they include Sheets and Lee. So they're the starters and there's your first big piece of info.

11:18 a.m: The AL lineup is posted. It goes like this: Ichiro-rf; Jeter-ss; Hamilton-cf; Rodriguez-3b; Ramirez-lf; Bradley-dh; Youkilis-1b; Mauer-c; Pedroia-2b

11:21 a.m: Lee -- "I'm kind of awestruck by it. Hopefully I can continue to pitch the way I have."

11:23 a.m.: Sheets just said he's never been to Yankee Stadium.

11:24 a.m.: The NL lineup -- HRamirez, ss; Utley, 2b; Berkman, 1b; Pujols, dh; Jones, 3b; Holliday, rf; Braun, lf; Fukudome, cf; Soto, c

11:26 a.m.: First question was to Francona about why not starting Mariano Rivera. "He may be the greatest reliever of all-time but he's not a starter. I thought it would be unfair to the starting pitchers and you're putting a guy at risk possibly doing something he's not done."

11:29 a.m: Sheets dominated the Rockies last week and made an impression on Hurdle. "The fact he struck out 11 of us in five innings caught my eye," Hurdle said.

11:33 a.m.: Francona on Yankee Stadium -- "Something will happen in this game that people will probably talk about for a long time."

11:35 a.m.: Hurdle on the NL lineup -- "You hear about OPS. i'm a big fan of G-U-T-S. It's the best lineup I've ever written down on a paper. We'll see where it takes us."

11:37 a.m.: Lee on going back to Buffalo last season -- "Sometimes going through some failure makes you a better player in the long run. It gave me a little motivation in the offseason to work harder and do what I could not to get injured in spring training and prove how I have pitched in the past and it's worked out."

11:40 a.m.: Sheets keeps calling his manager "Mr. Hurdle".

11:41 a.m.: Sheets on his first trip to Yankee Stadium: "I don't know much about the stadium because I've never been there ... I'm going to take the opportunity to see everything. What do they call them? The monuments? I'm definitely going to do a sight-seeing tour today and enjoy every minute of it."

---Mike Harrington

NEW YORK -- The game isn't until Tuesday night but there's a full plate of activities scheduled today leading up to the Midsummer Classic. We promise to try our best to keep you updated, starting with the 11 a.m. press conference in the Grand Hyatt's Manhattan Ballroom that will feature the managers and the announcements of the starting pitchers and batting orders.

(We promised updates last year too but MLB stunned the assembled media by putting us in a lavish ballroom at San Francisco's Westin St. Francis that didn't have wireless access. I'm hoping we don't get a repeat of that snafu today.)

Then it's on to the Super Bowl-style media gatherings for each league in the Empire State Ballroom. the American League goes from 12-12:50 and the National Leaguers have their say from 1:40-2:30. In between there will be a press conference on tonight's home run derby.

The derby itself kicks off at 8 p.m. Hopefully it won't be the yawner that last year's was in Frisco after all the left-handers were eliminated and McCovey Cove became a non-factor. It should be a little interesting to see ex-Bison Grady Sizemore take a shot at Yankee Stadium's short right-field porch, with Cleveland bench coach and former Buffalo manager Jeff Datz serving as his pitcher.

---Mike Harrington

NEW YORK -- An uneventful flight, crazy cab ride and sweltering subway jaunt later, we've made it to Yankee Stadium for the start of All-Star week. Today I'm watching the Futures Game, featuring just-traded-to-Cleveland stud prospect Matt LaPorta. He's played mostly outfield in the Milwaukee chain and thus far at Double-A Akron but he's starting at first base today for the United States team. Some scouts tell me he projects better there than in the outfield (bad news down the line for Ryan Garko).

His name has been all over the papers for a week but LaPorta apparently didn't make a dent to the folks at the Yankee Stadium mic. During player introductions, the scoreboard said "Matthew" and he was introduced as "Mateo" Say what? The camera was on LaPorta and even he shook his head and laughed.

A note on the new Yankee Stadium: It's far advanced from when I saw it in January while here for a Sabres game. It's downright huge and the one thing I didn't notice until today is that it's right up against the subway line (left, click for bigger image). You see the current ballpark from across two lines and a platform. Not so with the new one. I'm thinking that come next year the noise and vibration will be quite a bit more from the trains than it is now.

---Mike Harrington

It was a sad Saturday in Toronto as the Yankees beat the Blue Jays, 9-4, but learned shortly after the game that beloved former player and current broadcaster Bobby Murcer passed away after a bout with brain cancer. Check out Bucky Gleason's column in Sunday's paper for all the emotion from the Yankees' clubhouse.

Meanwhile, Angels closer Francisco Rodriguez has the most saves ever at the All-Star break and is well on his way to breaking Bobby Thigpen's all-time record of 57 set 18 years ago. K-Rod is also heading for an all-time payday among closers and you can read what he thinks about the potential for his next contract in Sunday's Inside Baseball column.

I'm off to New York for the All-Star Game and I'm expecting to be at Sunday's Futures Game to try to chat to outfielder Matt LaPorta, the Brewers' phenom who was the centerpiece of last week's trade of CC (no periods) Sabathia from Cleveland. LaPorta is currently at Double-A Akron but will almost certainly be with the Bisons at some point in August if he isn't selected for the U.S. Olympic team. If all goes as planned, you should be able to hear from LaPorta in Monday's editions.

The Bisons, meanwhile, wrap up their ungodly series against Louisville today at 1 and we'll have full coverage of that as well. Nice to see they figured out how to score a run Saturday night after back-to-back shutout losses.

---Mike Harrington

We're quickly closing in on the All-Star Game July 15 in Yankee Stadium and the starting lineups and rosters for the game will be announced Sunday at 2 on TBS. In Sunday's Inside Baseball column, I check off my ballot for the American League and National League starters. Here's who I chose:

INFIELD -- American League: Kevin Youkilis, Dustin Pedroia, Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez. National League: Lance Berkman, Chase Utley, Ryan Theriot and Chipper Jones.

OUTFIELD -- AL: Carlos Quentin, Grady Sizemore and Josh Hamilton. NL:  Matt Holliday, Ryan Braun and Aaron Rowand.

CATCHERS -- AL: Joe Mauer. NL: Russell Martin.

I'll have more analysis on the picks in the column and some possible alternative choices,  especially in the crowded outfields. Give your thumbs-up to my picks or voice your disagreements in the comments section.

Also Sunday, read my chat with first-year Pittsburgh GM Neal Huntington, the former Indians farm director, on his quest to rebuild the Bucs. We'll also have complete coverage of the Bisons' game in Rochester.

---Mike Harrington

When you go to the All-Star Game, you don't get your midseason break when everyone else does. So after a few days of R&R -- badly needed after enduring the winds of AT&T Park -- I've got a few points stored up:

---Let's start with our pal Barry. Hey, thanks for staging your circus of a press conference in Frisco and getting me on the cover of USA Today in the midst of your media scrum. Now about that home run chase? Are you going to put us all out of our misery sometime this season? Barry's monthly averages: April -- .356-8-17; May -- .194-4-8; June -- .364-4-13; July -- .107-1-4.

He's 0 for his last 21 and homerless since July 3. Still stuck on 751, at least Barry has saved Bud Selig the indignity of having the record broken this weekend in his beloved Milwaukee home. Those Cubs fans have sure gotten their money's worth from him so far, seeing one at-bat in three days. Giants manager Bruce Bochy says Bonds is playing in Thursday's series finale but is no longer playing at all in day games after night games. That almost assures it's going to take No. 25 into August to get the five more home runs he needs to eclipse Hank Aaron. Yawn.

---I've enjoyed the free preview of MLB Extra Innings that cable companies nationwide like Time Warner have been giving this week. Would have been even better to see the Indians-White Sox games, including Tuesday's dramatic, extra-inning thriller that Ryan Garko tied in the ninth with a two-run pinch homer and won in the 11th with an RBI single. Anyone taken my advice from San Francisco and written ol' Bud with a piece of your mind on the Tribe's ridiculous blackout of the home of its Triple-A team? I'm heading to the Jake for next week's games against the Red Sox and maybe I can get someone high up on Chief Wahoo's food chain to finally give me a real answer on this topic.

---ESPN has gotten so full of itself that every single reporter in San Francisco had a good bellylaugh about the fact the network got its "Baseball Tonight" set banished for breaking the TBS embargo on All-Star selections. Speaking of the self-proclaimed worldwide leader, am I the only one sick of SportsCenter's "Who's Now" garbage?

---Bfloblog gave this corner some props Wednesday and we return the favor to our friends in the blogosphere who are a must-read every day. Sure, Kevin & Co. have some quibbles with the mothership at One News Plaza but that's no prob in these eyes. Opinions always keep everyone's passion flowing.

---The Bisons return home for the first time in 12 days when they play Syracuse Friday at 7:35 in the opener of a nine-game homestand (there's a makeup doubleheader Saturday at 5:05). Scranton/Wilkes-Barre is hot, going 7-1 in its last eight games, to knock the Bisons out of first place in the IL North for the first time since May 5. Buffalo suffered its season-high fifth straight loss with Wednesday's 12-inning heartbreaker at Charlotte and the Herd is suddenly 1 1/2 games out.

---Mike Harrington

SAN FRANCISCO -- It took a while to emerge from the chaos that is the bottom level of AT&T Park. Beautiful place for fans, lousy for the media. Press quarters are brutally cramped and they didn't build a lower service level for the clubhouses. The bottom level of seats is on the same plane as the clubhouse so fans, players and media mingle in a huge traffic jam after a game. It's a disaster.

While standing still in the basement, I saw Wheel of Fortune's Pat Sajak walk by. No Vanna. Willie McCovey was being driven out in a golf cart that blocked the entire hallway when Jim Leyland stopped it to say hello. The Japanese media waiting for Ichiro caused another jam.

Leyland got off a couple good wisecracks during his press conference when asked about his relationship with Barry Bonds. Here's one: "He invited me to his party last night but I didn't get the invitation until late so I think he's BSing (he said the whole thing by the way. I'm just abbreviating for a family blog). I don't think he invited me at all."

Leyland also said he'd like to see the DH put into the All-Star Game so there isn't the need for so much double-switching. Good idea.

Tony La Russa has some issues on the homefront because Albert Pujols was chafed he didn't get in the game. "I was ready all night," Pujols said. La Russa claimed he was holding his slugger in case the game went extra innings. Hmmm. Was he sending a message to Pujols about his subpar season?

Things got pretty hairy in the ninth inning for the AL. Players on both teams were at the top step of the dugout and the fans were on their feet. It didn't feel like an exhibition at that point.

The Mays ceremony and Ichiro's inside-the-parker will certainly be remembered for a long time. What were your impressions of this one?

---Mike Harrington

SAN FRANCISCO -- The American League has won another All-Star Game, posting a 5-4 win tonight in AT&T Park. Cleveland catcher and ex-Buffalo Bison Victor Martinez provided the key insurance runs with a two-run pinch homer to left off Mets closer Billy Wagner in the top of the eighth. Alfonso Soriano's two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth of Seattle closer J.J. Putz made it close.

The AL got nervous when Putz walked J.J. Hardy and Francisco Rodriguez issued free passes to Derrek Lee (on a disputed full-count check swing) and Orlando Hudson. K-Rod got Aaron Roward to fly to right for the final out.

The AL is 10-0-1 in the last 11 meetings and has won all five since home-field advantage in the World Series became a reward for the winner in 2003.

Off to the clubhouses.

---Mike Harrington

It's 3-2 American League at the seventh-inning stretch and I've got to make an escape to a workroom: It's starting to rain and I'm not under cover.

Tampa Bay's Carl Crawford belted a two-out solo homer in the top of the sixth on a full-count pitch from Milwaukee's Francisco Cordero to make it 3-1.  The National League got that run back in the bottom of the sixth, and it looked for a split-second like we might have two inside-the-parkers in two innings after none in the first 77 games in all-star history!

New York's Carlos Beltran belted a rocket to right and the carom again tormented an outfielder with Vlad Guerrero looking silly. It was closer to him than Suzuki's ball was to Griffey and Guerrero was able to hold Beltran at third. Griffey drove him in with a line drive sacrifice fly.

---Mike Harrington

SAN FRANCISCO -- Ichiro Suzuki's third hit of the game was a memorable one -- the first inside-the-park home run in All-Star history. He's never even had one in the regular season or postseason for the Mariners!

Suzuki's line drive to deep right with one out in the top of the fifth off San Diego's Chris Young was butchered by Ken Griffey Jr., who watched it strike a banner on the fence in the alley and carom away from him toward the line in right. You can see the MLB.com video of the bizarre play here.

Ichiro burst around the bases and scored standing up to give the AL a 2-1 lead through five. It scored Baltimore's Brian Roberts, rear, who led off with a walk.

Ichiro is 3 for 3 and has been replaced by Torii Hunter. And with rumors abounding that he's about to sign a $100 million extension, that's a pretty good day. Give him the slight MVP lead over Reyes, who is also 3 for 3 after his fifth-inning single.

---Mike Harrington

SAN FRANCISCO -- The fans jumped to their feet and let out quite a yelp when Barry Bonds sent a laser to left off Boston's Josh Beckett in the bottom of the third but the ball was caught a couple steps in front of the fence by Detroit's Magglio Ordonez.

Bonds has left Jose Reyes on base twice; Reyes was at second after an odd double as his cue shot skipped off the lip of the dirt and scooted by a stunned Alex Rodriguez. He was left at third when Ken Griffey Jr. struck out and Bonds has been replaced in left field for the top of the fourth by Alfonso Soriano.

Reyes and Ichiro are both 2 for 2 thus far. Reyes is in the MVP lead with his steal and the game's only run. NL still on top, 1-0, through three.

---Mike Harrington

SAN FRANCISCO -- I couldn't take it anymore. Sit in the stands here at AT&T Park and you don't smell grilled hot dogs or brats like you do in most ballparks. The aroma that wafts all over the place is garlic. Yes, garlic. Gilroy garlic fries are as much a part of this town as chicken wings are in Buffalo or toasted ravioli are in St. Louis.

There's a concession stand right behind the auxiliary media section and I just paid a visit. I pity all of you as I sit here with my garlic fries & cheese/chicken finger combo. Only set me back $9.50. Fair enough. I hear it's pretty warm back home so I can sweat some of this off tomorrow.

Oh yeah, the game. It's still a 1-0 National League lead through two.

---Mike Harrington