My 2009 MLB All-Star Game diary

July 15, 6:11 PMSan Francisco Giants ExaminerTheo Fightmaster

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President Obama and Albert Pujos after the first pitch. Haraz N Ghanbari, AP

The MLB All-Star game is bar none the best All-Star game in professional sports. The Pro-Bowl couldn’t be worse, in part because it’s the week immediately after the Super Bowl. The NBA ASG (All-Star Game) is quasi interesting, at least if it’s close in the fourth quarter. And the NHL? Well, I’ll be honest, I barely even watch the NHL playoffs, so their game has little going for it from my perspective.

With that said, I wanted to document my viewing experience of the 80th MLB ASG. The pomp and circumstances are half the attraction, but in recent years it’s gotten a bit out of control with 45 minute on field ceremonies. Let’s see…

5:00 pm: Last year’s pregame ceremony seemed to last about 12 minutes longer than the 15 inning game. So hopefully Fox and St. Louis can turn it up a bit. Let’s see…

Wow, Joe Buck is already introducing the AL, and getting on my nerves…

That Nathan guy from Minnesota looks familiar….

I wonder if anybody on that chalk line knows who Andrew Bailey is?

Ryan Franklin may challenge Brian Wilson for gnarliest looking NL closer. That beard reminds me of the Family Guy episode where Peter let’s the bird build a nest in his beard, and hatch her eggs…

There’s our boy! Matt Cain could have been standing out there amongst the games best if he had a little better luck the past three seasons. The guy is 10-2 this season, and is having a remarkable year. Too bad he can’t pitch tonight…

I think Roy Halladay should just wear the American league practice jersey…

The home French vanilla looks funny on Timmy in another ballpark…time for his coming out party…

Sheryl Crow is singing the anthem? Did she just win American Idol? I thought it was a prerequisite of a Fox Sports telecast to cram Idol winners down our throat? What’s the over under? I’m saying 2:35, and taking the over…Under, 2:07, I’m a looosah… What no ‘Oh Canada?” Justin Morneau must be peeved (he actually was).

Stan the Man Musial and Barack Obama in a pre-game ceremony; a very cool and significant moment. What do you think Musial is thinking? This man made his MLB debut the same season Jackie Robinson did. Now he’s on the field with a black President … Lot’s of loud cheering, definitely some boos… just hoping for a strike from the Prez…what was that angle all about? Looked kind of clunky, sounds like it made it in the air...

Back to Musial, it seems like each year the host team tries to recreate that great moment with Ted Williams in Boston in ’99. It just won’t be matched: that was amazing. In 2007 the Giants rightfully celebrated Willie Mays, but he’s hopefully going to be around a while longer. Last year the Yankees trotted out Steinbrenner, not quite the same...

Top one: Okay, it’s Timmy Time. First mission: Ichiro, Jeter, Mauer… Uh-oh, I thought Ichiro just went yard… two strikes, that’s our boy…is his velocity down, 91?...a two strike knock on a hanging change-up, but at least he broke a bat…Is Joe Buck the only guy who calls Ichiro “Suzuki?” I think so…

Quick 0-2 on Jeter. Every time I look at that guy it feels like a big event…ouch! Jeter just got hit, looks like it was off-speed at least. Well, it’s an improvement on 2003 when Jason Schmidt nailed Edgar Martinez in the head in Chicago…2 on no outs, this is odd… Not used to seeing a nervous Tim Lincecum…
 
Maier squibs one in front of the plate, nice play Yadier! Could have been two.

“Louie Albert Pujols,” as Tim McCarver apparently calls him, just booted a ball, letting Jeter score: the NL is already down 1-0… Here’s McCarver explaining some inside baseball, teaching us about infield defense (I guess all these guys have silly nicknames for each other, like Louis, or Pete)

McCarver: “a lot of times the second baseman will have a signal with the first baseman, he’ll call his name, ‘Louie’ – ‘Albert’ – ‘Pujols,’ whatever sign it is…”

I feel like there is a lot of much under utilized comedic opportunities with Albert’s name. I guess he’s just too good a guy, and people are more mature than me …

… Another ground ball, another run. Tim didn’t break for first right away, probably couldn’t have gotten Josh Hamilton anyway… 2-0 AL, well, Tim may get some national recognition if he gets tagged with the loss… Hamilton is another great story…

Bottom one: Pujols is the most revered player in the game. What a great moment for those fans to have him showcasing their organization this week… God, I hope he’s clean… Nice play, Michael Young. That was a seed that Pujols hit, an All-Star play...

Top two: Inning two for Timmy; 8, 9, and 1. Halladay got the team-less jersey memo in time to wear a non-team specific helmet. Looks like he took the sticker off of Evan Longoria’s Rays helmet... I guess Halladay didn’t bring a helmet, he may not even own one…13 pitches for Lincecum, three up three down; looks like his nerves have subsided: onto the second half - Tim get’s the ball Friday in Pittsburgh…

Joe Buck is selling Budweiser in between innings. He’s so charismatic. I’m so glad HBO gave him a venue where he can show off his great intellect and humor. I can’t wait for more witty repartee between him and Artie Lange… It’s too bad nobody has given him a shot before HBO. If only he had an avenue to connect with millions and millions of audience members besides the thousands of hours a year of national sports telecasts. Kudos HBO…

Bottom two: Obama is in the booth w/ Tim and Joe. He says he doesn’t “hate the Cubs”…can’t really blame him. What have they done worth hating? ... Just saw the angle from center on Obama’s throw, a little loopy, not a baseball player…Pujols picked him up though…

NL threatening with Baby Bengie (Yadier Molina), let’s get Tim off the hook. Not looking good 0-2, 2 outs…single to center, game tied, that a babe…Tim’s night is over, here comes Prince Fielder… Fielder just put him in line for the win with a pinch hit double. NL up 3 -2. The Giants may indeed have home field in the World Series after all...Obama, McCarver and Buck all came across well in that half inning. Who would have thought it would take a President to get Joe Buck to dial it back a bit, nice banter all around...

Top 3: Yes, Ryan Franklin is doing something very special with his beard. I hope he knows Harry Potter is down to the last book, and I think they found a replacement for Dumbledore. That has to be the worst beard since these guys (click, click, click, click) sorry for that last one...

Bottom 3: I’m still not sure why the A’s traded Dan Haren? The guy flat out carves. To put up those types of numbers in AZ is pretty extraordinary…

Bottom 4: Zack Greinke is in for the AL. He’s another good story with all he’s been through. But is social anxiety disorder just this years’ sports hernia, or turf-toe, or plantar fasciitis? Dontrelle Willis and Khalil Greene are both suffering from similar emotional ailments…

Top 5: “Imagine how fast he’d be if he’d pull his pants up?” Joe Buck on Carl Crawford. I’ll leave the interpretation up to you…

Interestingly enough, Derek Jeter and I share something in common. No, it’s not our athletic build, and good looks; Chris Webber made both of us cry. Jeter cried when Webber called timeout in the NCAA finals, I cried for the 15 years after he forced his way out of Golden State. Oh and I cried again when I heard he wouldn’t be releasing a second rap album…

Billingsley coughs up the lead: Joe Maier just doubled home Jeter; it’s now 3-3…

Top 6: Just got a text from my cousin, Gabe; “Pujols = filthy.” Yes he is. Wait? Is Gabe tapping into the unused comedy we spoke about earlier? I’m not sure.

Joe Buck just said “that’s G.” more evidence that Gatorade’s re-branding efforts are failing miserably. And please, a note to the Jabbawockeez; get out of my life.

Bottom 7: is the NL team channeling the rest of the Giants offense in a tribute to Pablo Sandoval being left off the team? No hits since the second…Brad Hawpe just got robbed by Carl Crawford. It looked like for a second that Hawpe had just taken Papelbon deep…
… What’s with that grainy shot of the pitcher from behind home? Is this fox’s idea of reminding us what life was like pre-HD? Leave it to Fox to put cameras in the ground, microphones in the bases, and Buck and McCarver in the booth…

Top 8: Just got another text from Gabe; “is Bell really a baseball player?” Well he does have an atypical body, but I’m not going to judge him…Curtis Granderson just tripled, and now they’re walking Victor Martinez intentionally? Oh, yeah, I forgot, this time it counts…Adam Jones is one of the most impressive young players in the game… Sac fly, 4-3 American League. Game over? Probably so… Bell is on pace to be the third Padre in the last four years to get the loss in the ASG… Stay terrible, San Diego…

Yoooouuuuuke flat out rakes. But his .298 average seems lower than I would have expected. I guess he must have really been struggling of late… I heard that his brother has a restaurant in San Francisco…

Bottom 8: Joe Nathan is in; I swear the Giants used to have a tall right handed kid named Nathan. He started and pitched in relief, but I don’t think he ever made it anywhere. He lacked the mental toughness to pitch at this level… got a text from my mom; "Nathan is a beast." She's right.

… Here comes Ryan Howard with a chance to tie it up or give the NL the lead. Runners at the corners, two down…first pitch was in on the hands from Nathan…Howard is a St. Louis native… Oooh, another one blown past Howard at the letters, 0 and 2…popped foul…O-Dog steals second, a single could give the NL the lead…Howard just swung at a filthy slide piece in the dirt. If I’m the Twins I’m holding on to this Nathan kid, he looks good.

Top 9: K-Rod in…Mariano Rivera and his 500 plus saves is in the bullpen for the bottom half.  Justin Marceau just crushed one to center, but a very nice play by Jason Werth ends the inning. I’m guessing Panda would not have made that play.

Bottom 9: Mo in looking to save the game, and break his tie with Dennis Eckersley for career ASG saves; they both have three…Justin Upton ground ball to short, one out…Brad Hawpe, looking silly, k’s... Mo is unbelievable…Miguel Tejada is my last hope… He’s been pretty much a singles hitter since 2005…a pop up from Tejada to Zobrist does it… does that sound like an All-star game combination to you?

Carl Crawford the MVP….first defensive MVP?… he gets a Chevy I think, just what every millionaire athlete wants.  Did he just call Obama ‘Osamabam?’ The rhetoric is working, keep fighting the fight, you Glenn Beck’s of the world…Crawford just seems like a really nice guy who was a little overwhelmed. He gets my benefit of the doubt...

Time of game 2:31 minutes, Winner is Papelbon, loser is Bell, Save goes to Rivera…Now It’s onto the second half: the Giants have a tough stretch here, it’s make or break time as 24 of the next 37 games will be on the road. This may be the most important stretch of their entire season.