Live Blog: 2008 All-Star Game
1:37 a.m. INCREDIBLE!
Michael Young again! He's an all-star beast!
An incredibly-close play at home plate, but his sac-fly to right was JUST deep enough to beat the good throw by Corey Hart and win it for the AL, 4-3 in 15 innings!
And the AL wins, AGAIN! Anyone surprised? That's like 1,500,000 wins in a row for the AL in the Midsummer Classic.
A fitting way to end the game, with a thrilling play at home plate.
Incredible.
The game took 4 hours, 50 minutes.
I kept this live-game-blog for approximately six hours! Six!
And when it all started, I predicted that this game would end in a tie.
I was close.
Yuck...I wrote almost 4,500 words on this live-blog
I think I'm sick.
And if you read every single one of those words...I think you're sick.
I need sleep, too.
More to come tomorrow. I can't process anymore.
I can't.
Last thought: Best all-star game ever? Maybe. Probably at least in my lifetime (although I'm only 22).
1:35 a.m. J.D. Drew has walked! Bases loaded, one out.
For?
Michael Young!
1:33 a.m. Oh boy, again.
Single by Navarro. First and second, one out.
J.D. Drew has his 35th chance to win MVP here...
1:31 a.m. You have got to be kidding me!
GREAT catch by Ryan Ludwick to temporarily, at least, save the day for the NL.
One out, and a man on first.
Up comes Dioner Navarro.
1:30 a.m. Justin Morneau leads off the inning with a single. Oh boy.
1:28 a.m. And the NL has a new pitcher (Brad Lidge) and a new catcher (Brian McCann).
Let's see how this pans out.
1:24 a.m. Kazmir looked dominant to the first two batters (both outs) but he just walked David Wright on four pitches.
But then he got the next guy to ground out.
To the bottom of the 15th!
1:22 a.m. UPDATE: Dan Uggla tonight - 0-4 (3K, DP, 6 LOB) and three errors.
Double ouch!
1:20 a.m. Dan Uggla tonight: 0-3 (2 K's and a DP) and three errors.
OUCH.
1:19 a.m. Statistics update: The NL has struck out 16 times, the AL 17 times.
The NL has left 10 men on base, 15 for the AL.
1:18 a.m. And Longoria just ruined his (and I'm not lying) 1,742nd chance of winning MVP in this game.
To the 15th we go!
1:14 a.m. Words cannot explain how good and exciting this game is.
Brandon Webb comes in and gets a great play from Tejada at short for the first out -- robbing Carlos Guillen's liner.
And now Sizemore just struck out. Two outs. That didn't take long.
1:11 a.m. This game goes into the bottom of the 14th, STILL tied at 3-3.
WAIT.
WAIT.
Let's say this game DOES end in a tie...how is home-field for the World Series determined?
Anyone know??
1:09 a.m. And ANOTHER deep fly (this time, by Martin) but not deep enough to right. Two outs. And up comes Mr. I-am-200-years-old Miguel Tejada.
1:07 a.m. Oh. My. God.
I thought -- and so did everyone else -- that Nate McLouth just hit a go-ahead home run.
But it was not to be. Warning-track power for Mr. McLouth.
Amazing.
1:06 a.m. And if they do win, it's going to have to be in inning No. 14 or later, because Carlos Quentin just struck out to end the 13th.
I need a nap.
1:04 a.m. If the AL wins this game...Dan Uggla should win the MVP.
Yes, you heard me right.
1:03 a.m. Michael Young strikes out looking, but Drew steals second base. Two outs.
12:58 a.m. Carlos Marmol comes in (finally, someone NOT named Aaron Cook) and immediately gets Navarro out.
J.D. Drew up next. MVP? Maybe, but he'll have to earn it later, because he just reached on...get this...Dan Uggla's THIRD ERROR! Third! All in extra innings! He had six all year coming into this game!
12:53 a.m. Corey Hart strikes out. Two out. Ludwick up, and he is retired.
Bottom of the 13th we go!
Hey Clint...pitch someone NOT named Aaron Cook.
12:49 a.m. Leadoff bloop single for David Wright off of Sherrill.
And oh WOW. Guzman bunts, but Sherrill gets the force out at second base.
12:46 a.m. I can't take this any longer.
We're going to the 13th.
How does Aaron Cook keep getting out of these jams??
How?
How?
How?
12:45 a.m. Imagine if this game was in an NL park...this would be brutal. I know I don't want to see pitchers bat here.
Although the way things are going, maybe they are the only ones who COULD get a hit.
12:42 a.m. Close call on a foul ball. And oh my! Longoria struck out! Two outs.
And Morneau is being intentionally walked right now.
First and third, two outs. Kinsler coming up...
I predict a game-winning hit...
12:41 a.m. My lord! The AL is 3-19 with runners in scoring positionand the NL is 0-6. Yikes!
12:39 a.m. Leadoff double by Carlos Guillen (man, he can hit) to start the bottom of the 12th.
Hey Clint...take out Cook! Put in someone else. Please. Jeezes.
And Sizemore rips it to second, effectively bunting over Guillen to third.
One out. Bringing up Evan Longoria.
12:38 a.m. I need a math major to help me figure out how many men both teams have left on base in these last few innings.
And seriously, every player has had like three chances to win this game and win MVP honors.
Does anyone want it?
12:36 a.m. Three pitches! That's all he needed to strike out Adrian Gonzalez.
Yikes! Does anyone want to score.
p.s, I know I'm using too many exclamation points...but my god! What a game!
12:34 a.m. Boy, did I pick a good game to live-blog.
I can't handle this much longer.
George Sherrill is coming in for Soria with two outs and the bases loaded in the 12th...
12:31 a.m. Can Uggla atone for his Uggla-ness from earlier??
Umm...NO!
Uggla looks foolish as Soria just dropped a FILTHY curveball. And I do mean, FILTHY!
Credit to 'Uggla-ness' goes to my buddy Jeff.
12:29 a.m. What are you doing Justin Morneau??
McLouth (who is seconds away from winning MVP), just bunted Ludwick over to second...but wait! Morneau nonchalantly shovels it over to first and everyone is SAFE!
And now Martin bunts, and Morneau messed up again! Looked like it was going to go foul if he let it go.
Second and third, one out now.
Intentional pass to Tejada, setting bases loaded and one out for...Dan Uggla!
He could seriously redeem himself here.
12:28 a.m. Soria still in, and he starts things off vicariously by walking Ryan Ludwick.
12:22 a.m. Wrong call again!!!!!!!!
Live-blog can't do this justice right now.
I hope you just saw that.
I really do.
Nate McLouth just gunned down Navarro at the plate for the second out after Michael Young singled.
This is incredible. It appears to have been the wrong call, as it looked like Navarro got under the tag.
And Carlos Quentin grounded out to third (nice play by Guzman, who isn't a third baseman) to end the inning.
This is insane! To the 12th we go!
12:20 a.m. J.D. Drew singles. First and second, one out. Bringing up Michael Young, who certainly has some experience being the hero in an all-star game.
12:18 a.m. Never tagged him!
Again, the umpire gets the call wrong at second base.
Kinsler gunned down at second on the steal attempt, albeit, it was the wrong call. Nice pitchout, though! Hey, Clint Hurdle did something right!
Navarro walks after all that. Guy still on first, but now one out.
12:15 a.m. Ian Kinsler leads off with a single in the bottom of the 11th off of Cook.
Hello!
Clint Hurdle, are you there?
Brad Lidge is waiting in the bullpen.
Put him in!
12:11 a.m. Cristian Guzman flies out to center for the second out. Corey Hart flies out as well.
Again, the AL has a chance to take this one, before, dare I saw it, we end in another tie. Ha!
12:10 a.m. David Wright strikes out for the first out.
12:08 a.m. Leadoff single by Adrian Gonzalez in the 11th off of Joakim Soria.
12:04 a.m. Aren't we glad that we stayed up past our bedtimes??
Bases loaded, no outs.
Grady Sizemore? Can't get it done.
Evan Longoria? Can't get it done.
Justin Morneau? Can't get it done.
Dan Uggla made two errors in the inning, Two. And somehow, no one scores off of arguably the worst pitcher in the game and arguably the worst managing decision of the night (not putting in a strikeout artist like Brad Lidge into the game).
This is special.
We go to the 11th!
I smell a tie...
12:03 a.m. Evan Longoria with a chance to play hero???
Grounds out for the force play at home!
AMAZING.
Two outs. Bases still loaded.
Up comes Justin Morneau.
12:02 a.m. Man, this game isn't lacking for drama, is it?
Sizemore grounds out for a force play at home. Uggla made the play! No errors! Look mom!
12:00 a.m. Infield in. Outfield in. Bases loaded, no out after an intentional walk.
Up comes Grady Sizemore.
11:59 p.m. AHHHHH! Put in Brad Lidge!
You NEED a strikeout, and you NEED it badly.
Aaron Cook is NOT going to get it,
NOT.
NOT.
11:56 p.m. And the downfall of Dan Uggla's career has begun.
Kidding.
But he is costing his team the all-star game.
He makes an error on Michael Young's grounder, to lead off the inning. And that comes after he hit into an inning-ending double play in the 10th with runners on first and third and one out off of Rivera.
And OH MY GOSH, he does it AGAIN!
This time, off the bat of Carlos Quentin. First and third, no out!
Blame Uggla, blame Hurdle. Why isn't Lidge pitching>>
11:53 p.m. Speaking of incredible, Mariano gets a nice 4-6-3 DP off the bat of Dan Uggla.
Still tied! We head to the bottom of the 10th, as the AL has its second chance to win it.
11:50 p.m. Incredible. We all knew it's been like 1,567 years since the NL has won one of these games, but the last time was during the first year of Joe Torre's tenure as Yankees skipper.
Crazy.
And speaking of crazy, someone actually got a hit off of Rivera!
Oh my.
Make that two hits.
First and third, one out after a lucky hit-and-run by Tejada-Martin,
11:47 p.m. FILTHY. Mariano paints the corner to Nate McLouth, for strike three and the first out. So filthy.
11:44 p.m. Nobody loves stats more than me, but sometimes they mean absolutely NOTHING.
The NL is 9-0-1 all-time in all-star games that go into extra-innings.
Take it for what it's worth...which is nothing.
11:43 p.m. I predicted before the game started (and I was serious) that this game would result in a tie.
Who's crazy now?
Looking more likely by the second,
11:42 p.m. Alright. I am wrong from time-to-time (although, quite rare) and an apology from me to both Ryan Dempster and Clint Hurdle are in order.
I'm sorry.
11:39 p.m. Ian Kinsler strikes out to start the inning, while Dioner Navarro strikes out as well. Two outs. And up comes...J.D. Drew. Hmm.
11:36 p.m. For the 100th time tonight, I am going to question Clint Hurdle.
It's nothing personal, I swear.
I just think Brad Lidge is the MUCH better option here than Ryan Dempster.
11:32 p.m. I love baseball.
Classic Mariano: the batter knew EXACTLY what was coming...and STILL couldn't hit it. NO chance.
And Navarro makes up a bit for his prior mistake and throws out the runner for the strike 'em out, throw 'em out double play.
We head to the last of the ninth inning...tied 3-3 at Yankee Stadium.
Doesn't get much better than this, does it?
11:27 p.m. Well, I was close. Enter Sandman...except with one out in the ninth, not two.
Half-credit?
11:23 p.m. Hmm. In comes Francisco Rodriguez. Now, does Terry Francona put in Mariano Rivera in this inning? Because if he doesn't...this game could end in the bottom of the ninth without him pitching at all.
My guess? Rivera comes in with two outs in the ninth so he has a chance of winning the ball game.
Because he can't save the game now. That would be impossible.
11:16 p.m. Grady Sizemore singled off of Wagner and then stole second, and the rookie, Evan Longoria (who needs Eva??) comes up with a big, two-out, two-strike double down the left field line to tie the score at 3-3.
Looks like the fans correctly voted him in as the 32nd man to the AL roster. And looks like I was right...Billy Wagner is stinking up the joint these last few weeks and it continues in the all-star game.
We head to the ninth, all tied
This is awesome!
11:12 p.m. Absolute GAS from Wilson. Blew it right past Carlos Guillen for the second out of the inning.
He certainly did HIS job.
(Cut to my buddy eating crow now...)
In comes Billy Wagner now. And the way he's been pitching lately, there still may be a crooked number on that scoreboard this half-inning.
11:08 p.m. My buddy Jeff got his wish. He wants the AL to win, and he thinks it's a lock that they will assuming Hurdle inserts Brian Wilson into the game.
And lo and behold, in comes Wilson.
And a crooked number on the scoreboard, my friend firmly believes.
We shall see.
11:03 p.m. A single, stolen base and a throwing error by Navarro has set up the NL with a runner on third and one out. And Adrian Gonzalez promptly drives him in with a sac-fly to left.
NL back in front, 3-2.
10:59 p.m. As Jonathan Papelbon comes in, let's check out a few stories...
- Papelbon-Rivera mini-controversy (man, the media will blow up ANYTHING!)
- Papelbon's wife threatened at parade by Yankees fans
There. I said it.
Sue me.
10:53 p.m. Who needs a sac-fly when you have J.D. Drew to hit a two-run home run in his first career all-star at-bat?
And my god, the crowd erupted when he hit it!
Drew plays for Boston.
I repeat, Boston. Not New York.
Wow.
Score is tied, 2-2, after seven.
I'm telling you. We're going to have a tie...
10:51 p.m. FILTHY pitch to Dioner Navarro for a called third strike. Which is big, because the AL will have to get a hit off of Volquez if they hope to score in the 7th. Navarro blew the chance for a sac-fly to cut the lead to one.
10:46 p.m. Rude awakening for Edinson Volquez by Justin Morneau, who laced a leadoff double to open the bottom of the 7th inning.
This wouldn't have happened it someone had listened to me in the 6th...
I'm talking to YOU Clint Hurdle!
10:40 p.m. Honestly...good luck scoring again, NL.
The AL can trump out Joe Nathan, Francisco Rodriguez, Jonathan Papelbon and Mariano Rivera in the final three innings.
That's a joke.
Enter Sandman x 4.
10:37 p.m. Joe Nathan is on the mound for the AL in the 7th. They just said his 90% conversion rate for saves is 2nd all-time (with at least 200 save opportunities).
Who the heck is first? How do they NOT tell us?
That angers me greatly.
10:33 p.m. Well maybe Hurdle knew what he was doing, Once again, the AL fails to score. Haren works around Hamilton's leadoff single and his stolen base a batter later.
But we're still in a fight, Clint.
10:29 p.m. Dammit, Clint Hurdle. You just jipped the American People. How do you NOT pitch Edinson Volquez against Josh Hamilton to lead off the 6th inning??
Why does Dan Haren need to pitch another inning? There are a bunch of pitchers that need to get in here.
But forget about that...I want to see Hamilton vs. Volquez!
10:28 p.m. Fine. Texas, you don't need to send Josh Hamilton to AAA. He just got a hit. About time.
10:24 p.m. Justin Duchscherer --way too many letters there, although I'm really not one to talk...my last name is longer -- just got out of the jam, NL leads, 2-0, as we head to the bottom of the 6th.
10:21 p.m. Derek Jeter was just interviewed by Kevin Kennedy, and they talked about George Steinbrenner. Jeter said something about when you think of the Yankees, you think of Steinbrenner, and you don't think of many owners like that in baseball.
All true.
But a year from now, when I think of the Chicago Cubs...I want to think of Mark Cuban.
Please, MLB, let that man buy the Cubs. Please.
10:20 p.m. Deep fly off the bat of Lance "Big Puma" Berkman, good for a sac-fly and a 2-0 lead for the NL.
10:18 p.m. OK, good pitching beats all good hitting, except for when that hitter is named Hanley Ramirez and Chase Utley. First and third, no out.
10:14 p.m. Honestly, if anyone can help me keep track of all these changes to the lineups, your services are sorely needed.
My head hurts.
10:11 p.m. A single, stolen base and a walk, but once again, no runs for the AL. The NL still leads, 1-0, after five complete at Yankee Stadium.
10:03 p.m. When you're struggling to get hits that badly, you take what you can get.
Joe Mauer is taking that gift of a single.
10:01 p.m. Dan Haren started for the AL in the all-star game last year. Now he's pitching for the NL in the 5th inning the following season. You don't see that often.
Memo to GM's: don't trade him.
Which reminds me, that Rich Harden trade was ABOMINABLE on the A's part. Billy Beane is basically never wrong, but I can't defend him on this one.
Embarrassing.
9:53 p.m. Before the start of the 5th inning, my buddy Jeff said "This will be the inning for the NL."
Looks like he's correct; 1-0 NL after Matt Holliday smokes a home run to right.
9:49 p.m. WOW. Who does Milton Bradley think he is? Rickey Henderson? Lou Brock? Ichiro?
He just got leaning towards second (presumably to steal another base) and Big Z had other ideas.
Through four innings, 0-0.
9:48 p.m. You gotta hand it to Manny sometimes. He sure knows how to have fun.
And apparently, so does Carlos Zambrano, who just threw a 60 MPH curveball that intentionally went over the head of Manny.
Both had laughs, and so did I watching on TV. Love it.
9:39 p.m. I may be in the minority here, but I'll take a pitchers' duel, and a great defensive play (or throw, like we just got from Ichiro in right field...what else is new?) ANY day over a high-scorer.
Although games like THESE certainly are fun, aren't they?
By the way, Albert Pujols was safe on that play. But the throw beat the runner, and that's all the umpire ever seems to care about...
9:34 p.m. Ichiro leads off with a single, but Jeter hits into a double play and Hamilton grounds out. Scoreless after three.
9:27 p.m. Hanley Ramirez takes a look back at the home plate umpire after a borderline 2-0 pitch is called a strike on the outside corner.
I want to see a player get thrown out in an all-star game.
My money is on Milton Bradley!
Which brings me to my next point...if your last name is Bradley...you CANNOT name your kid Milton!
And we wonder why he randomly goes crazy sometimes!?
9:25 p.m. It may be a bit difficult to understand him, but listening to Yogi Berra (and his Yogi-isms) is a treat.
9:22 p.m. Need something to read during innings?
Look no further than the man who inspired the title of this blog, and well, inspired me...
Mr. Peter Gammons
STILL the man.
9:20 p.m. Sheets walks two, but no damage is done as the score remains 0-0 after two. Well done by both Cliff Lee and Sheets.
Moral of the story?
Good pitching beats good hitting EVERY SINGLE TIME!
9:11 p,m. I can guarantee that Ben Sheets' curveball on strike three to Manny Ramirez will be featured on the "That's Nasty" segment on baseball tonight after the game.
9:03 p.m. He's not going to hit .400 (nor will anyone anytime soon) but Chipper Jones is still really good. Too bad that single up the middle doesn't count (because the slacker is only hitting .378 right now).
9:00 p.m. One inning complete, 0-0.
I love watching good pitching and we got plenty of that tonight.
While we're waiting for the second inning, take a look at Bud Selig trying to take away the spotlight tonight from the all-star game and the special pre-game ceremony with all the hall-of-famers.
8:57 p.m. Hamilton just struck out!? He should be benched. He can't hit a lick.
8:56 p.m. Derek Jeter just singled the other way at Yankee Stadium.
Like he's never done that before.
And he just stole second.
The man knows how to play baseball.
8:54 p.m. Ichiro just flew out to right for the first out.
Which got me to thinking...
Who doesn't want to see Ichiro in a home run derby? Tell me he wouldn't hit at LEAST five in every round. I'm serious.
He would have murdered the short porch in right field last night, Maybe not Josh Hamilton-esque, but it would have been impressive and fun to watch.
8:50 p.m. Hmm. Chase Utley strikes out on four pitches, as well. AL must have a better lineup. This game is over.
Berkman flies out to end the inning, and Lee didn't strike out the side. What a slacker.
8:48 p.m. Hanley Ramirez struck out on four pitches to start the game...maybe that lineup isn't as good as we thought...
8:46 p.m. Advantage already for the NL: Ryan Braun is hitting SEVENTH! I'm going to go out on a limb and say that's a pretty good lineup the NL has this year.
8:45 p.m. And the answer is...
NOBODY!
Gotta love Bud Selig!
8:44 p.m. While we wait for the game to start, let's have a trivia question: Who won the all-star game MVP in 2002?
Answer shortly, and no cheating!
8:34 p.m. Love him or hate him, you have to appreciate a moment like this as George "The Boss" Steinbrenner is carted onto the field to deliver the ball to the five Yankees hall-of-famers to throw out the ceremonial first pitch.
My buddy Jeff (an avid Red Sox fan, and Steinbrenner hater...how original!) just said the following: "Chuck Knoblauch should have thrown out the first pitch and knocked someone out in the stands."
He may be biased, but that's funny (and probably true).
8:32 p.m. All the hall-of-famers on the field tonight just converged on the pitchers' mound...how would you like to be a photographer there at that moment?
8:24 p.m. As the starting lineups are being announced, let's take a look at who SHOULD be starting for both the AL and the NL.
And it should have been ME, not 1,000,000,000 fans that decided this...
8:14 p.m. Now THIS is special...
Major League Baseball just honored a laundry list of living hall-of-famers. That is one talented ball field.
This has to be a special moment for all involved: the fans, the current players and the hall-of-famers. This is what baseball and the history of the game is all about. Perfect night to be doing this.
If you didn't get goosebumps when they introduced guys like Willie Mays and Hank Aaron...than there is something vastly wrong with you.
Pitchers: Steve Carlton, Dennis Eckersley, Bob Feller, Rollie Fingers, Bob Gibson, Ferguson Jenkins, Juan Marichal, Phil Niekro, Jim Palmer, Gaylord Perry, Robin Roberts, Bruce Sutter, Don Sutton, Goose Gossage, Whitey Ford
First base: Orlando Cepeda, Harmon Killebrew, Eddie Murray, Tony Perez, Willie McCovey
Second base: Rod Carew, Bill Mazeroski, Ryne Sandberg
Third base: Brooks Robinson, Mike Schmidt, George Brett, Wade Boggs
Shortstop: Luis Aparacio, Ozzie Smith, Robin Yount, Ernie Banks, Cal Ripken, Jr.
Designated hitter: Paul Molitor
Catcher: Gary Carter, Yogi Berra
Outfield: Lou Brock, Billy Williams, Ralph Kiner, Willie Mays, Tony Gwynn, Al Kaline, Frank Robinson, Dave Winfield, Hank Aaron, Reggie Jackson
Managers: Earl Weaver, Tommy Lasorda, Dick Williams
Front office: Lee McPhail
8:11 p.m. For more on All-Star Game history, click HERE.
8:09 p.m. There are a lot of storylines in this all-star game, but the one that sticks out in my mind most is the recent futility -- and I do mean futility -- of the National League in these games.
Take a look...
2007: AL wins
2006: AL wins
2005: AL wins
2004: AL wins
2003: AL wins
2002: TIE (SO stupid...thanks Bud)
2001: AL wins
2000: AL wins
1999: AL wins
1998: AL wins
1997: AL wins
...Sense a theme here?
WAIT! There IS a pattern: AL wins five years in a row; a tie; AL wins five years in a row; a tie???
Predicted final score: 5-5 (hey, yiu heard it here first!)
Good thing Selig is still the commissioner, because he can make it happen.
8:00 p.m. Unless Josh Hamilton hits for the cycle AND hits a walk-off grand slam in the ninth inning, this All-Star Game can't possibly top last night.
Ask me.
Ask Jayson Stark (the best baseball writer on this planet).
Ask anyone.
What Hamilton did in the home run derby is something that I will NEVER forget.
If the 2008 All-Star Game is just 1/10 as good, we're in for a treat. And in case we are -- or even if we aren't -- I'll be here the whole way to provide commentary, analysis, thoughts and other useless tidbits.
Check back in a second for all-star links, lineups and more...
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