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 h
ero 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

And now Papelbon, is getting berated by the Yankees fans. Love it. Hate New York, Hate Boston.

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…

11:10 p.m. Although brooms aren’t allowed at Wrigley Field, the sweep is on for the Cubs over the South Siders. Cubs win, 7-1. Dempster is now 9-0 in 10 starts at home this season. Who knew?

Amazingly, the Cubs have won 14 straight home games — the first time they’ve done so in 72 years.

BUT, there’s a certain something they haven’t done in 100 years…

I don’t need to say it.

OK, OK, I PROMISE that was the last time.

Because I am DONE.

11:01 p.m. When you’re struggling, you need to get a hit any way you can. And Nick Swisher will certainly take that little squibber down the 3B line that hit the bag while Ramirez was trying to let it go foul.

And that will do it for Dempster…who gets a huge ovation.

Former White Sox Bobby Howry will come in with runners on 1st and 2nd and nobody out.

11:00 p.m. Dye leads off a single. Dempster could use another one of those trusty double play balls to help him complete this game.

10:53 p.m. Eric Patterson continues to make me look bad — granted, that’s not all that tough to do — he now has two hits and two walks. He showed off his blazing speed with that infield hit…and now around the bases as D-Lee ropes a double into the gap.

Cubs now lead 7-1.

10:49 p.m. You know it’s a good night when you ground out weakly to shortstop and STILL get a resounding ovation from the crowd.

10:47 p.m. Speaking of leaving Dempster in, he is hitting for himself to lead off the bottom of the 8th off of White Sox closer Bobby Jenks.

I love it. Dempster probably told Lou that he was staying in. He’s still only thrown 96 pitches. He should be allowed to finish what he started.

10:45 p.m. Thome leads off the inning with a pinch-hit double, but is stranded there as Dempster shuts the White Sox down once again.

Lou Piniella came out to the mound at one point, And Dempster just looked at him as if to say, “No way in hell are you taking me out right now.”

Piniella acquisced and left him in. Good decision.

10:35 p.m. On his 43rd pitch of the inning, Dotel gets out of the jam. Throwing 43 pitches and allowing only one run in an inning is NOT easy to pull off.

And now his arm is probably about to FALL off.

6-1 Cubs after seven complete.

10:32 p.m. Crede can’t handle the tough hop on a hard-hit grounder by DeRosa. Crede charged with the error (his 14th…which amazes because he’s easily one of the best fielding 3rd baseman in the AL).

The bases are loaded and Dotel has seemingly thrown more pitches in this one inning than Dempster has in seven.

10:31 p.m. Geovany Soto just missed hitting a three-run home run. At this point, it probably doesn’t even matter.

Holy moly,..Dotel has thrown over 30 pitches this inning, but has only given up the one run. So far, that is. That could change in a hurry.

10:26 p.m. The 7th inning stretch passed, and I forgot to say what I had for dinner. But nobody guessed, so it doesn’t matter.

(That Ramen tasted oh-so-good)

10:23 p.m. And Dotel is giving his best Vazquez impression…walking Derrek Lee and giving up an extra-base hit to Ramirez to score another (this time, just a double. Man is he slumping!) Cubs lead, 6-1.

And another walk! Although this time, Dotel was ordered to do so by manager Ozzie Guillen.

10:16 p.m. Octavio Dotel comes in for Vazquez to start the 7th.

If the Cubs prevail in this one, they will have won 8-of-9 from the White Sox in the last two seasons. These teams meet again next weekend in the South Side.

Entering THIS series, these teams were tied head-to-head in Interleague Play. Cubs now on top.

But still without a World Series title in 100 years. OK, I promise that was the last time.

10:13 p.m. Dye stays scorching hot with a double down the LF line to lead off the inning. Swisher just misses one down the RF line, barely foul. DeRosa then makes a diving stop to his right, robbing Swisher of a single, but moving the runner to 3rd.

Crede laces the first pitch up the middle — almost taking the head off of Dempster — to give the White Sox their first run of the night.

Wise jumps all over the first pitch, too, but hits it right to Edmonds in center.

Ramirez hits one a mile high to left, but Patterson camps under it for the third out, leaving Thome and his 500+ homers on deck.

10:04 p.m. Vazquez does his best Dempster impression, setting down the opposing side in order. Cubs still ahead, 5-0, after six.

This look good one inning, look awful the next is really holding true in this one for Javier.

9:56 p.m. Aside from a great battle from Pierzynski, Dempster makes real quick work of the White Sox in the Top of the 6th.

Stop me if you’ve heard this before tonight: Dempster cruises through the inning, while Vazquez looks great for an inning then walks everyone and serves up the long ball.

9:49 p.m. Inning over, but the damage is done. 5-0 Cubs.

White Sox fans, don’t fret. The Cubs still haven’t won a World Series since 1908. Jeez, isn’t it tough that you haven’t won since…oh, 2005?

9:47 p.m. Or a walk. Yes, a walk. Only five now for Vazquez.

9:46 p.m. Edmonds strikes out for the second out. You know what that means? Soto is going to hit a home run here…

9:44 p.m. D-Lee strikes out.

Aramis Ramirez goes big-fly on the very next pitch. 5-0 Cubs. Just when you think Vazquez is back on track, think again…

Ramirez has four homers in the three-game series. Yikes.

9:42 p.m. Apparently Eric Patterson heard my criticisms earlier in this blog.

I was poking fun, saying he’d be no good just because his brother is Corey Patterson.

He just cranked a two-run shot off Vazquez to give the Cubs a 4-0 lead. 

9:39 p.m. Things just aren’t going Javier’s way, but he’s not helping himself with his lack of control and consistency.

He had Fukudome 1-2, but drilled him in the elbow on a 90+ MPH heater to start the inning.

First time Fukudome has been hit ALL SEASON in over 300 plate appearances. Welcome to the bigs!

9:35 p.m. Dewayne Wise is doing everything he can to spark the offense, but his teammates keep messing it up.

Wise leads off with a beautiful bunt single but Ramirez hits into yet ANOTHER — that’s three in five innings now — White Sox double play.

Vazquez couldn’t do much better at the dish, popping out to end Top of the 5th. The South Siders keep quelling their own rallies.

9:30 p.m. Vazquez allows just a single, and the score remains 2-0 after four.

9:25 p.m. Doesn’t matter how many jams Vazquez gets out of at this point if Dempster keeps dealin’. Dye gets robbed at third by Ramirez, Swisher struck out looking and Ramirez made another nice play to nab his third base counterpart in Joe Crede.

9:22 p.m. For those scoring at home, take a guess what I made for dinner.

Hint: I am a college student.

Answer to come during 7th inning stretch.

9:19 p.m. Vazquez works around the two walks in the third, score remains 2-0 after three innings. The White Sox almost messed up Edmonds’ easy popup, with Wise and Cabrera nearly colliding. Someone forgot to teach them to call for it.

9:17 p.m. With two out and nobody on, Vazquez walks Ramirez. He’s now walked four and has thrown 57 pitches in 2.2 innings. Not good.

9:16 p.m. And all those throws over paid off! Patterson thrown out at second on the steal attempt. He’s looking more and mo
re like his brother by the day!

9:14 p.m. Vazquez has thrown over to first about 50 times now in the last few minutes to check on Patterson. Which is great for me, because I’m trying to cook dinner right now and not miss anything.

9:11 p.m. Here we go again? Vazquez walks Patterson on four pitches to lead off the inning. The fourth pitch almost drilled Patterson. So much for the strong second inning from Vazquez…

9:05 p.m. I hate watching pitchers hit…it’s ugly. Vazquez K’s. Cabrera follows with his second single of the night, and Pierzynski narrowly misses hitting into the 3rd White Sox double play in three innings.

But it doesn’t matter, because Quentin makes the third out on a comebacker to Dempster.

9:00 p.m. Vazquez looked extrely sharp this time around, striking out Fukudome looking to end the 2nd inning. Still 2-0 Cubs.

8:56 p.m. Crede starts the inning with a nice play at third to rob DeRosa of at least a single. But Theriot counters with a broken-bat flair that nobody can come up with on a nasty 1-2 pitch.

On a side note, the error was changed from Wise to Cabrera as expected. One of the runs charged to Vazquez in the first inning was unearned.

8:48 p.m. Dewayne Wise is trying to get the inning started on his own. He singles up the middle and promptly steals second base on the first pitch to Ramirez. But Ramirez grounds out to end the inning.

8:46 p.m. But this time Swisher draws a leadoff walk…let’s see if the White Sox can capitalize on it like the Cubs did in the previous half inning.

And as I say that, it is now impossible that they do. Crede grounds into the second double play in as many innings for the South Siders.

8:43 p.m. Vazquez escapes further trouble, thanks to Swisher bailing out Cabrera with a nice stretch at first base. But the White Sox trail, 2-0, and Vazquez had to throw 30 pitches and exert a lot of energy in the first.

Swisher sure as heck hasn’t bailed out his team this year at the plate (hitting .235).

8:38 p.m. D-Lee steals 2nd base. Cubs now have two steals, and scored two on the hit-and-run on Lee’s base hit. They are certainly aggressive tonight, trying to jump on the struggling Vazquez and get that series sweep.

8:36 p.m. Vazquez gets the first out, almost 10 minutes into the bottom of the first. Never a good sign.

8:32 p.m. Wow. Walks come back to kill every time, and this instance is no different. D-Lee lines it into center on a 1-2 pitch (with the runners going) and both score — with the second run scoring on a cutoff throw that Cabrera could not handle from Wise in center field.

Inexplicably, they charged Wise with the error. Cabrera just flat dropped the ball. This ruling will probably get changed when the official scorer takes another look.

Cubs lead 2-0.

8:30 p.m. Six straight balls to start the game now for Javier. Make that seven. Uhh, make that eight.

Where’s Bob Eucker to call this game when you need him?

8:29 p.m. Vazquez all over the place to start the game, a four-pitch walk.

Eric Patterson steps up to the plate now, and I know for a fact he’s getting out (probably going to strike out). How do I know, you ask?

He’s related to Corey Patterson.

8:24 p.m. Always works out that way…after singing Dye’s praises, he hits into an inning-ending double play (4-6-3). He’s cold as ice now.

8:23 p.m. Quentin is heating up, much like Cabrera. He laces one up the middle a la Cabrera to lead off the game. Speaking of heating up…Jermaine Dye is up. He has 15 RBI in his last six games, hitting .478! Now THAT is hot.

8:22 p.m. The early foul bunt puts A.J. behind early and he strikes out on a nasty splitter down and in. Now we know why he has all those strikeouts. And strike one swinging to Quentin on another nasty splitter.

8:19 p.m. Orlando Cabrera hits a single up the middle to start things off for the Pale Hose. He is really starting to pick it up offensively after a really slow start.

And right on cue, Pierzynski stands in and gets booed. No surprise there, I bet he gets booed at dinner by his family (joking…well, maybe) He tried to bunt, but it goes foul. Now they try a hit and run, but A.J. fouls it off. OC had a great jump too.

8:18 p.m. First pitch from Dempster (81 strikeouts and just 66 hits allowed in 94.2 innings pitched. Amazing. First pitch is a called strike.

8:15 p.m. The tarp comes off, and the game will begin just a few minutes late.

Wow. If you’re watching on ESPN right now, they showed a spectacular rainbow. If the Cubs lose this game, I’m sure the rainbow will be a new “curse” in Cubs’ lore.

8:10 p.m. In case you’re from Chicago and only pay attention to the Cubs (Don’t act like you don’t do it), you may not have noticed the White Sox have the best team ERA (3.44) in all of baseball.

A good stat to lead in. This team is for real.

8:05 p.m. Before the first pitch, I got to thinking…with Carlos Zambrano now on the DL, the Cubs sure could use Rich Hill. Ya, remember him? He went 11-8 with a 3.92 ERA with 183 strikeouts in 195 IP in 2007.

This year? Not so much. He had control problems to start the season, and was sent down in AAA.

Based on his stats thus far there, he probably should be been sent to AA, at best.

7:57 p.m. LINEUPS

• Chicago White Sox lineup:

1. Orlando Cabrera (SS)
2. A.J. Pierzynski (C)
3. Carlos Quentin (LF)
4. Jermaine Dye (RF)
5. Nick Swisher (1B)
6. Joe Crede (3B)
7. Dewayne Wise (CF)
8. Alexei Ramirez (2B)
9. Javier Vazquez (P)

• Chicago Cubs lineup:

1. Kosuke Fukudome (RF)
2. Eric Patterson (LF)
3. Derrek Lee (1B)
4. Aramis Ramirez (3B)
5. Jim Edmonds (CF)
6. Geovany Soto (C)
7. Mark DeRosa (2B)
8. Ryan Theriot (SS)
9. Ryan Dempster (P)

7:50 p.m. Chicago vs. Chicago.

North Side vs. South Side.

White Sox vs. Cubs.

Always fun.

Especially when you consider that both teams are in first place in their respective divisions. And especially when you consider the bad blood between these teams. And the Cubs (they haven’t won a World Series in a while or something right?) look to sweep the White Sox at Wrigley Field despite trailing in each of the first two games of the series.

Here is more on tonight’s matchup:

Records: White Sox 41-33 (17-22 on road), Cubs 47-28 (31-8 @ home)

Pitching matchup – Javier Vazquez (7-5, 4.13 ERA) vs. Ryan Dempster (8-2, 2.76 ERA)

• Interesting notes: Dempster is 8-0 at home this season, with a 2.93 ERA. So of course, he is 0-2 with a better ERA (2.48) on the road. The Cubs are 9-0 when Dempster starts at Wrigley Field this season.
• Vazquez ranks 2nd in the AL with 93 strikeouts, but has struggled in his last three outings (ERA has climbed from 3.43 to 4.13) However, he won two of those three starts, despite allowing at least four earned runs without making it to the 7th inning in any of them.
• The Cubs are trying to win their 14th straight game at Wrigley Field for the first time in 70+ years. Wow.

Links:

• A few weeks ago, I wrote about how the Cubs are doozie of a ballgame. Let’s hope history repeats itself.

(Editors note: I am live blogging tonight’s Cleveland Indians vs. New York Yankees game. Recent posts will be at the top. Be sure to check out the preview at the bottom of the page.)

10:13 p.m. I’m out.

10:12 p.m. Chien-Ming Wang falls to 6-1. Clearly, he’s terrible. Send him down to AAA. He’s no Cliff Lee.

Did I mention that he’s pretty good right now?

By the way, if you’re a Yankees fan and read my preview to this game at the bottom of the page…I’m sorry. The jinx holds up. It’s worse than the Madden Cover Jinx or the Curse of the Billy Goat or the SI Cover Jinx. 

10:11 p.m. Game over. 3-0 Cleveland victory. Lee goes for seven shutout innings, lowering his ERA to 0.81. He now has 39 K and 2 BB on the season. That is insane.

What’s more insane is that it took 14 minutes to finish the bottom of the ninth. NOBODY reached base. Why does this always happen in Yankees games?

10:07 p.m. Two outs. New York misses Posada and A-Rod, but I don’t think they — or anyone else — could have done anything against Cliff Lee.

10:03 p.m. Matsui grounds out to third. One out. This is all but over, but that was the case when Lee’s name was put on that lineup card.

10:01 p.m. Seriously, why does a 3-0 game take this long. There is no reason a pitchers’ duel like this should take three hours. I miss the good ol’ days. Alright, I’m only 22, so I wasn’t alive back then. But still. Come on.

9:58 p.m. I don’t know who the official closer is for Cleveland, but I’m willing to bet putting Rafael Betancourt in right now is a smart move.

9:55 p.m. Wow. One of the stangest double plays I have ever seen. A tapper to the catcher, who steps on home for the force out and then over to first to get Hafner. And his struggles continue, We go to the bottom of the ninth, still 3-0 Cleveland.

9:52 p.m. Another walk. Bases loaded and one out for pinch hitter…Travis Hafner. This is going to be fun. Oh by the way, he has NINE career grand slams.

9:45 p.m. Damn. I step out for one minute and I miss a single and a walk and a pitcher come in for the Yankees that I can’t even spell, let alone pronounce. Glad I’m doing a blog and not announcing, I can get away with it.

9:39 p.m. Inning over. Yankees aren’t scoring tonight.

9:37 p.m. Jeter strikes out, but Abreu doubles down the LF line on a slowly-hit ball. Where’s Lee when you need him?

9:35 p,m. Even more reason to keep Lee in: Damon is 0-for-14 lifetime off of Lee. But hey, what do I know? Because Perez just retired him.

9:34 p.m. Oh, come on! They just took Lee out. And for another lefty, no less. I know Rafael Perez is one of the better left-handed relievers in basebal, but he’s struggled a bit so far this season. Lee? Not so much.

9:31 p.m. Farnsworth works around the leadoff single, and we head to the bottom of the 8th. It will be interesting to see if Lee and his 103 pitches goes out there for it.

If you ask me: Eric Wedge has to run him out there. He’s the best pitcher on the entire planet right now. And who better than that to face Damon, Jeter and Abreu in a key spot?

9:24 p.m. Kyle Farnsworth in for Wang to start the 8th. And the leadoff man gets a single.

9:19 p.m. Swinging-bunt single by Morgan Ensberg. That’s all they can get. Lee then gets the third out via the K.

9:16 p.m. “How big is Lance Bass?” asks Dave O’Brien. Just thought I’d relay that info to those not watching the telecast.

9:09 p.m. Quick inning. Two straight nice plays by Cabrera and Cano. Bottom seven we go.

9:04 p.m. And Lee is good, striking out Matsui, the second leading hitter in the AL right now. Yankees still scoreless after six.

9:02 p.m. Yikes. Abreu beats out an easy weak grounder to first base. The flip by Casey Blake to Lee covering first was way too non-chalant. And now a double down the LF line by Duncan. Runners on second and third and two outs. This is New York’s chance, they have to take advantage.

8:56 p.m. Two outs.

8:55 p.m. One out.

8:51 p,m. Wang looked good in the sixth, Yankees will try to get to Lee in the bottom of the inning. Good luck.

8:45 p.m. Cliff Lee has not allowed a run in over 29 innings on the road this season. Strange, but this time after they show the stat on the screen the next hitter didn’t jinx it. He struck out. And the next guy flew out to end the 2-on, 1-out threat. A 0.84 ERA is pretty decent, but that must mean he’s really awful at home, huh? Ha.

8:40 p.m. What is going on with Robinson Cano? He’s hitting just .157. And right on cue (just like it has all night), Cano gets a hit. Hooray .163 batting average!

8:38 p.m. Breaking news: a hit off of Lee! Only a single by Melky, but hey, they’ll take anything they can get right now.

8:30 p.m. He got his fourth strikeout instead, but Dellucci followed with an RBI single ripped up the middle. Now 3-0. Lee probably doesn’t need any more, but he may very well get it…WOW, Sizemore just got caught stealing third base with one out. Oops. And the Yankees get out of it with Martinez grounding out to end the threat.

8:27 p.m. Cleveland has runners on 1st and 2nd with no outs. Chien-Ming Wang is a double play artist, but he could use a triple play here.

8:19 p.m. Cliff Lee pitched the 4th, you know what happened already…

8:10 p.m. And right as I say that, Cleveland scored another run on an RBI single. 2-0 now, heading into the bottom of the 4th.

8:09 p.m. Chicks dig the longball. But give me a good pitchers’ duel anytime. This is good stuff.

8:02 p.m. As mentioned before, Travis Hafner has a day off tonight. But he’s been “off” for a full year now…hitting .245 since May 1 of last year, which is the sixth lowest in the Major Leagues. He does have 22 HR and 101 RBI since then, nothing to scoff at.

He’s going to turn it around soon. Bank on it.

7:59 p.m. Victor Martinez is leading the AL in batting at almost .350. And of course, he has exactly ZERO home runs. Makes total sense.

7:55 p.m. 1-2-3 inning for Lee, Ho-hum.

7:48 p.m. You know, much was made last year about Wang’s low strikeout rate. But nobody seems to be talking about how it’s gone up a good deal this season. He entered tonight’s game with 32 strikeouts in 45 innings. Last year he had just 104 in 199.1 innings.

Make that 34 K’s in 46 innings now. Wang is dealing tonight, as usual.

7:43 p.m. I know this has nothing to do with this game, but I hate myself for benching Joey Votto today in ALL FOUR OF MY FANTASY LEAGUES. He only hit three home runs. Great. By the way, Lee is good. Only a bloop single allowed in the second. 1-0 CLE after two complete.

7:35 p.m. Wow. Wang has the highest winning percentage (52-18, .743 %) in MLB history for someone with 50+ starts. It helps to be in Pinstripes, doesn’t it?

7:33 p.m. Andy Marte, I’m sorry. But you’re never going to be good. Now 1-for-17 (.059) to start the season. He’s still young at 24, but I’ve thought for a while now he will never pan out. He looked awful in that at-bat before striking out.

7:28 p.m. Asdrubal Cabrera walks to lead off the inning. We know what happened the last time Wang did that: he’s scoring.

7:25 p.m. Jeez. Can anyone hit this guy? 1-2-3 inning for Lee. Jeter and Abreu fanned and just looked silly. The way he is pitching this season, that one run is all he will need.

7:21 p.m. Here comes Lee to the mound. Two walks and 32 strikeouts in 37.2 innings so far. That’s not too bad.
7:17 p.m. Victor Martinez hits a sacrifice fly to right, 1-0 Indians after the top of the first. And who said this would be a pitcher’s duel?? And by the way, leadoff walks kill pitchers EVERY TIME!

7:16 p.m. Tough luck for David Dellucci…he ropes a single to right, only to see Francisco get thrown out at second for a fielder’s choice. (He had to hold up because it looked like it may get caught).

7:15 p.m. ESPN shows a graphic that opponents are 0-21 in the last two games against Wang with a runner on base. Right on cue, that ends with a Francisco single. Always happens.

7:12 p.m. It doesn’t need to be said, but Grady Sizemore is a good leadoff hitter. He draws an eight-pitch walk. That’s exactly what you want from a leadoff hitter in the first inning. Cleveland wants to get to that bullpen and chase Wang early.

7:10 p.m. Delivery of first pitch FINALLY ends, ball one. OK, that’s an exaggeration, but that windup takes quite a long time, doesn’t it?

7:08 p.m. Chien-Ming Wang winds up for the first pitch

7:05 p.m. Tonight’s game will be called by Dave O’Brien and Buck Showalter. Unfortunately for them and those watching, there will be no Alex Rodriguez or Jorge Posada at-bats to announce, as both are currently on the DL. I’m sure their respective names will come up about 200 times anyways.

Both DH’s, Jason Giambi and Travis Hafner both have days off. Same goes for Ryan Garko. Hafner is 1-for-8 lifetime with four walks off of Wang.

6:53 p.m. LINEUPS

• Cleveland Indians lineup:

1. Grady Sizemore (CF)
2. Ben Francisco (RF)
3. David Delucci (LF)
4. Victor Martinez (DH)
5. Johnny Peralta (SS)
6. Asdrubal Cabrera (2B)
7. Casey Blake (1B)
8. Kelly Shoppach (C)
9. Andy Marte (3B)

• New York Yankees lineup:

1. Johnny Damon (LF)
2. Derek Jeter (SS)
3. Bobby Abreu (RF)
4. Shelley Duncan (1B)
5. Hideki Matsui (DH)
6. Melky Cabrera (CF)
7. Robinson Cano (2B)
8. Morgan Ensberg (3B)
9. Jose Molina (C)

6:43 p.m. It’s such a cliche to have the Yankees or the Red Sox on ESPN’s Wednesday Night Baseball. I’m sick of it, personally. How about showing a different team for a change?

But you won’t see my complaining tonight that the Bronx Bombers are on once again. Because the pitching matchup for tonight’s game with the Indians is terrific: Chien-Ming Wang (6-0, 3.00 ERA) vs. Cliff Lee (5-0, 0.96 ERA). Only the 10th time in Major League history with two pitchers to face off with 5-0 records or better. Check here for a full preview.

Two of the hottest pitchers in all of baseball going at it in fabled Yankee Stadium. Should be another pitchers’ duel, but sometimes it turns out to be the complete opposite. Will be interesting to see.

With that said, this seems to be the perfect opportunity to do my first live game log of the season. So be sure to check here during the game for frequent updates. And for those Yankees fans looking on, one of the last live game logs I did could be a bad omen for you tonight…