The American League has won every All-Star Game since 1996, save for that tie in Milwaukee a few years back. Looking over the rosters, it seems like we could be in for another AL win because of the quality and experience of the pitching and the depth on the bench. Remember, it’s the reserves that usually decide this thing. The starting position players get their two at-bats and hit the showers. And you know, this game decides home field advantage in the World Series. It’s dumb, but them’s the rules.

Unfortunately, Evan Longoria has an infected finger and can’t go tonight. He’s been replaced on the roster by Chone Figgins. For shame, Longoria was one of the few players I actually wanted to see. Anyway, here’s the starting lineups:

American League
1. Ichiro!, RF
2. Derek Jeter, SS
3. Joe Mauer, C
4. Mark Teixeira, 1B
5. Jason Bay, LF
6. Josh Hamilton, CF
7. Michael Young, 3B
8. Aaron Hill, 2B
9. Roy Halladay, SP

National League
1. Hanley Ramirez, SS
2. Chase Utley, 2B
3. Albert Pujols, 1B
4. Ryan Braun, RF
5. Raul Ibanez, LF
6. David Wright, 3B
7. Shane Victorino, CF
8. Yadier Molina, C
9. Tim Lincecum, SP

I’m not saying he belongs in the game, but I’ll miss seeing A-Rod wear those funny white cleats. The game is supposed to start at 8pm, but you know first pitch won’t be until 8:20 at the earliest after the starting lineups and all the unnecessary bells and whistles that’ll be attached to this thing. Joe Buck and Tim McCarver have the call. Enjoy the game.

Graphic from Flickr user N i c o_

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2009 All-Star Game Thread

Nothing about the All Star Game makes it a good indicator of home field advantage for the World Series. It’s a glorified exhibition game put on for the fans, and it should have remained that way. If only Bud Selig would listen to the Yankee Captain.

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Derek: This time, it shouldn’t count

You can see the full rosters here. You can also vote for the Final Man here.

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Teixeira, Jeter voted All Star Game starters

In other voting news, Derek Jeter is the clear fan favorite at short, but Evan Longoria has emerged as the Junior Circuit’s leading vote-getter. Joe Mauer has a seemingly insurmountable lead behind the plate, but still 582,715 fans believe Jason Varitek is worthy of an All Star spot. What are they thinking?

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Teixeira takes a slim lead in ASG voting

Today, MLB released the first round of voting results, and we see a mixed bag of AL representatives. Derek Jeter, having a decent enough year, is the AL’s leading vote-getter. That Jason Bartlett, the true AL All Star at short, is in fourth, speaks volumes. In the outfield, Jason Bay is deservingly first, but behind him are Josh Hamilton, Ichiro and Ken Griffey, Jr., three players I wouldn’t want near my AL All Star team. The rest of the results make sense, but it’s hard to believe 281,549 people who care enough about baseball to vote for the All Star team think Jason Varitek is actually the most deserving AL catcher. (Fear not: Joe Mauer leads the way in that category.)

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Jeter leads the way in early All Star voting

In the bottom of the tenth inning, the American League loaded the bases on two errors by Dan Uggla and an intentional walk issued to Carlos Guillen. At that point, I figured the game was moments away from ending, and fitting, Mariano Rivera would get the win. I snapped a picture of my ticket and scorecard to preserve the moment forever. Little did I know that I would still be in Yankee Stadium for an hour and 38 minutes.

What follows are a select bunch of photos from my vantage point in Row N of Tier Reserve 31. For the first seven innings, I used my mom’s high-powered zoom camera, and I have some nice shots of the pre-game ceremonies. You can see them all in my flickr set. Click on any picture for bigger versions and click through the jump for a select bunch with my comments.

The pre-game ceremonies began with the reserves lining up in the outfield grass. Here, the AL pitchers and bench players await the Hall of Famers. Only in New York (and probably Boston) do fans boo at the All Star Game, and the loudest boos were reserved for Jason Varitek and Jonathan Papelbon, an undeserving All Star and a disrespectful All Star, respectively.

For much of the night, Mariano Rivera had a camera crew tailing him. As you’ll see in the 8th inning bullpen shots, the crew just filmed Rivera throughout the evening. Here, he waits in the lineup next to Roy Halladay. I snapped the lineup of reserves here, here and here. I’m not quite sure what David Ortiz is doing in that last picture.

The NL Reserves, with Cubs manager and Bronx fan-favorite Lou Piniella in front, lined up behind third base.

It’s 8:13 p.m. Do you know where your first pitch is? (Answer: Still 33 minutes away.)

At this point, the special Hall of Fame ceremony began. Joe Buck announced every living Hall of Famer (who could make to the stadium). The photos are as follows: managers, pitchers, first basemen, second basemen, A-Rod and the third basemen, the short stops, the DHs and the outfielders.

Derek Jeter jogs out to his familiar spot at short stop. As he does so often these days, Derek hit into an All Star double play later in the game. He also picked up the AL’s first hit.

Derek acknowledges the applause.

With everyone on the field, Yankee Stadium looked regal minutes before the game began.

After Sheryl Crow sang the National Anthem and the Stadium crowd witness the olbligatory military flyover, we were ready for the first pitch. A golf cart carried George Steinbrenner and the ceremonial baseballs out to the mound.

The Yankee Greats threw out to the Yankee All Stars, and with that, the pre-game ceremonies ended amidsts red, white and blue streamers. Meanwhile, Reggie practiced his ball-flipping skills.

Derek singles before…

…A-Rod fouls out to end the first.

During the seventh inning, the Village People joined in on the YMCA absurdity. The real fun would begin seven innings later, however, with the 14th-inning stretch.

Mariano threw in the ninth and tenth, but he would be long gone when the game finally ended, much to Dan Uggla’s delight, in the 15th inning, nearly five hours after it started.

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Pictures From an Exhibition

American League
Ichiro, RF
Jeter, SS
Hamilton, CF
A-Rod, 3B
Manny, LF
Bradley, DH
Youkilis, 1B
Mauer, C
Pedroia, 2B
Lee, SP

National League
Hanley, SS
Utley, 2B
Berkman, 1B
Pujols, DH
Chipper, 3B
Holliday, RF
Braun, LF
Fukudome, CF
Soto, C
Sheets, SP

Talk it up here.

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Game Thread: All-Star Edition

As the Home Run Derby — or the Josh Hamilton Show — got underway last night at Yankee Stadium, the sun set behind New Jersey, lighting up the sky. Click through the jump to see more sights from last night’s Derby. I took all the photos, and you can find them and more in this photo set on flickr.

The MLB All Star event tickets are pretty fancy, and the sponsor of the event — State Farm last night, Taco Bell on Sunday afternoon — hands out branded ticket holders. It’s a great to way to save these tickets — which all contain real dirt from Yankee Stadium. After the Derby, people outside the stadium were collecting used ticket stubs. I’m guessing their goals were not entirely altruistic. (Larger view available here.)

MasterCard bought the rights for the out-of-town scoreboard today. While Josh Hamilton launched some shots into the night, no one won the $1,000,000. Long gone are the days of Abe Stark.

During the pre-Derby ceremonies, the MLB mascots gathered on the field for a little fun. The Phillie Phanatic is just flat-out fantastic, and Wally the Green Monster got a good round of booing.

From the right field Tier Reserve seats, it’s hard to miss the new stadium, looming behind the House that Ruth Built.

A-Rod and Derby participant Chase Utley are honored for receiving the most votes in the AL and NL respectively. Interestingly, a few of the stadium announcers took some shots at A-Rod tonight. While interviewing Reggie Jackson, Michael Kay was fairly critical of players’ claiming that the Derby would mess with their swings. In the end, it was still just an exhibition event.

Josh Hamilton probably launched the ball about 480+ feet on this swing. It must be distracting to bat with a cameraman five feet away. As Hamilton’s home run total went from 26 to 27 to 28 in the first round, the crowd went nuts, and the players showed their love once Hamilton’s show was over.

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Josh Hamiltowned (or Scenes from a Derby)

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Papelbon wants to close the All-Star Game

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Just like the good ol’ days