Why We Loved That All-Star Game

By Brendon Rosenau
Love of Sports Correspondent

Tuesday night’s All-Star Game was everything it was hyped up to be - and then some.

As a resident of the East Coast, I was captivated from the pregame ceremonies all the way until Michael Young’s sac fly that ended the game well after 1:30am. For those of you who may have nodded off, or are planning on watching this classic in TIVO, it’s well worth your time to watch the game in its entirety.

Mad Love has already been dished out to the game itself, but I want take it a step further. I’m giving our loyal readers nine reasons (this IS baseball after all) to LOVE this game.

NINE REASONS TO LOVE THE ALL-STAR GAME

1. The Starting Pitching

Cliff Lee and Ben Sheets began a night that was highlighted by impressive pitching with a bang. Lee struck out Hanley Ramirez and Chase Utley to begin the game, fooling two of the N.L.’s best hitters. He ended his outing by getting Ryan Braun on strikes in the second. Sheets faced nine hitters in two innings and got Josh Hamilton, Manny Ramirez and Kevin Youkilis to go down on strikes.

2. The Defense

There were so many moments that just amazed me. The entire 10th inning looked like an episode of Ripley’s Believe it or Not. Aside from that, there was Ichiro’s laser beam to peg Albert Pujols at second in the fourth inning, Nate McLouth throwing out the would-be game-winning run in the 11th and Russell Martin’s great glove work preventing three runs from scoring.

3. J.D. Drew

Drew became just the 15th player in ASG history to hit a home run in his first All-Star at-bat. Playing in the lions den, his two-out, two-run shot that just cleared the right field fence provided the A.L. with their first runs of the night and tied the game. He’d go on to walk, reach on an error, single and steal a base while playing flawless defense in the field. At the end of the night, he was named the MVP. A guy who’s never been able to satisfy the media’s lofty expectations was the last man standing in baseball’s most famous park.

4. Aaron Cook

Some people criticized the selection of Cook to the team. In the end it was one of Clint Hurdle’s great decisions. The ace of Hurdle’s Colorado staff lasted three full innings and threw 42 pitches, unheard of in the modern All-Star Game. His line wasn’t pretty - four hits and three walks – but there weren’t any runs. He got some great help from his defense, and he also got let down by his defense. In the end, though, he left the game the way he came in. Tied. In his first inning (10th), he loaded the bases with no outs. No one scored. In the 11th, the first four hitters of the inning reached base safely. None of them scored. In the 12th, he surrendered a leadoff double and had a runner on third with one out. No runs scored. At a time when a fly ball could’ve ended the game on several occasions, the groundball specialist had the perfect ingredients to turn this game into a classic.

5. Evan Longoria

The rookie Ray made the team by receiving a record number nine million fan votes in the final player balloting. He ended up being the last reserve used by A.L. manager Terry Francona, but he had one of the biggest impacts. He came into the game with the A.L. down 3-2 and two outs in the eighth inning. Facing Billy Wagner, who has had his share of big moments in the Big Apple, Longoria laced a 2-2 pitch to left field for a ground rule double. Grady Sizemore, who had stole second base earlier in the AB, scored to tie the game. Longoria will likely make several more All-Star teams, but he may never have a bigger hit than his first one Tuesday.

6. The Players

In particular, Scott Kazmir, Brandon Webb and Dioner Navarro. Kazmir and Webb both threw over 100 pitches in their respective games on Sunday. Both were on the “Use in Case of Emergency Only” list. However, when their teams needed them both came into the game. Webb pitched the 14th inning and struck two batters in his only inning of work. Kazmir was the A.L.’s last pitcher and worked the 15th and would’ve gone out for the 16th if necessary. Navarro spent nine innings behind the plate, caught six different pitchers, had five at-bats and threw out a base stealer. One of the best moments of the game came at the end when the A.L. won and the entire dugout, poised at the top of the stairs, spilled onto the field. No one can say these guys don’t take this game seriously.

7. The Managers

Both managers - Francona, in particular - were scrutinized before the game even started. The Red Sox’s head man had the unenviable task of managing in front of a hostile crowd, even though he was on the home team. He said all the right things before the game and made all the right moves on the field. The classiest move he made was substituting Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter after an inning had started to allow both to receive the ovation they deserved. He did the same with Mariano Rivera. He announced Rivera as the A.L. closer before the game and called on him with one out in the ninth, allowing “Enter Sandman” to play at a time when everyone was watching. Yankee fans can hate the Red Sox all they want, but they have to respect him. Hurdle’s job might have looked a bit easier, but he still had to manage a pitching staff that was short handed. Tim Lincecum missed the game with the flu, and two of his pitchers were on short rest. He extended his first three pitchers (Sheets, Carlos Zambrano and Dan Haren) two innings each to shorten the game. He saved his closer (Brad Lidge) until the end and used Webb for just one inning, although he had to be tempted to use him longer. Both managers got all the position players into the game, and all but two got at-bats. It’s difficult to manage that many great ballplayers, but both managers need to be recognized for the great job they did.

8. The 10th and 11th Innings

How is it possible to load the bases with no outs in an All-Star Game and not score a run? Defensively, the 10th inning started on a sour note as Dan Uggla committed consecutive errors to allow Michael Young and Carlos Quentin to reach base. Cook then intentionally walked Carlos Guillen to set the stage for a great defensive display. Grady Sizemore got the first chance, but hit a grounder to Uggla, of all people. He took his time and forced Young at home for the first out. Longoria was next and had the chance to seal the deal for MVP honors if he were able to come through. However, Cook got him on a chopper to third for another play at the plate. Christian Guzman, who’s normally a shortstop, made a great play and subsequent threw fout Quentin at home. There were now two outs for Justin Morneau, who hit yet another groundball, this time to Miguel Tejada, and the N.L. had escaped one heck of a jam. In the bottom of the 11th, Cook made life interesting again. Ian Kinsler singled to lead off the inning, but then was caught stealing. Navarro walked and moved to second on a Drew single. Once again the A.L. seemed to be in total control. Young lined a pitch up the middle, but Nate McLouth made a nice throw and Russell Martin made an even better catch and tag on Navarro at the plate to extend the game. With runners on second and third, Cook got Quentin on another bouncer to third to send the game to the 12th. Four straight runners on base and no runs. Unreal!

9. The Pregame

New York knows how to throw a party, that’s for sure. Tuesday night, it was done in perfect harmony between baseball’s greats of yesteryear and today. The living Hall of Famers looked dignified and pleased to be part of the ceremonies, and the starters looked like little kids at their first ballgame. The Yankees deserved to host the game and proved they know how to do baseball with class, honor and respect.

OTHER TOP STORIES

--MLB’s Top 10 All-Star Game Moments

--Best Home Run Derbys Ever

--Baseball’s Top 10 First Half Moments

--MLB’s Top 20 Future Hall of Famers

--Baseball’s 50 Strangest Moments

--Why We Love Josh Hamilton, The New Roy Hobbs

--British Open Preview

--Despite Losing, Federer’s Still the King

(I hope you were somewhere enjoying a cool beverage while watching the All-Star Game on Tuesday, because I know we sure were! If so, check out our sister site, The Love of Beer, to see what flavor we’re featuring today.)