Major League Baseball All-Star Week

So much for the pressure of a young kid pitching in Yankee Stadium. Tino Martinez and his coaching staff for the XM All-Star Futures Game admittedly didn't know a whole lot about all their World Team pitchers, but they knew plenty about the nerves a young player can feel pitching for the first time in "The House that Ruth Built." The kids threw them a curve. More accurately, they threw everything from knee-bending curves to changeups and even a few 100 mph fastballs. As a result, they threw a 3-0 shutout against a U.S. Team that was loaded with hitters that will likely be headed to the Olympics next month. One after another, they came in, got their outs, and came out, starting with Phillies Double-A prospect Carlos Carrasco's two-strikeout opening inning and continuing down the line. The combined efforts allowed the World Team's early lead to stand up in what was a 1-0 game until the seventh. A first-inning throwing error from Donald provided the opening for the World Team to take an early lead. Rangers prospect Elvis Andrus ended up on second base with one out after the miscue, and promptly stole third to set up Pablo Sandoval (Giants) for the RBI on a fielder's-choice grounder. It was a quiet offensive afternoon for a U.S. team playing its last tryout before USA Baseball officials decide the roster for next month's Olympic team, for which many of these players are candidates. Still, the Futures Game showed that the U.S. can rely on quality pitching and a solid defense, which threw out World Team baserunners for three consecutive outs. Reliever Brett Anderson (A's) caught back-to-back runners trying for second base in the third inning, while Teagarden celebrated his entrance into the game by throwing out Sandoval for the first out of the fourth. The U.S. squad had no defense, however, for Che-Hsuan Lin's seventh-inning drive down the left-field line after Juan Francisco (Reds) singled to start the breakaway rally. Lin pounced on a first-pitch fastball from Ryan Mattheus (Rockies) and poked it just inside the foul pole for a two-run homer. Not only was it the first run-scoring hit of the game, it was the first extra-base hit from either side.

There may have been no Yankees and no Mets. No Alex Rodriguez, no Manny Ramirez, no David Ortiz and no Jason Giambi. But there certainly was a Josh Hamilton. The second-year Rangers outfielder had a first round for the ages Monday night in the annual State Farm Home Run Derby at Yankee Stadium, but he lost in the final round to the Twins' Justin Morneau, who outhomered Hamilton, 5-3. Smacking 28 first-round homers into the far reaches of the old ballpark, which is scheduled to close at the end of the season after 85 years, Hamilton set the all-time Derby record for homers in a single round. He shattered the mark of 24 that Bobby Abreu, then of the Phillies and now of the Yankees, set in Detroit's Comerica Park three years ago, when Abreu won the contest. Hamilton had a three-round total of 35, but it was the opening sprint that won't soon be forgotten. Asked how it felt to experience the Derby, Hamilton said: "Think about the best environment imaginable and being in the middle of it. That's what it was like out there." Morneau was the only repeater from last year's Derby at San Francisco's AT and T Park, won by Vladimir Guerrero of the Angels. Morneau, who was eliminated back then in the first round, had 22 homers on Monday night -- eight in the first round, nine in the second and five in the final round. Although Morneau won, he finished in arrears of Hamilton by 13 total homers. But the format dictates that homers hit in the first two rounds are totaled, while the finalists start with a clean slate in the championship round, a fact that was material to the conclusion.

Typically, the Taco Bell All-Star Legends and Celebrity Softball Game draws a strong crew of Hollywood personalities. This year, however, is anything but typical. Yankee Stadium brings out the stars, and that was never more evident than late afternoon on Sunday, when some of the biggest names from both Hollywood and baseball poured onto the field for the annual light-hearted softball event. On the celebrity side was the most famous of all Yankees diehards, actor and comedian Billy Crystal, along with Oscar Award winners Whoopi Goldberg and Marlee Matlin. They joined Chris Rock and George Lopez; celebrity chef Bobby Flay; director Spike Lee; defensive end Justin Tuck from the Super Bowl champion New York Giants; celebrity softball game veteran James Denton of "Desperate Housewives;" TV correspondents Maria Menounos and AJ Calloway; and actors William Baldwin and Kyle Massey. Major League legends included Hall of Famers Ozzie Smith; Rich "Goose" Gossage; Tony Perez; Dave Winfield; George Brett; Ernie Banks; Gary Carter; Rollie Fingers; Wade Boggs and Paul Molitor; plus seven-time All-Star Tim Raines and Yankees fan favorites Tino Martinez and Paul O'Neill. Asked to compare this experience with the one at-bat he received after signing a one-day contract with the Yankees during Spring Training, Crystal was diplomatic as he weighed the pros of both. "This is softball," Crystal said. "That [Spring Training game] was leading off for the Yankees with Derek Jeter in the on-deck circle. Come on. Pretty amazing." But that game was played in Tampa, Fla., at the Yankees' Spring Training facility. Although Sunday's event was exhibition softball, it was played right on the real field, the same one Crystal's heroes of yesteryear -- especially the great Mickey Mantle -- roamed decades earlier.

July 15th, 2008 -- On an evening honoring the rich tapestry of Yankee Stadium's history, the American League found another reason to celebrate the Midsummer Classic -- but it'd have to wait. The Cathedral isn't one to let the spotlight go easily. In the longest All-Star Game in history, Michael Young's sacrifice fly delivered the final blow, allowing the AL to defeat the NL in 15 innings, 4-3, on Tuesday. In the 79th Major League Baseball All-Star Game, it was a memorable finish to perhaps the final national event on the storied Bronx stage. The final twist took hold with the Phillies' Brad Lidge on to work the 15th. Justin Morneau slid home after Young's fly ball to right, with Corey Hart's throw home arriving just a touch too late. "I would have loved to have seen that game wrapped up a little earlier, but we battled and I think it's fitting in Yankee Stadium -- a place where something unpredictable always seems to happen," Young said. "At that point, the legs aren't exactly feeling great, but I had just enough in the tank," Morneau said. Tampa Bay's Scott Kazmir pitched a scoreless top half in relief, logging his first All-Star victory with three outs of work. Kazmir did not expect to even see action in the contest, but as the night grew toward its four-hour, 50-minute conclusion, the bullpen members thinned out. "Once I was there by myself, it was a little nerve-racking," Kazmir said. "There's no telling. I was good to go out for another one, that's for sure." It wasn't needed, as the American League extended its unbeaten streak to a record 12 games, improving to 11-0-1 since the National League's last victory in 1996 at Philadelphia. The decision secures the American League's home-field advantage in the World Series, the sixth consecutive year since Major League Baseball began using the All-Star Game to decide placement of the Fall Classic.

7/12/09: World Futures 7 at U.S. Futures 5 F -- After a four-hour rain delay that shortened the XM All-Star Futures Game to seven innings, the World Team rallied for four runs in the top of the seventh to swipe a 7-5 victory over the United States. Twins prospect Rene Tosoni was named MVP after doubling in the go-ahead run.

7/12/09: This gritty group of gamers came to play. It was the Taco Bell All-Star Legends and Celebrity Softball Game, after all, the game in which Hollywood's heavyweights take swings and flash leather alongside Major League royalty, all in the spirit of good times. "This is the best," said St. Louis native Nelly, the hip-hop star and actor who hit a two-run home run, made a diving catch in center field, saw his team win the game, 10-8, and took home the game's co-MVP award along with former college basketball coach Bob Knight. "This is what you dream about." Dreams came true for scores of St. Louis fans when one of their idols, Hall of Fame shortstop Ozzie Smith, sprinted out to his position in the first inning for the National League and pulled off his signature backflip. And moments later, playing for the American League, Olympic medal-winning gymnast Shawn Johnson did Ozzie a few better, doing a decent portion of a floor exercise while heading to first base following a walk. The end result was a comeback win for the NL, which also was powered by a two-run homer by former Cardinals stolen-base expert Vince Coleman.