Hardball Heaven

I don't really feel like organizing my thoughts tonight, so I'm just gonna go with what's on my mind.

- I'm a 40-year old man and I'm still excited to see my guys play in the All-Star Game. (By the way, I just called J.D. Drew's home run in the bottom of the 7th for the American League - my dog Lucy and a stuffed monkey as my witnesses). We're heading to the top of the 8th all knotted up at 2. Will we see Papelbon for the 8th? Why, yes we will. And the Yanks' fans are booing lustily. More on this in a moment.

- For all of us Yankee haters out there, one of the more underrated results from winning the World Series last year is that our guys pretty much get to go into the Yanks' clubhouse during the All-Star Game and, you know, take the place over. I mean, think about how cool it is that Terry Francona is sitting in the same office where Billy Martin and Joe Torre sat, and Big Papi, Drew, Kevin Youkilis, Papelbon, Dustin Pedroia, and Manny Ramirez are occupying lockers. All during the celebrated swan song of Yankee Stadium. Me likey. %$#@ the Yankees.

- The NYC media can certainly whip up a good shit storm, can't it? For two weeks, we've heard 'start Mariano' or 'Mariano better close.' Up yours, you entitled pieces of dung. First of all, it's a slap to Francona to think that he won't get Rivera - one of the very few Yankees I respect - into the last All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium. Francona's a classy guy, as evidenced already by his mid-inning removals of A-Rod and Derek Jeter so they could get ovations. If Rivera doesn't pitch in this game - ahead, behind, tied, whatever - I'll wear a Yankees hat for a day.

- Still, that doesn't stop the media B.S., which brings us back to our favorite party boy, Mr. Papelbon. During interviews yesterday, Papelbon said that yes, his competitive nature makes him want to close out the game tonight if he has the chance. But alack and alas, in his very next sentence - which the New York Daily News conveniently omitted - he called Rivera the "Godfather" and said he thinks Rivera should get the ball. So naturally the headline in the News this morning screamed 'Papelbum', and during the player parade down the streets of Manhattan, Papelbon took a ton of crap from the Yankee-loving cretins in the crowd. With a pregnant wife alongside him, he was understandably pissed off.

- The NL unfortunately went ahead 3-2 off Papelbon, but the AL still has a very good chance to win because Billy Wagner's coming into the game. (And on cue, Wagner almost takes his catcher's arm off with a near wild pitch, and Grady Sizemore just singled to right. Two outs, bottom of the 8th, and Evan Longoria is up. Sizemore just stole second and Longoria singled him in. Tied up at 3. Told ya about Billy Wags.

- Try as they might, the Yanks tried to replicate the beautiful pre-game ceremony at Fenway back in 1999 (one of the top-5 sporting events I've attended), when all of the players spontaneously gathered around The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived, Ted Williams (above). This time, they dragged ol' George Steinbrener out in a golf cart and the poor guy looked like a fossilized mummy. Of course, the only guys who went up to him were ex-Yankee legends. I will say this, though. When George is gone, the rivalry will lose a hugely important ingredient.

- Looks like I won't be wearing a Yankee hat anytime soon. That brain-dead Francona just went out to the mound to relieve K-Rod in favor of Mariano. Fox dropped the ball big time, though. Just as Rivera's sprinting through the outfield to the sound of Metallica's "Enter Sandman", they cut away to commercial. Pretty piss poor.

- Oh yeah, the game. It's 3-3.

- Poor Ryan Ludwick has to face the Godfather in a howling Yankee Stadium. In my opinion, it's the only stadium in the U.S. that sounds like those hooligan soccer matches. Loud, louder, loudest. Ludwick K's and Cristian Guzman gets thrown out at second trying to steal.

- Could this possibly be another ugly tie, like we had back in 2002 when both managers ran out of pitchers? Francona has used all of his bench guys as we head to the bottom of the 9th.

- And I'm hitting the rack.