Friday 5: Gordon Mack

It's been a while since the "Friday 5" has made an appearance here at The Hall.  Then again, it's been since forever that MLB Fan Cave dweller (and friend of The Hall) Gordon Mack has had a chance to attend the MLB All-Star Game.

That said, dude was in Kansas City for all the festivities and, naturally, had his five favorite moments from the Midsummer Classic.

1.  Offering Philadelphia Phillies closer Jonathan Papelbon a $5000 check if he would come to the Fan Cave when they play the Mets again.

2.  Asking Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz if he would change his name officially to Chooch Ruiz.

3.  Partying with all of the mascots.

4.  Taking batting practice on the field in my Toms Shoes.

5.  Finally watching a live baseball game.

Gordon Mack is a Philadelphia Phillies fan who, before entering the MLB Fan Cave, had been working in Manhattan as a video editor.  According to his bio over at MLB.com, his original dream job was to design roller coasters, but that was put aside once he learned he could watch baseball as a profession.

You can follow him on Twitter at @gordonmack.

Jose Canseco Wants Your Vote

Finally.  Tthere's a name for those of us out there that can't get enough of Jose Canseco's antics... "Cansecomaniacs".

Well, at least that's what he called his flock Wednesday night when he decided to use social media to try and get selected to the 2012 MLB All-Star Game.

More than ten years after his last big league appearance.

Here's how it all went down.

Haters and Cansecomaniacs. Let's do history. Please write me in MLB all star ballot. That's all I ask. One wish in whole world.

But, how about a link, Jose?

I think u can write me in as a dh for American league. http://m.mlb.com/asg/ballot You can choose me as an a's red sox rangers rays

Aaaaah...thanks.

I'm going to tell you...I kinda want this to happen.  I mean, the game itself (regardless of whether or not the commish tells us "it counts") is pretty much a joke.  Why not give a starting nod to a write-in candidate?

And if the former American League MVP can get his 466,000-plus Twitter followers to each vote at least ten times...it would be more than enough to earn a starting gig.

In case you forgot, this season's MidSummer Classic is July 10 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City.  Incidentally, Canseco batted .260 with 12 home runs and 44 RBI in his 310 plate appearances at "The K".

To write-in Canseco, head on over to MLB.com.

Tony LaRussa Will Manage One More Game

Former St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa is not done yet.

As if people needed another reason to complain about the All-Star Game, the retired skipper is coming back to manage the Midsummer Classic.

This...from the commissioner's office:

News: Tony La Russa will manage the NL team in the @AllStarGame, Commissioner Selig announced today.

This isn't the first time a retired manager has been invited back however.  Danny Murtaugh retired following the 1971 season and returned to manager in the 1972 game.

But back then, it was a true exhibition...it wasn't the farce that it is today.

This one counts people!

Just not for the manager who will be in the dugout for one of the teams.

Behind-the-Scenes with C.J. Wilson

During the All-Star Game festivities of a few weeks ago, you saw a bunch of players and their buddies documenting the events.

But, I'd wager, a majority of those videos are going to show the Home Run Derby and, possibly, the game itself.

That's where friend of The Hall (and no stranger to the camera), Texas Rangers pitcher C.J. Wilson comes in.

You see, the lefty (and his crew) decided to let the camera roll off the field. And what we're left with, is, well...you can see for yourself.

Oh, and that part where Wilson is happy that now he might get a chance to bat in the World Series? Suffice it to say, it reminds me of the time when The Hall interviewed the All-Star two summers ago.

HOVG: Alright, I had to get that out of the way. It seems every interview with you online talks about three things…you being a technology nut, Tommy John surgery and being a “free spirt”. I’d like to try and take it a different direction…if at all possible. In your first game, you give up a single to the only batter you faced…then in the next inning, you get lifted for a pinch hitter. You’re down 12-5…why not let you hit?!? You were quite the hitter in college, right?

CJ: Why not let me hit? It's a puzzling question that I still am upset about five seasons later.

HOVG: Would you ever petition (Rangers manager) Ron Washington to let you hit in some ballgames or, as a reliever, is that a moot point?

CJ: I'm a decent hitter, but realistically, (I won’t hit) until I'm a starter or a National Leaguer. American League closers don't get a lot of at bats, so I'm just going to take my batting practice homers and call it what it is...unfortunate.

Enjoy!

Mustache All-Stars: The Best Staches of the First Half

Welcome to the All-Star break, kids!

It is no secret that The Hall of Very Good has an affinity for mustaches and has always celebrated the brave men and women who have graced the playing field (past and present) while donning the lip sweater.

I could go on and on and cite numerous examples (is this where I am suppose to go on and on and cite numerous examples?), but anyone who knows anything about The Hall already knows this...so let's move on.

Enter friend of The Hall and fellow Baseball Bloggers Alliance member Ian and his site The Blue Jay Hunter. Dude put together the "Mustache All-Stars" for the first half of the season so you don't have to.

Here's the skinny:

The MLB All-Star Game is where baseball's best shine on one stage. On the eve of the Midsummer Classic, while all 30 teams will be represented in Phoenix Arizona, there is one group that will be notably absent: the moustaches.

We may see the odd cookie duster at the All-Star Game, but I believe we need to give the men who've donned lip sweaters fair credit for representing the endangered moustachioed baseball population.

This is the 2011 edition of The Moustache All-Stars.

And why the "o" in "mustache"?

Because Ian's from Canada and that's how they do they're flavour savouring up there, eh.

But enough with the geography lesson...check out those moustaches. Er...mustaches!  Who'd he miss...who would you have included?  Let us know!

My 2010 All-Star Picks

There are a few “can’t miss” sporting events that, when I plan my day-to-day life, I make sure I take into account.

First…the Indianapolis 500. There’s a reason that it is billed the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing, but since this is a baseball site and not an auto racing site, I won’t get into it.

A close second to the Indy 500 is the MLB All-Star Game. From the opening moments to the last out…I’ve been paying attention to this thing for as long as I can remember. That said, one of my fondest memories was when I was a kid, sitting in the garage listening to the game on the radio.

It was the middle of July and a lightning storm knocked out the power to our neighborhood. But there I was, with an ancient battery powered clock radio to my ear, listening to the game that I so painstakingly took ownership of.

You see, every year, I fill out an All-Star ballot. Only one.

Never more…never none.

It’s always been that way, and here are my 2010 selections.

CATCHER

AL: Joe Mauer - Minnesota Twins
NL: Ivan Rodriguez - Washington Nationals

Right out the gate, I know I’m going to get a “Pudge…really?!?" from plenty of you and you’d be justified in asking. But here’s the deal, I look at the All-Star Game as a celebration of the greats. Rodriguez is on the way out…he gets my vote. And Mauer, well, Mauer is Mauer…I’d like to see you argue against his inclusion!

FIRST BASE

AL: Miguel Cabrera - Detroit Tigers
NL: Albert Pujols - St. Louis Cardinals

Miggy is in because, right off the bat, I didn’t want to include two Minnesota Twins. Sure, Justin Morneau is having a spectacular season…but so is Cabrera. I only hope that Billy Butler in Kansas City makes his way to Anaheim as his numbers do warrant inclusion. In the National League it is really, really hard to vote against Pujols. Hopefully Ryan Howard will provide a nice 1-2 punch in the middle of the lineup from the DH spot.

SECOND BASE

AL: Robinson Cano - New York Yankees
NL: Chase Utley - Philadelphia Phillies

Utley is having a down year, but he is an All-Star. Much like several others on this list, he’s a guy who owns this spot on the roster until he is ready to relinquish it. Cano, on the other hand, is putting up some of the best numbers in the Majors this year. He’s often overshadowed, so it’s nice to see him take center stage for once.

SHORTSTOP

AL: Derek Jeter - New York Yankees
NL: Hanley Ramirez - Florida Marlins

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…Major League Baseball does not do enough to hitch their wagon to Jeter. The guy is the epitome of All-Star and is class personified…and that’s coming from a Red Sox fan. His National League counterpart Ramirez (a former Red Sox might you), is one of my favorite players out there, so leaving him off my ballot would have been ludicrous.

THIRD BASE

AL: Michael Young - Texas Rangers
NL: Chipper Jones - Atlanta Braves

I’ve got a strong, strong hatred for Alex Rodriguez. Sure, I know he’s great, but I can never bring myself to vote for him. Ever. That said, welcome to the ballot, the all-time hit king for the Texas Rangers…Michael Young. The National League is tricky. Much like putting I-Rod behind the plate, I am inclined to put Chipper at third. I know his season has pretty much been garbage, but given he might hang it up after the season, why not throw him a bone?

OUTFIELD

AL: Ichiro Suzuki - Seattle Mariners, Josh Hamilton - Texas Rangers and Carl Crawford - Tampa Bay Rays
NL: Andre Ethier - Los Angeles Dodgers, Ryan Braun - Milwaukee Brewers and Jason Heyward - Atlanta Braves

Ichiro is a shoe-in and Hamilton is still a good story…especially because he is having a good season. Crawford is in because, well, you need a speedster and let’s face it…Crawford is pretty darn good. Over in the National League, it pains me to not include Manny Ramirez, but something tells me he'd be cool with taking the time off and handing the reigns over to Ethier. Braun is a no-brainer given there needs to be at least one Brewer and Heyward, well, let’s just say that I love the story and I’ve bought into all the hype. And yes, I know that, earlier, I said the All-Star Game should be "a celebration of the greats", but before Strasmas came...Heyward captured the baseball world.

DESIGNATED HITTER

AL: Vladimir Guerrero - Texas Rangers

Guerrero is, like others, one of those guys that you kinda have to include if he is having the slightest bit of a good season. Thankfully the guy is playing like a monster, so the choice is an easy one. And since I said it before, I’ll say it again, I wouldn’t mind Ken Griffey Jr. get some sort of notice in a couple of weeks.

STARTING PITCHER

AL: Andy Pettitte - New York Yankees
NL: Ubaldo Jimenez - Colorado Rockies

Jimenez has done just about everything this season that you could ask for…and he’s doing it in Colorado! From the no-hitter to the miniscule ERA, the man is out Halladaying Roy Halladay. In the American League, Pettitte gets my game ball even though I get physically ill watching the man pitch. I like the season he is putting up and when it comes to marquee pitchers in the AL…the veteran lefty is near the top of the list.

So there you have it...MY picks for the 2010 All-Star Game. Who would you replace...and why? Let me know!

Ken Griffey Junior...All-Star?

Thursday night, the in-stadium voting for the 2010 All-Star Game concluded. That said, fans can still vote online for starters over at MLB.com until July 1.

Among the players on the official ballot is the recently retired Ken Griffey Jr...and it is possible he COULD end up in Anaheim for the Midsummer Classic.

Currently third among the voting for American League designated hitters (Vladimir Guerrero and Hideki Matsui are placing ahead of Junior), it wouldn't be completely unheard of for the 13 time All-Star to be elected by the fans or selected by managers to participate.

Phillies legend Mike Schmidt led all National League third baseman in voting in 1989 despite hitting .203 and retiring six weeks prior to the Midsummer Classic. Schmidt decided against playing in the game (Howard Johnson took his starting spot), but he did participate in the game's opening ceremony...played at, coincidentally, Anaheim.

In 2001, Cal Ripken Jr. was elected to his 19th straight All-Star Game even though he had announced his pending retirement prior to the season. In his first at bat, he sent the first pitch he saw over the left field wall en route to his second All-Star Game MVP.

Also in attendance for the 2001 game in Seattle was another future Hall of Famer that had announced his retirement prior to the season...Tony Gwynn. While not selected to play, he and Ripken were bestowed the Annual Bud Selig Award for Outstanding Acheivement in the Field of Excellence (or whatever he calls it) prior to the sixth inning.

So...is Ken Griffey Jr. worthy of an All-Star nod? Absolutely not.

Will he be there on the foul lines alongside vote leaders Joe Mauer and Derek Jeter and former teammate Ichiro Suzuki? It's possible. I threw the question out to you readers and close to 45% of you thought he should.

What do you think? Let me know below!

Recently, The Hall caught Junior's former All-Star teammate Jeff Montgomery and current Ranger pitcher C.J. Wilson. Check out what they had to say.

"Monty" Talks "Junior"

C.J. Wilson Talks "Junior"

I like to call it "The Other Home Run Derby"

Typically, the Frontier League All-Star Game (much less its Home Run Derby) makes news here at The Hall, but when I am there...I am obligated to care.

Last night, after a White Sox-Cubs Legends Game (a big thanks to those who took the time to chat with me about The Hall...you know who you are), a group of guys I've never heard of from teams I've never cared about previously put on a show for the fans and, frankly, converted me to be one as well.

One guy in particular, Southern Illinois Miner Brad Miller, was the most impressive...a towering shot off the scoreboard, long flies into the Rockford night and homers at a blistering pace set the tone.

Read a re-cap from over at Our Sports Central HERE and see what Miller's local fishwrap, the Marion Daily, had to say HERE.

Now that THAT'S over...the Main Event

Call me a chick, but I dig the long ball and I was really looking forward to the Home Run Derby.

Seriously…I was.

But even after an incredibly lackluster Derby (I’ll admit it, some Prince Fielder’s bombs were insane, but Brandon Inge…c’mon, man, I hit zero home runs at Busch last night), it is important to remember that as exciting as the sideshow is, the game itself is the main attraction.

This year, a record SEVENTY ONE players were selected to represent their teams in the Mid-Season Classic.

Some say it is “too many”, others say “not enough”. Should each team be represented…should “this one count”?

I can’t answer any of those.

One thing is for certain, being selected to the game is a thrill and recently I had the opportunity to get the thoughts of three former All-Stars…Ed Herrmann, Ron Kittle and Jeff Montgomery.

HOVG: Combined you were selected to handful of All-Star Games, each in very different stadiums and each with very different results. What was your greatest thrill?

JM: I really enjoyed the Home Run Derby at all of the games. My favorite experience was in Baltimore in 1993 because of the new stadium and the other festivities that took place in the Inner Harbor area.

EH: Unfortunately I was unable to make the trip to the 1974 All-Star Game because I was on crutches at that time of the year.

RK: My greatest thrill was, first, being chosen and second, playing in my home park with family and friends there.

HOVG: What is the climate like in the clubhouse…any good stories?

RK: Most of the players were with their families, so it was get dressed, sign about 25 dozen baseballs and enjoy. It was fun, not many stories…lots of rushing to do this or that.

JM: The clubhouse was very loose. I’ll never forget when Kirby Puckett put Al Gore on the spot during his visit around the clubhouse with Tipper and asked why the new administration had implemented a new surtax on the wealthy. Kirby informed him that it cost him an extra half million dollars that year alone. Al Gore was speechless.

HOVG: Ron, you dug in against Pascual Perez and Lee Smith in your lone appearance…was there anyone in particular that you had hoped you could have faced?

RK: No just looking to play and get a chance to hit. Lee Smith struck me out at 103 mph...I swung for the roof and had fun.

HOVG: Jeff, you appeared in three games…is it better to be selected as the lone representative of the team or go there alongside others?

JM: It is better to go with others, whether it be another player or someone from the organization named to the staff.

HOVG: Since the 2002 tie, the Classic is billed as "this one counts"...should it?

JM: I think most players take great pride in representing themselves, their team, and their league regardless of the stakes so I don’t think it makes much difference that it “counts” for something now.
RK: For home field advantage only.

EH: I feel the All-Star Game should be the game it was designed to be….entertainment for the spectators. Winning it should have no bearing on who is considered the home league for the World Series. I feel you should alternate each year…National, American, etc. etc.

Ed Herrmann played eleven seasons in the bigs and was selected to appear in the 1974 All-Star Game. Unfortunately, an injury kept him from making the mid-season trip to Pittsburgh. Since leaving the game, “Hoggy” has worked as a scout, tutor, coach and a manager of youth teams ranging in age from 13 through college.

Ron Kittle made the most out of his rookie season in 1983 by appearing in the All-Star Game (which was played at his home field, Comiskey Park), setting a White Sox record for home runs as a rookie and taking home the Rookie of the Year Award. Now…Kittle can be found riding his Harley, given motivational speeches and hand crafting benches. Check out his work at RonKittle.com.

Jeff Montgomery played thirteen seasons in the Majors…twelve of them with the Kansas City Royals. He is a three time All-Star, a member of the Kansas City Royals Hall of Fame and their all-time leader in games pitched, games finished and saves. “Monty” resides in the Kansas City area and lends his expertise to Sports Radio 810 WHB-AM.

Since there isn’t a parade leading up to the game like there was last year (did someone mention the “last season at Yankee Stadium"?), I will not be watching the All-Star Game in real time.

No, seriously, I won’t be watching the game live as I’ll be attending the Frontier League All-Star festivities. And since I can’t avoid the endless tweets, text messages and emails regarding the outcome of game…the phone will be turned off.

And one final note…did you catch good friend of The Hall Gar “Batting Stance Guy” Ryness on The Late Show? If not, it was an instant classic.

You can watch Gar HERE.

Free MLB All-Star Tickets...who wants 'em?

If you're like me (and you're obviously not), you'll be attending the Frontier League All-Star Game next week instead of the REAL All-Star Game in St. Louis.

Good friend of The Hall, Dr. Aaron Perlut of the American Mustache Institute has come up with an innovative way of how you, yes YOU can be part of Tuesday's festivities!

Poo Holes! Poo Holes! Poo Holes!

If you are going to the 2009 Major League Baseball All-Star game next Tuesday, as well as planning on catching the HGH Fest, er...Home Run Derby the night before, you'll probably hear those chants quite often.

Indeed, Albert is arguably the best player going.

But the reality is that most of you can't afford $2,000 for a ticket, so you'll be sitting in a bar, drinking a few dozen ice cold Imbevweisers, and screaming at a television set that won't be listening to a word you are saying.

Alas, the fine men and women of the American Mustache Institute (AMI) offer hope...hope that may allow you to actually set foot in Busch Stadium DURING the game.

But first, let's pose this question: What do Pujols, Chase Utley, Hanley Ramirez, David Wright, Carlos Beltran, Ryan Braun, Raul Ibanez, Yadier Molina, Joe Mauer, Mark Teixeira, Dustin Pedroia, Derek Jeter, Evan Longoria, Jason Bay, Ichiro Suzuki and Josh Hamilton all have in common?

If you said "no mustaches", you not only now have herpes through the magic of online tools, but you were right...barelipped city baby.

And you know what? There's something deeply wrong with that....the mustache part at least.

Baseball is a man's game...men with thick, rich, delicious, nutritious mustaches. Go back to Mike Schmidt, Gossage, Hojo, Fingers, Kirk Gibson, Dave Stewart, Jack Morris, the Hawk, Wade Boggs, Ozzie Guillen, the Penguin and more.

And while Bud Selig sits on his hands and let's the baseball mustache die like the Chinese Panda, AMI is bringing the 'stache back to this year's MLB All-Star classic by staging the All-Star 'Stache Dash.

What is it?

It's a digital clue hunt set for All-Star weekend that will deliver two free tickets for Tuesday's game to some lucky loser cruising the streets of St. Louis. And let's also not forget the significance of where the game is being played, as St. Louis is home to the world's largest mustache...the Gateway Arch.

So how does it all work? Very simple: sign up to follow the 2009 All-Star ‘Stache Dash on Facebook and Twitter, and as you are stumbling drunkenly through town, look for mustached baseball cards from the 1980s.

Then, when you are not cruising the web for porn, be sure to pay attention to daily updates to the Facebook and Twitter pages on your mobile phones.

Come Monday night, you could win two tickets to see the bare-faced mortals slug it out to determine home field advantage for the 2009 World Series (which is the dumbest thing ever...thank you again Mr. Selig).

Carry on.

Tim Wakefield FINALLY gets the call

So there you have it, sportsfans, following in the footsteps of the selection shows for both the BCS Bowl Games and March Madness…TBS found it necessary to air (once again) the MLB All-Star Selection Show.

Really, TBS…is this necessary?!?

Let me guess, because “this one counts”…we get to be subjected to David Wells (with former teammate Cal Ripken, Jr. sitting next to him) talking all about how great it was to have Derek Jeter playing shortstop behind him and Dennis Eckersley referring to himself as “Eck” while introducing himself.

To be honest, I watched less than five minutes of the TBS abortion before switching back to the IndyCar race over on ABC and hopping online to see who will be playing in this year’s version of the Mid-Summer Classic.

To my happy surprise…Tim Wakefield made the cut.

Finally!

Hall contributor David Allan recently took in a game at Fenway Park and left with a few thoughts knocking around in his head about the Boston knuckleballer.

We’ve seen the signs around the ballpark: Wake for President, Wakefield for Mayor, I’m going to say it…TIM WAKEFIELD FOR THE HALL OF FAME!

God, I love shocking discussion to life.

Wait, wait, wait...before you scroll to the comments section and blast me, hear me out.

I’m not saying that tonight, the same night he was selected for his first All-Star Game, Wakefield is a lock for the Hall.

I’m not even saying that Tim-ah, as the locals call him, is worthy.

My thoughts began to wander a few weeks ago as Wakefield worked his way through eight innings of five-hit, one-run baseball.

My first thought was, how does a guy 42 years old pull this off? My next thought was…who had done it better?

The truth is Phil Niekro holds the record for most wins after the age of 40 with 121 and is a Hall of Famer on the strength of a 318-274 record and 3342 strikeouts over the course of his 24-season career.

But I’m not here to debate his Hall of Fame standing.

There are 72 pitchers in the Hall of Fame, from Don Drysdale and Nolan Ryan, to Cy Young and Hilton Smith.

Nobody has more wins (or losses, for that matter) than Cy Young. Nobody has more strikeouts than Nolan Ryan. And nobody has a lower ERA than Ed Walsh.

I’m not suggesting that Tim Wakefield will pass any of them.

So as I sat in my seat at Fenway behind home plate (Section 21, Row 07, Seat 15, entered through Gate A in case anyone wanted to know) I couldn’t help thinking that Wakefield looked better than ever.

Then I looked at what Wakefield had done in 2009 when I got home…and here was what I learned.

Through his first eight starts (remember I was at a game in May), Timmy was 5 and 2 and had fashioned an ERA of 3.59. As the mystery that is the knuckler goes, he had given up 21 earned runs in eight starts, 12 of them coming in just two outings that accounted for 9.2 of 52.2 innings.

Why do I bring this up? Because I think you can compare Phil Niekro and Tim Wakefield.

Sure, the eras were different, but are they all that different when they are dealing?

Prior to turning 40 before the 1979 season, “Knucksie” had won 197 and lost 171. Wake, on the other hand, had fashioned a record of 151 and 134.

The first thing people will notice is that the pre-40 Niekro is plus-46 in the win column and is also plus-37 in the loss column. Also…before the age of 40, Niekro made 86 additional appearances with 83 of those being starts.

His additional 83 decisions is not surprising when you see that, as a product of his era, Niekro had 245 career complete games, compared to Wakefield’s 62.

I would submit to you that part of the strength of Phil Niekro’s Hall of Fame case is that he is one of only 16 players with 3000-plus strikeouts. But when you look at Niekro vs. Wakefield in a head-to-head comparison, Wake strikes out 6.1 per nine innings for his career, whereas Niekro Ks only 5.6.

For the record, Wakefield, who is not known for the K, would be 16th among Hall of Famers in strikeouts per nine. That stat places him in front of Don Sutton, Bob Feller, Warren Spahn, Walter Johnson, Gaylord Perry AND Niekro.

Remember that stat of 72 pitchers in the Hall?

Well, if Wakefield is able to duplicate Niekro’s 121 wins after the age of 40, he will have more wins than 36 of them.

Niekro, going into what would seem to be the twilight of any career, was 26 games over .500. From age 40 through 48 he was an additional 18 games over .500.

Now I mention this because, Wakefield since hitting the big four-zero, has gone 32 and 25. He’s won .561 percent of his decisions, which is actually 26 points higher than his career average.

Over the 17 years so far, Wakefield has mustered an average of 13 wins per year and a percentage of .535. To put that in perspective, Niekro’s winning percentage is .537, and he averaged 14 wins per season.

Wakefield has never led the league in wins, which Niekro did on two occasions…in 1974 and 1979 (at age 40).

On the other hand, Wake only led the league in losses once, compared to Knucksie’s four…each season from 1977 through 1980 in fact.

What about walks?

Great question...1809 for PK and 1095 for WK…so both turn in an average of 78 free passes per season.

Now that only puts him ahead of Rich “Goose” Gossage and Hal Newhouser in the walks per nine category. But again, throwing the knuckleball doesn’t exactly increase your stats that indicate control.

Consider that we are in the era of the reliever and closer, an era of fewer starts and decisions. 121 wins after the age of 40 may seem more difficult to catch than the knuckleball itself.

Considering his strikeout per nine ratio, it’s not unreasonable that Wakefield could get to 2,600 to 2,800 strikeouts, or between 25th and 17th. I’d ask, is it that unreasonable?

I can hear it now; “he’s a compiler”. Only in baseball is longevity a curse.

He started, he relieved, he closed. He was on the mound to give up the Aaron Boone home run…you know, when it mattered most.

He also has two World Series Trophies in his pocket and now, finally, he’s an All-Star.

As he was putting the finishing touches on an eight-inning gem at age 42 and Fenway was starting to sway to "Sweet Caroline," I couldn’t help but wonder…Wakefield for the Hall of Fame?

This is the "last season at Yankee Stadium"...since when?!?

The All-Star break has officially come and gone…did you hear the one about this being the “last season at Yankee Stadium”?

If you didn’t…I’m pretty sure you’ve been in a coma. And if you did…you should have made a drinking game out of it. Hell, you’d have been more tipsy than David Wells throwing a perfect game had you decided to imbibe.

All that aside, I can’t bash the All-Star game. Some of my fondest moments as a lifelong baseball fan have come as a result of the Mid Summer Classic. Suffice it to say…I was ecstatic when I heard about FOX’s super hyped “Red Carpet” special PRIOR to the game.

This thing promised to feature everything you could ever want leading up to an All-Star Game…Hall of Famers, All-Stars and no Ryan Seacrest. Seacrest is officially everywhere now, right?!?

So here goes.

6:00pm CST The season long love affair with Yankee Stadium continues with this opening montage. Something tells me that if this game was played in Flushing…we wouldn’t get Darth Vader doing the voiceover. Odds are we’d get some James Earl Jones knock off LONG before we heard from the real deal. I don’t even want to think about the voiceover the last season at Riverfront or Veterans Stadium would have garnered.

6:01pm “Emerald green grass”…shown VIVIDLY in glorious black and white highlights.

6:02pm There’s Don Larsen’s no-hitter and Chris Chambliss blasting through the fans after his memorable walk off home run. Think we’ll see David Cone’s perfect game? Thought not.

For the record, I have no desire to EVER go to New York. That being said…I’d just about sell my soul for about an hour in Monument Park.

6:03pm “We celebrate these memories and look to make one more” says Darth Vader. Obviously this was edited long before the over fellating of Josh Hamilton and his Home Run Derby performance Monday night.

6:04pm Here’s that red carpet we’ve heard all about! Wait…this thing is sponsored by Chevy? Who knew?!?

They just informed us that a cab ride from Bryant Park to Yankee Stadium is twenty bucks? According to MapQuest…we’re looking at a three mile ride. Three miles for twenty bucks…why so cheap, New York!

And there’s A-Rod in a suit…pretty much destroying ALL belief that this is a “live” event.

Eck minus the mullet…I don’t like it.

Mark Grace ladies and gentlemen! Some would call Grace a Hall of Famer…not me. Sorry, Bushaw.

6:05pm Apparently New York is the home for some memorable parades. 1945…the Japanese surrender ending World War 2. 1960…JFK makes his way to the Big Apple. This past January…the Giants win the Super Bowl. Tuesday night…this disaster.

Yes…it’s taken all of five minutes to sour me.

6:06pm Oh, Mark Grace is making Joan Rivers jokes. These things are both as clever and timely as Monica Lewinsky references or the two guys being interviewed…Whitey Ford and Yogi Berra. My lame jokes aside, imagine the tail that Ford and Berra inherited just by hanging out with Mickey Mantle.

6:07pm Oh…it’s A-Rod again and yes, I will avoid any and all Madonna references. What I won’t avoid is the fact that he says he’s excited to see Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Willie McCovery.

McCovery?!?

6:08pm A-Rod just thanked the “good Lord” for his fan support. Nothing wrong with that I suppose…but how about thanking the fans for that support, hmmmmm?

6:09pm Did she just say “RYAN” Sandberg? On a side note…I don’t know how I feel about Ryno. Met him once…meh.

6:12pm This red carpet is full of ALL the All-Stars…including the North American VP of Chevrolet Ed Peper. Cha-ching!

6:13pm Did someone mention this thing was at Yankee Stadium? If not, my favorite (no joke) baseball player of all time, George Brett, was just asked about the “pine tar incident” which happened to occur at Yankee Stadium. As a nine year-old in 1983, I had NO freaking clue what this thing was all about. All I knew was that there was my hero freaking out and Goose Gossage and Billy Martin being involved. I cried.

6:14pm Jonathan Papelbon just referenced the need for him to be riding in the “Pope Mobile”. Classic.

Apparently there was some flack about Papelbon saying he’d close out the game if asked and that is what drew the ire (this time) of the Yankees faithful. Personally, I’m on the fence. Papelbon can be lights out…but Mariano Rivera looks like a cross between a zombie and a burn victim. And let’s face it…who wouldn’t want Ghost Rider on the bump in a close game?

6:15pm It’s nice to see some fan had the foresight to bring out some newspaper with a “PAPELBUM” headline. Stay classy, New York.

6:16pm Did they really just introduce Mayor Michael Bloomberg as New York’s “ultimate closer”? Why...did John Franco die?!?

6:17pm Oh look…as we head off to break, there’s Reggie Jackson situated right in front of a “Fringe” banner. How convenient.

6:20pm Okay…I’m confused. We’re twenty minutes in and so far, no mention of Jo…nevermind, there’s Josh Hamilton now.

6:21pm You know, I’m not sure if you knew this or not, but Hamilton had a substance abuse problem. Combine that with the talk about this being the last year of Yankee Stadium and somehow I’ve found my two least favorite pieces of information of the last decade.

6:24pm Finally, we get to hear from Reggie Jackson and to no one’s surprise, he is quick to reference his three home runs in the 1977 World Series. I mean, I’ve NEVER heard him talk about that…have you?

6:26pm “Mr. November” Derek Jeter just referenced this season as being the last one at Yankee Stadium. Has someone alerted the media? I’m not sure this has been publicized enough.

6:30pm Ooooh, highlights from the “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” contest (sponsored by Baby Ruth) judged by William Peterson and Bernie Williams. I mean, who would YOU have judge it? Please shoot me.

6:31pm Hooray…a 9-11 reference! I was wondering how long this would take.

6:32pm This “parade” was just called the “greatest collection of baseball stars in history”. Take THAT Hall of Fame induction ceremony!

6:33pm We just learned that Chipper Jones apparently became a switch hitter because his dad was a Mickey Mantle fan. Fair enough…why the stupid nickname, Larry?

6:34pm Hey look…Chase Utley and his dad! Nevermind…it’s only Mike Schmidt. And surprise, surprise, Schmidt just referenced Pete Rose. Give is up Mike…he’s not getting into the Hall of Fame.

6:35pm Hmmm…there’s Ben Sheets situated in front of another “Fringe” banner. What’s this “Fringe” show I’m, seeing so much about?

6:39pm Ugh…a shot of Terry Francona in the Yankees clubhouse. I think I’m going to be sick.

6:40pm Mark Grace just told us it would be “un-American” for him to NOT talk to a Cub. And who does he talk to…Kosuke Fukudome.

Grace just talked to “Mr. Cub” Ernie Banks who said he never played at Yankee Stadium. A two second search over at Baseball-Reference shows that Banks was the starting shortstop in the 1960 All-Star Game. Incidentally, that was the THIRD to last All-Star Game played at Yankee Stadium.

6:42pm Some dolt just told Hank Aaron that he “did a lot of winning”. Memo to world, Aaron appeared in THREE post season series in 23 seasons. Oh, and here’s a brain bender…Aaron appeared in 25 All-Star Games in those 23 seasons. Figure THAT one out, gang!

6:43pm What…Spike Lee is at a New York sporting event. Who knew?!? Good thing he was on hand to mention this being the “last season at Yankee Stadium”.

6:48pm Why do people feel the need to talk to Make-a-Wish kids like they are puppies?

6:51pm Willie Mays loves hearing himself talk. Something tells me that he could (and would) take 20 minutes to explain to you how to spell his name and he STILL wouldn’t have made any sense.

6:52pm David Duchovny is giving his Yankee Stadium memories (apparently this is the last year) and there was no mention of the upcoming X-Files movie. How does that happen, FOX?

6:55pm Last night Bon Jovi performed some All-Star Game concert. Nothing says “New York” like New Jersey! Just ask the Giants and Jets!

6:56pm Before this extravaganza was put to bed, we’re reminded again about this being the last season at Yankee Stadium. Since when?

6:57pm And if that wasn’t enough we were greeted with an abortion of a rendition of Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York” sung by a bunch of random New York turds: Regis, Michael Strahan, some sidewalk vendor, future sidewalk vendor Lawrence Taylor, Whoopi Goldberg, a bunch of others and for some reason Darryl Strawberry.

What…was Roger Clemens not available?!?

I’d love to give some insight about the game, but why bother? It was a long, long night.

Sorry Walker...here's my favorite Texas Ranger

I was in a meeting last week when, no joke, someone said…“there’s a reason why it is called the ‘Midsummer Classic’ and it isn’t because it is played in February”.

Dumb statement? Perhaps.

But it wasn’t long after I heard that, that I realized that we were indeed on the cusp of being deluged with All-Star game hype.

Who is in?

Who is out?

Is it wrong to want to see Ken Griffey, Jr. out there for what might be one last time?

All valid topics of conversation and every single one of them was answered this past Sunday when the teams were announced a la the NCAA brackets. I mean, do we really need an All-Star Selection Show?

The answer is “no”…but I digress.

By now, we all know that this is the last All-Star game at “Historic Yankee Stadium”, the Tampa Bay Rays have no starters, Junior fell out of favor over the past week and Jason Varitek is somehow going to be part of the festivities.

All of those are stories that we’re going to hear ad nauseam, but there is going to be one name that we’re likely going to get sick of hearing by this time next week.

Josh Hamilton.

I know, I know…he is a former number one overall pick, struggled with injuries and drug addiction, was out of baseball for a few years and is now back living up to the expectations everyone had of him ten years ago.

I get it…it is a nice story.

All that aside, there is one tidbit about Hamilton that I took notice of…he is the first Texas Ranger outfielder to start an All-Star game since Juan Gonzalez in 1998 and only the third Ranger outfielder (Gary Matthews, Jr. was the other) to be selected in the last twenty years.

That’s not terrible company considering Gonzalez left his own injury filled career sandwiched between ANOTHER Junior, Cal Ripken, and should be Hall of Famer Andre Dawson on the all-time home run leader list.

That’s right, Gonzalez quietly finished his career with 434 bombs…good for 37th all-time. Matter of fact, including Dawson…there are only four Hall eligible players (Mark McGwire, Jose Canseco and Dave Kingman are the others) with MORE home runs than “Juan Gone”.

Drafted at 16 and taking his first Major League cuts at 19, Gonzalez was considered by many to be the best Puerto Rican baseball player since Roberto Clemente...and he could have been. Here was a slugger whose numbers at the plate seemed to mirror those of Griffey, Jr. but never did he garner the adoration “The Kid” received.

Starting in 1992, and setting the 1994 strike year aside, Gonzalez had 35 or more home runs in seven out of nine seasons. From 1992 to 2001, Gonzalez hit 365 home runs out of the yard...Griffey sent 400 packing.

Imagine if Gonzalez would have stayed healthy!

Here is a guy who MISSED twenty or more games in all but FOUR seasons in his seventeen year career. At the time, “Juan Gone” made Junior look durable!

In 1996, Gonzalez won the first of his two MVP awards with a career high .643 slugging percentage, .314 average, 144 RBI and a staggering 47 home runs. And why are 47 home runs staggering considering that it was only fifth best in the American League? Gonzalez sat out close to 30 games and STILL led the Rangers to the playoffs.

His impact was THAT great.

In the 1996 ALDS, Gonzalez tied Jeffrey Leonard's 1987 NLCS record by homering in four straight post-season games and joined Reggie Jackson and Griffey as the only players to hit five home runs in a single post-season series.

Two years later, Gonzalez once again brought home some hardware by hitting .316, 50 doubles, 45 home runs and knocking in 157 runs. Unfortunately, this MVP season was all but ignored on the national stage given McGwire and Sammy Sosa delighting the world with their best Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle impersonation.

But yet again, the Rangers lost to the Yankees in the playoffs and “Igor” was pretty much a shadow of his 1996 postseason self barely hitting my dog’s weight….083.

But if postseason play means anything (and it probably doesn't in this case), Gonzalez's four-year peak, contributed to the only three postseason appearances in the Rangers' history and he also contributed greatly to the Indians' 2001 division championship.

Juan Gonzalez was pretty much an RBI machine throughout the 1990s.

Eight times, Gonzalez knocked in more than 100 runs and for his career, he knocked in a hefty 1404…more than Hall of Famers Orlando Cepeda, Johnny Bench, Duke Snider and only ten less than McGwire. Along with McGwire, there are only seven players eligible for the Hall that have more RBI than Juan Gonzalez.

In 1998, his 101 RBI at the All-Star break was the second most in history. Hank Greenberg had 103 at the intermission of the 1935 season. By comparison, the afore mentioned Josh Hamilton is leading the free world this year with 85 RBI…twenty more than the next closest hitter in the American League.

But let’s get back to McGwire (and I do so ONLY because there is that faction out there that believes he should be enshrined) and compare him to Gonzalez.

As I’ve said before…take away McGwire’s home run total and you’re basically left with nothing. Compared to Gonzalez, “Big Mac” has roughly 500 more plate appearances, but 300 less hits. “Juan Gone” finished just shy of 2000 for his career…McGwire had 1626.

Gonzalez bests McGwire in career batting average (.295 compared to .263), but does far short in both on base percentage and slugging (.343 and .561 versus .394 and .588).

McGwire blows Gonzalez out of the water with his OPS+, but honestly, he has 150 more home runs…he should. Gonzalez’s 132 OPS+ is better than Hall of Fame sluggers Dave Winfield, Eddie Murray and Carl Yastrzemski though.

When Cooperstown comes a callin’ (and I’m suggesting that maybe the writers take a longer look at Juan Gonzalez than they did, say, Albert Belle), it’ll be easy to dismiss him considering some of the talent he played against, the era he played in (his teammates at one time in Texas DID include Jose Caseco and Rafael Palmeiro) and the fact that he played in the Lone Star State for a majority of his career. He had one great year outside of Arlington, but outside of that…the guy is one of the best Texas Rangers to ever walk this Earth.

Sorry Walker.