Talkin' All-Stars Live - NL vs. AL - 07/15/08

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79th Annual MLB All-Star Game - National League vs. American League
Game Time - 7:00pm C.T.
Coverage - TV: FOX - Radio: ESPN Radio, XM Radio Channel 174, 176
Location - Yankee Stadium, New York

Ben Sheets (10-3, 2.85/1.11) vs. Cliff Lee (12-2, 2.31/1.03)

The first pitch of the 79th Mid-Summer Classic is scheduled to take place around 7:25pm C.T. as the National League attempts to end the recent dominance of the American League. The Senior Circuit has lost 10 in a row and including the tie in Milwaukee back in 2002; the NL has not won an All-Star game since 1996 and has lost 16 of the last 19. Clint Hurdle will look to end the draught, with Lou Piniella serving as his bench coach, against Terry Francona and the powerful AL lineup.

Tonight will be the last All-Star game at Yankee Stadium as the fabled old ballpark is in the middle of a farewell tour of sorts. The Home Run Derby on Monday night featured one of the most dominating performances in derby history, now the question is, can the actual game provide a similar memory that will talked about for years to come?

Eight players and Lou Piniella will represent the Chicago Cubs, while only five will participate, it is fitting that one of the most storied organizations in the history of the game will be represented so heavily in the last All-Star game in The House That Ruth Built.

2008 Chicago Cubs All-Stars

  • Carlos Zambrano
  • Ryan Dempster
  • Kerry Wood
  • Carlos Marmol
  • Kosuke Fukudome
  • Geovany Soto
  • Aramis Ramirez
  • Alfonso Soriano

Starting Lineups

National League:

  • Hanley Ramirez - SS

  • Chase Utley - 2B

  • Lance Berkman - 1B

  • Albert Pujols - DH

  • Chipper Jones - 3B

  • Matt Holliday - RF

  • Ryan Braun - LF

  • Kosuke Fukudome - CF

  • Geovany Soto - C

  • SP - Ben Sheets

American League:

  • Ichiro Suzuki - RF

  • Derek Jeter - SS

  • Josh Hamilton - CF

  • Alex Rodriguez - 3B

  • Manny Ramirez - LF

  • Milton Bradley - DH

  • Kevin Youkilis - 1B

  • Joe Mauer - C

  • Dustin Pedroia - 2B

  • SP - Cliff Lee

Complete National League and American League Rosters from MLB.com

Let's Talk All-Star ball....and remember, THIS ONE COUNTS!

  • After watching the entire All-Star game I had several views of Yankee Stadium. Although it is a great ballpark, it still can not compare to Wrigley Field. Just looking at these Wrigley Field Photos confirms my belief. This photographer also has some amazing Chicago Skyline Photos. A great city with an even better ballpark.

  • Phil Johnson

    Uggla was ugly and cost the NL the home field advantage. We will just have to win it any way!

  • Austin

    Garbage

  • Jim (Tinley Park)

    Well, when we go to the Series, we could win at home during game #4 or #5!

  • Dorasaga

    As long as we won the series, I wouldn't complain because Uggla helped the AL!

    Thanks, JimK, see you Friday~

  • JimK

    So we have to win the series not having home field advantage. That's alright with me. Good night sports fans who stuck this one out for 15 innings.

  • JimK

    Poor Uggla makes it a perfectly disasterous night with a strike out. Gonzalez doesn't look good against lefties--at least tonight. Let's hope we play 16.

  • JimK

    Forgive me, but this game reminds me of the Afgahn tribal beauty contest. Nobody won. Speaking of Uggla, maybe now he gets an important hit.

  • Aaron

    forgot about Z and Dempster...man, there's more A-Stars than we ever had, so it's hard to keep track....Dempster, man, gotta hand it to him. 3 straight K's. WOW....and they weren't cheap either.

  • Neil

    I agree Jim....

  • Aaron

    JimK,

    I'm pleased with everyone except for "flail away" Fukudome.....He's been just awful of late, as teams have definitely figured him out. Early in the season he was doing what I call the drag hit, much like Ichiro, where all of his weight is going toward where the second baseman normally plays. Now, he's been bailing on pitches, and his weight is going almost exclusively toward the first baseman, or even worse, toward the first base dugout.

    I hate to say it, because he's one of ours, but he did not belong in the All-Star game, and I think that's fairly hard to argue that he would be, given other more deserving player's stats. He made it because of the fan vote...which, I admit, I voted for him, just because he was one of ours, and I really liked his early season performance.

    This is a game of adjustments though, and he hasn't made many. If he remains patient at the plate, teams will and have figured out that if you just throw him a first pitch strike, then throw him several sweeping breaking balls, you'll have him bailing.

    Anyway, what a nice performance by Marmol out there getting out of Uggla's jam, ARAM drawing a walk, and did anyone else get the feeling that Soto's drive in his first AB was going out? Immediately when he hit the ball, I jumped up out of my seat, but I guess he caught it on the end of the bat.

  • Jason

    Too bad we did not do much offensively

  • JimK

    White Castle just grew up with an outstanding inning in the All Star Game. I'm pleased with our guys tonight.

  • Aaron

    man, you just knew that Ugglas would figure into this negatively somehow....and to have one of our pitchers on the mound makes it worse

  • Neil

    Another error by Uggla....

  • Jason

    3!?!?!

  • JimK

    Our luck and grit continues. Will we see Webb or Marmol--or both? Please NL. Find a way to score a run!!

  • Jason

    3 in a row now

  • Jason

    I did not say Cook was bad... just putting 2 leadoff hitters on in a row is not good.

  • JimK

    If ever a guy owed his team a hit, it's tonight's goat Uggla. Uggla K's with the worst AB since Kruk's against the Big Unit several year's ago.

  • JimK

    The Cook critics aren't watching the same game I am. Man, This is a ball game. Somehow we have to score the winning run!!

  • Jason

    They were lucky Navarro is slow as hell.

  • Jason

    Amazing play!

  • Jason

    Cook should not be in there... does not strike out enough people for my taste.

    You can not afford to keep putting leadoff hitters on.

  • Ryan

    Sure would be nice to see Aram up in this spot...

  • Aaron

    most incredible inning I've ever seen in my life by a pitcher...I wanna trade for Aaron Cook right now

  • Ryan

    OMG! how did he get out of that? this is amazing stuff guys...maybe the best all-star week ever and if not right up there with Hamilton's show last night and then this game tonight...Great Stuff on a Great Stage!

  • Jason

    Seems to me that Pinella should walk out to second base and knee Uggla in the balls. I do not even want to know what would happen if a Cubs player did that.

  • Neil

    Two errors by Dan Uggla!!!!!

  • Dorasaga

    Excuse me, I made a mistake. Cook pitched fine. But Uggla (second baseman, Marlins) errored twice... WTF?!

  • Dorasaga

    Well, it's Aaron Cook, and he's blowing it...

  • Dorasaga

    Oh well, at least we got to see Marmol on...

  • JimK

    Three K's for Dempster in the 9th. Sweeeeet!! It looks like D will only get 1 inning. We need a run, said Mr. Obvious. Maybe Tejada hits one out since he is familiar with Rivera.

  • Neil

    Dempster!!! Struck out the side!

  • Jason

    Dempster is lights out. Holy cow! 3 up and 3 down

  • JimK

    Aram needed one more hittable pitch. I'm disappointed that Hurdle put in a pinch runner for him. Hopefully, we score, but it looks like Dempster gets to be the hero with 2 innings of relief while the offense scratches out a run.

  • Jason

    Russell Martin is overrated. They need to put in McCann.

  • Dorasaga

    To Russell Martin:

    BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

    You know, low and away isn't evangelical, and Longoria just proved you...

    Man, Hurdle needs to get another catcher in!

  • Neil

    Well that stunk....

  • Dorasaga

    Honestly speaking, I really can't like Russell Martin's call behind the plate since day 1. He's not asking anyone (esp. Volquez) to work the count, but always away, away, low, away, and away.

    That's not the way to keep Z's win in here, and no, it's gone: JD Drew Homered tie.

    :-(

  • Jason

    I hope A Ram Tees off against Papelbon. That way Papelbon will have that running through his head during the World Series.

  • JimK

    Oh No!! The AL has Ted Williams' frozen head mounted on a ski pole with a bat in his teeth. But his eyes are closed. They'e going to plant the pole in the batter's box. I hope we can hold him to a double and that there's nobody on .

  • GaryLeeT

    If this is a preview Zambrano's performance on the big stage, I can't wait for the post season. Fukudome and Soto's ABs on the other hand, were rather less than Allstellar.

  • Dorasaga

    Believe it or not, if this pitching duel keeps going:

    1. Marmol won't get a chance to come up

    2. Z will get his Win (thanks, Holliday, you made Yanks Stadium looked like Coors Field!)

    And of coure, Z's "knuckleball" to Manny B would be remembered as the best pitch of the night!

    :-D

  • JimK

    Z dominates in a second inning, and Lou congratulates Holliday for hitting one out. I'm expecting Aram to win it for the NL with another home run in the 8th or 9th.

  • baron

    I heard Colorado entertaining trade offers for Holliday.... How about the rest of the Iowa Cubs roster for him??

  • baron

    Picked OFF!!! MUAHAHAH

  • Neil

    Z with the pickoff!!!!!

  • Andy Pintino

    Nice job Z, picking off Bradley at 1st!!

  • Ryan

    Z striking out Arod reminds me of his book when he said he knew he could pitch in the bigs when he struck Arod out early in his career...nice pitch to Manny too HAHAHA

  • JimK

    Z has a good inning behind him. Soto's doing fine. Dome caught the flyball 3rd out in CF. Our guys are learning that they can do it on the biggest stage they've ever been on. This experience for all the Cubs will be a plus in the post season, and maybe our biggest take away from this game.

    What a thrill to see 49 Hall of Famers on the field in Yankee stadium. If this event doesn't get your heart beating a little faster and bring some tears of joy to your eyes, have someone call the undertaker. Let's go Nationals!!!

  • Neil

    Matt came up with it based on a comment I made in Spring Training about all of the weight Zambrano lost in the offseason. I said Big Z looked more like Medium Sized Z...MSZ

  • Ryan

    Ahh dah i remember hearing that...thanks for refreshing my memory Neil

  • Neil

    Matt came up with it based on a comment I made in Spring Training about all of the weight Zambrano lost in the offseason. I said Big Z looked more like Medium Sized Z...MSZ

  • Neil

    Faced the minimum....not bad!

  • baron

    NIce Sinker Z

  • Ryan

    This is a really stupid question i am sure but i obviously missed something - what is the MSZ (I know it is referring to Z but the MS?)

  • baron

    NL -- 42 pitches in 2, AL - 34 in 3 --- classic difference between the 2 leagues. tis why pitcher ERA's get elevated when they go there.....

  • Neil

    That was quick.

    Neil is looking forward to seeing MSZ

  • baron

    Nathan, K-Rod, Papelbon, Rivera....

    The NL better score some runs early

  • baron

    Can't wait for Z to come in

  • Ryan

    Just a thought but Soto should "accidentally" throw the ball at Sheets next time he throws to second...haha jk jk

  • Dorasaga

    I really don't like this YES color analyst. He's misguiding his audience: "Lee has become a power pitcher." Huh? He's all about control, lady!

  • Cubbies Down Under

    I second the writer above who says:

    You have no Idea how much this rocks and how much I enjoy this first half with you all! Thanks and lets have a great 2nd half!

    Between the live MLB coverage & the liveblogging on this site, even we Cubs fans down here in Oz can feel like we're part of it.

    EAMUS CATULI

    GO CUBS GO!

  • Dorasaga

    Let's see how Soto calls behind the plate, working with pitchers he'd never worked with before.

    And I also hope that Sheets don't overthrow those breaking balls and hurt our young cannon's "spots" down the girdle~

    :-D

    Go CubS!!!

  • Neil

    The pre-game was awesome! All of those players and The Boss

  • Jim (Tinley Park)

    Hello everyone.

    huge game for us tonight.

    Aaron, come on out tonight bro!

  • Neil

    Let's Go NL, Let's Go!!!!

  • agustin rexach

    Hey CCO and posters...I just wanted to let you all know that this is a great place to share with great people. You have no Idea how much this rocks and how much I enjoy this first half with you all! Thanks and lets have a great 2nd half!

  • Ryan

    Agree Scott about the fans voting thing yet looking at the NL lineup who would u change? The only thing i really see is Sori starting instead of Fukudome but he is obviously hurt...nothing against fuk and i hate braun but he and holliday are cleary deserving of starting no matter who picks the lineup

  • Scott McMeekan

    Looking for a good game tonight from Soto...he's really going to open some eyes tonight. I hope Kosuke doesn't bail on pitches like he has been lately. I think Z will pitch two solid innings, and Soto and Rammy will go yard.

    Finally, I think that an All Star game made up of players that the fans picked (including some players who are NOT the best at their positions), that "counts" in determining the world series winner is, in a word, ridiculous.

    Let's go Cub All Stars!!!!

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