Heading to the Bronx

Lou Piniella will have plenty of familiar faces making the journey with him next week from Chicago to New York for the 79th Annual All-Star Game....and in case you forgot, this one counts. The Cubs will have seven representatives in the Midsummer Classic, along with their manager. Clint Hurdle replaced Willie Randolph with Lou Piniella a short time back and the Cubs will have more players on the National League roster than any team in the league. The Red Sox will have seven players on the American League roster as well.

The Chicago National League Ball Club will send seven players to the game for the first time in the organization's history. The Cubs sent six players in 1988 and in 1936. Geovany Soto will make a little history of his own. Soto will be the first rookie catcher to start for the NL and only the second in the long history of the game for either league. The fans also voted in Kosuke Fukudome and Alfonso Soriano, while Clint Hurdle selected Carlos Zambrano to join the staff of the Senior Circuit. Kerry Wood, Ryan Dempster and Aramis Ramirez were selected by their peers.

Six players represented the Cubs in the All-Star games in 1988 and in 1936:

1988

Ryne Sandberg
Andre Dawson
Shawon Dunston
Vance Law
Greg Maddux
Rafael Palmeiro

1936

Curt Davis
Frank Demaree
Augie Galan
Gabby Hartnett
Billy Herman
Lon Warneke

Kosuke Fukudome will be the first rookie to start in the outfield of a National League team since Frank Robinson in 1956. Geovany Soto became the 5th Cubs' catcher to be on a NL All-Star squad since 1953 and 9th all-time. Joe Girardi was the last in 2000, Jody Davis (1984, 1986), Steve Swisher (1976), Randy Hundley (1969), Toby Atwell (1952), Bruce Edwards (1951), Clyde McCullough (1948) and Gabby Hartnett (1933, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938)

Welington Castillo was named to the XM Radio All-Star Futures Game that will be played on Sunday, July 13th at 11:30am C.T. XM Radio will broadcast the event that will also be televised on ESPN 2. Castillo was the only Cubs' prospect selected to participate. Geovany Soto was the Cubs' lone representative in last year's Futures Game.