It sucks that Mark Buehrle got hit hard on Sunday, but one benefit to that loss was he only threw 63 pitches in that game. That opened the door for him to get into Tuesday night's All-Star Game.
Buehrle turned in a typical Buehrle performance. He threw nine pitches, seven strikes, and retired Chase Utley, Albert Pujols and Ryan Braun in order in the bottom of the third inning.
And, of course, the American League beat the National League 4-3. Detroit's Curtis Granderson tripled in the eighth and scored on a sacrifice fly by Baltimore's Adam Jones. That proved to be the winning run.
Tampa Bay's Carl Crawford picked up MVP honors for a great catch in the bottom of the seventh. The left fielder robbed Colorado's Brad Hawpe of a home run and made a winner of Boston reliever Jonathan Papelbon.
The National League still hasn't won one of these games since 1996. At that time, Bill Clinton was still in his first term as president, and Terry Bevington was managing the White Sox.
The American League champion will have homefield advantage in the 2009 World Series. I sincerely doubt the White Sox will win the pennant this season, but I'm still glad the AL won. I'm always pleased when the American League comes out on top in either the All-Star Game or the World Series.
Jason, you forgot to mention the best thing about this whole night...President Obama wearing his Sox jacket while tossing out the opening pitch. That was a very proud moment for me as a Sox fan.
One would think winning a World Series championship would mean a lot not a president of our country throwing the first pitch, but then again that's HEATHERINCHICAGO's view on stuff, then for the folks of Motown Sports that want to know why I make fun of her publicly, this does it for me.
As for Obama, I am getting tired of him going on talk shows and interviewing sports athletes. If George W. Bush did that, he would be getting raked in coals. I get it that he is the first black president, but at some point, when do we stop judging on Obama because he is black and we start judging him for his work. Seriously. I like Obama as much as the next guy, but at some point, he should be no different than any living human being, and be judge for his body of work no matter what color he is. I get the sense the media is scared to criticize Obama because he is black. If he was white, you can bet he would be raked in coals.
It's time for him to start leading the country and stop going on talk shows, attending sporting events, and stuff like that. I am glad he got his boos last night at St. Louis. He had it coming. Maybe John McCain is right. Obama is nothing more than a celebrity president at best.
As for anyone that wasted his three or four hours rooting for some All-Star Game, seriously get a life. The All-Star Game has blown chunks since 1995. Growing up as a kid, I love the days when there was genuine hatred towards one league, but with free agency, things have really changed for the worse. Plus, teams don't want their asset (players) to be maximized to its fullest like a starter going three innings in an All-Star Game. Why should anyone take it seriously?
So, Timberwolf, don't you think homefield advantage for the World Series is important?
What if the Twins win the pennant? Wouldn't you rather start in the dome than on the road?
wow! I actually agree with Timberwolf on the Obama thing
Timberwolf wrote: "One would think winning a World Series championship would mean a lot not a president of our country throwing the first pitch, but then again that's HEATHERINCHICAGO's view on stuff, then for the folks of Motown Sports that want to know why I make fun of her publicly, this does it for me."
If you actually read my post, I said that Obama wearing his Sox jacket was the best thing about THAT NIGHT, not EVER. Notice, I did not compare it to winning a World Series Championship, like we did four seasons ago, which happens to be the proudest moment I've ever had as a Sox fan.
You wonder why the folks at Motownsports don't take you seriously? It's because you don't know how to read and your inaccurate babblings are incoherent. Did you ever take a reading or writing class? I sometimes seriously doubt it!
First of all, the Twins are not going to make the playoffs this season, Jason. I already conceded that division to the Tigers. I just don't think they are that good with an overrated starting rotation and an offense that is not good after Mauer and Morneau. I don't think any of the starters on the Twins are very good. That's one reason why I was apathetic about the All-Star Game.
Second of all, homefield advantage is a ridiculous reason to get anyone interested in the All-Star Game. Has it really worked? The fans don't care, and ratings speak for itself. Players still don't care either. The homefield advantage was nothing more than a panic move by Selig after a tie All-Star Game at Miller Park in 2002. That was not going to motivate the players or get fans interested. What will get fans and players interested is if the All-Star managers are allowed to extend their starters to four innings and limit their closers to only two? Starters in the starting lineup need to go at least four innings. That's what makes All-Star game relevant not homefield advantage.
It's obvious players still don't take the game seriously. Don't be fooled about the tight games we seen in the last two years, Jason.
HeatherinChicago: I can care less if people don't take me seriously. I say what I have to say, and people want to think of me as a fool, that's fine. That's why we have opinions. People don't like what they like to hear.
As for your statement about Obama throwing the first pitch in a White Sox jacket, I read that long and clear about how it was a very proud moment for you as a Sox fan. You made that real clear that day, and I promptly called you out. It's hard for anyone to miss that. You never mentioned at any time that it was a best moment that night. If it was true, you would have said Obama throwing out the first pitch was one of the best moments as a Sox fan. The fact I called you out, and now you backpeddling is all I needed to know.
I wasn't very good in high school, but you know what. I have a career in sportswriting for a community paper, and I have lasted four years. If I get fired, it won't be because of my writing. It will be because of my ability to tick people off at the school I cover.
You've conceded the division to the Tigers, eh? I'll keep that in mind when the first week of October rolls around.
Since when does "a very proud moment" translate to being my proudest moment? You truly are a Class-A idiot, Timbertroll!
I was impressed with the Tigers this weekend. Their starting pitching was very good along with their relief. Plus, I expect them to get couple of bats, and that should be enough to put them over the top in the division, and maybe in the AL. I know Chicago sports fans love like to look down on Detroit, but they should take off their rose-colored glassed and realize why the Tigers are the better team in the division.
The Tigers are a poor road team. The back of their rotation is subpar, and they have an inconsistent offense at best.
Detroit has just as many flaws as the White Sox and Minnesota. None of these teams are particularly strong, but somebody has to win it. It's a three-horse race, even if all three horses are running on broken hind legs. Nothing has been decided yet.
In this division, if a team has three great starters, that should be good enough, and I think their offense is alright to win in that divsion. I just like the Tigers a lot, JB.
HeatherinChicago: If you don't know a very proud moment can be translated to proudest moment, then you should go seek English tutorial.
The Tigers don't have three great starters. They have one great starter: Justin Verlander. Edwin Jackson is a decent starter who is having a very nice year for himself. After that, they have question marks.
AL Central records since the All-Star break:
Minnesota 6-6
White Sox 6-7
Detroit 4-8
There's nothing about the Tigers that I find impressive. They are still in first place because the White Sox have been inept on their current road trip -- and the Twins were inept on their previous road trip. None of these teams are impressive at all. Whoever wins this thing will be an overwhelming underdog in the first round of the playoffs.
So what do you think of Rick Porcello? A scrub? All he has done is probably earn the Rookie of the Year award.
Edwin Jackson has had two great years now so that is not a fluke anymore. You think the Rays don't miss him?
If the Tigers are not that impressive, why is the White Sox could not go out or win a series or get a freakin' split at Comerica Park over the weekend. What does that say about the White Sox?
I agree with you though neither of the three teams in the division are impressive, but if the Tigers can go get couple of bats to complement Cabrera and Guillen, then I would consider them a legitimate World Series contender.
Rick Porcello is a 20-year-old kid who has never pitched a full season of pro ball before, and it's starting to show.
Porcello is 1-3 with a 9.16 ERA over his last four starts. He hasn't made it out of the sixth inning since June 12. He has really been struggling. For you to label him as a "great starter" is silly. He is talented pitcher, but he is a long way from a finished product.
The Tigers are not impressive. The White Sox couldn't get a split at Comerica Park over the weekend because they are not impressive either. I don't know why it's so difficult for you to comprehend my comments. I think I'm making myself pretty clear.
All three of these teams are deeply flawed and mediocre at best. One will win the division and go to the playoffs, and likely get smoked by whoever wins the AL East.
For you to concede the division to the Tigers if foolish. It's anybody's division. Three teams separated by two games; that's nothing.
That's rich, JB. Real rich to go out and mock the Tigers when the White Sox could not go out and beat freakin Brain Duensing tonight. The Twins trotted out their worst starters in this series, and the 2008 AL Central Champs* managed to get swept. Maybe you ought to worry about your team's shortcomings than worry about Detroit's or Minnesota's.
Once again, Timberwolf displays his lack of literacy. I am concerned about the White Sox shortcomings. I never said the White Sox are a good team. In fact, I pointed out that the Sox have been inept on this road trip (see my comment at 4:09 today).
That does not make either Detroit or Minnesota a good team. All of these teams are mediocre at best. It remains anybody's race.
If you keep trolling, Timberwolf, I will be forced to delete your posts.
Timberwolf wrote: "HeatherinChicago: If you don't know a very proud moment can be translated to proudest moment, then you should go seek English tutorial."
There is a huge difference between the words "proud" and "proudest." If you notice, the later uses the suffix "est," which is ALWAYS used to state what is the most desirable of three or more things. In English, it is known as a superlative. If one does not include the "est" at the end, a reader cannot draw the conclusion that what they are talking about "tops the chart" for them so to speak.
If I were to state that Obama's wearing his Sox jacket to throw out the first pitch at the All Star game was my proudest moment, I would not have left off the vital last three letters. If anyone took "a proud moment" to mean my "proudest" moment, then they need to learn about superlatives.
And, *I* am the one who needs to seek an English tutor? HAHAHA! Keep on showing what a joke you are, Timberwolf! You always make this too easy.