Home MLB'Weekly' Hit Ground Ball 2007 – Week 15

2007 – Week 15

by Matt Smith

Week 15 is an All-Star game special. It’s the event that has dominated the week, as it does every year, and fortunately it actually deserved all of the attention this year.

American League wins again – How much can you tell from one game? Not a lot, but many believe that the American League is stronger than the Senior circuit right now and the NL are not providing a convincing argument against it. The AL’s 5-4 victory makes it eleven games without a loss, including ten wins and the infamous draw in 2002. Now we know which league will be hosting the first game of the 2007 World Series, which city will it be? Boston, Detroit, Cleveland, Anaheim, Seattle, Minnesota and (don’t count them out) New York look the most likely destinations, but don’t ask me to pick a favourite. It should be a fantastic battle over the rest of the season, as it will be in the National League.

All-Star: “good game” shock! – Leading up to the game, I went on record to say that they generally disappoint. 2007 was an exception though. It wasn’t a rip-roaring classic, but it was played in a competitive spirit and the late comeback from the National League made for a great finale. Shame for NL fans it was Aaron Rowand instead of Albert Pujols at the plate at the end. Not that it bothered Albert much of course! Being kept on the bench by your own skipper in an All-Star game is the sort of slight that can simmer away in the background for the rest of the season. Cards fans will be hoping that’s not the case: they’ve got enough problems without La Russa and Pujols falling out.

All-Star moment – Several to choose from. My personal favourite was Johan Santana’s strikeout pitch to Soriano in the seventh inning. Barry Bonds showing bunt in the third inning was a genuine laugh-out-loud moment (whether you were a fan watching the tele in Britain or Derek Jeter standing at shortstop). But what else could it be other than Ichiro’s inside-the-park home run? Yes, it took a funky bounce off the right-field wall, but with the way the wind was swirling, it was a hell of a hit in any case. And, of course, it was a historic hit as well, leading to the first inside-the-park homer in All-Star game history.

Ichiro! – Tuesday night, he’s the All-Star Game MVP. Friday he announces a five-year extension with the Mariners, enabling him to stay in his adopted home city with an extra $90 million on its way. Not exactly the worst week in his life, I would guess.

Pronk’s big pay day – Ichiro wasn’t the only top player securing his future this week. Travis Hafner missed out on an All-Star appearance, but he used his spare time to good effect by agreeing a four-year extension to his current contract with the Tribe. Pronk will earn $57 million from his new deal and the fans in Pronkville, the area in right field at the Jake that has been named in honour of the slugger, will be delighted.

Psychic Sutcliffe – Rick Sutcliffe has had a few embarrassing moments in the commentary booth, most notably when he turned up unannounced as a guest to the Padre’s booth last year having enjoyed a few too many beers for his own good. Still, he does a great job commentating on the MLB International broadcast of the World Series and he excelled himself during the All-Star game by calling Alfonso Soriano’s home run just before J.J. Putz let go of the fastball that he promptly dispatched into the seats.

Putz not a klutz – Seeing Putz struggle a bit in the All-Star game was a big surprise considering how dominant he has been this season. Any fears that Seattle fans may have had about it damaging his confidence were quickly put to rest though. In two appearances against the Tigers, Putz has struck out four, given up just one hit and recorded two saves. He now has twenty-six saves on the season (most in the AL) from twenty-six opportunities and has twenty-eight successful saves in a row stretching back into last season: a Mariners record.

A Brucie bonus?! – Poor old Bruce Froemming. There he was, manning home plate at the All-Star game in his final season of a thirty-seven year umpiring career. All was going well until he got hit in the chest by a foul ball. And then it happened again! If a referee gets clonked in the face by a football, does he get much sympathy? You bet he doesn’t, and neither do baseball umpires when they get tagged by a foul ball. Not even from their fellow umpires. Froemming, always a colourful character, has certainly divided opinion during his tenure as the longest serving umpire in Major League history. There would have been a few baseball fans, and pitchers, shouting “three time’s a charm”, that’s for sure.

Five star service – Finally, the best thing about the All-Star game was Five’s coverage of the event for the British audience. Johnny and Josh did a great job from their prime position in the press box and having Dave along for the ride is always a treat (despite his sweaty shirt!). Between Johnny’s fixation with Albert Pujols’ flashy watch, the entertaining guide to San Francisco, and the always insightful mid-innings comments on the game itself, you could tell that they were delighted to be there and they really gave British fans a sense of what is was like to be at the event. The only shame was that they didn’t have any footage of Johnny and Josh taking batting practice at AT&T Park (surely it wasn’t to spare your blushes, hey guys?!). Whichever American League city hosts game one of the World Series, I hope Five digs deep and sends the team out there to broadcast directly from the stadium this year. Seeing Johnny, Josh and Dave at Fenway in their tuxedoes would be a brilliant way to cap off the season.

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