MIDSUMMER BUMMER

American League 3, National League 2

I've tried looking up Trevor Hoffman's career numbers against the Mets, but I can't find them right now. I'm pretty sure, though, that he is a Met-killer - his numbers against the Mets have always been very good, if I remember correctly. And Hoffman killed the Mets in the All Star Game tonight, giving up 2 2-out runs in the 9th inning, handing home field advantage to the American League, and costing one Met an MVP award.

I was really hoping this game would be no contest - with my nemesis Kenny Rogers the starting pitcher for the American League, I was hoping the NL would rock him and jump out to a big, early lead. No such luck. The AL took a 1-0 lead on a Vladimir Guerrero homer in the second off Brad Penny (who knew Penny could throw such heat - he was consistently in the upper 90's...and threw almost nothing but fastballs). The NL tied it in the bottom half when David Wright hit his first (of many?) All Star Game homer - a solo shot into left field.

The NL then took the lead they would hold into the 9th when Carlos Beltran singled up the middle with Alfonso Soriano on second base....Soriano was nailed at the plate, but Beltran took second on the throw home. Then he stole third. And came home on a wild pitch, to give the NL a 2-1 lead. So there you have it - both Mets responsible for both NL runs - take your pick for the MVP, Wright for his homer, Beltran for his manufacturing a run. Paul LoDuca was ineffective at the plate, but he handled the pitchers well (and he's the first Mets catcher to not be involved in tipping off the AL hitters as to what's coming since Gary Carter). Also, Carlos Beltran's performance tonight resulted in my decision to take the asterisk away from his name forever. He played like an All Star (not to mention his regular season stats - 25 homers), and looks like the Carlos Beltran that has played for other teams. So he merits no more asterisk. I'm still superstitious though - I think the All Star break is the perfect time to do this because he has two days off still to not notice it, and still play like he thinks he has an asterisk still on his name. (That's my crazy logic....I had to write it.)

Phil Garner left a lot of bats on the bench for the NL - and decided to use Trevor Hoffman as his closer. I can't fault him for any of those decisions...but I'll fault Hoffman. He got two easy groundouts to the pitcher, then with two outs gave up a single to Paul Konerko, a double to Troy Glaus, and then a 2-run triple to MVP Michael Young (who I really like and am quite happy for...but man is that going to be costly), blowing the lead.

Beltran had another at-bat in the bottom of the ninth, with one out and the bases empty against Mariano Rivera. He did the best he could, hitting a hard grounder to third, then beating the throw after a bobble, and ending up at second after another ground out. But he was stranded there (as he was stranded at second in the first after a double), and the NL lost.

So if the Mets make the World Series, they will have to settle for games 3, 4, and 5 at Shea. Hopefully it doesn't make a difference - but home field is important....and the National League came sooo close to earning it.

WRIGHT: David Wright has come a very long way since the "Wright Watch". He was featured in a silly little "What Does David Wright Like" feature on FOX (apparently he really likes '24'), and Jeanne Zelasko even interviewed his father (I thought The Wife was rewinding the interview so I could see it - because I was in the other room....turned out she wanted to see if Wright's brothers were as cute as he is.). Throw in the All Star Game homer, and the runner-up in the Home Run Derby, things are never going to be the same. I hope he stays as grounded as he has so far.

OTHER PLAYERS: I like watching David Ortiz play 1st base - but every time he makes a nice play, people go out of their minds over it. You know what? Based on interleague play, the World Series, and this All Star Game, watching him play, I've decided he's a good first baseman. Maybe better than good - above average? He makes good plays there - it's not just coincidence. So get over it, people. Give him credit, don't go overboard every time he does it like you could have never expected such a thing.

Freddy Sanchez is a good ballplayer. I saw flashes of it when he was in Boston - but it's really starting to show as he gets a chance everyday. Plus, he can play anywhere.

PITTSBURGH: Pittsburgh did a really nice job with the All Star Game (I guess - I wasn't there). Their fans were outstanding. Good ovations for the hometown players, the Clemente celebration, and recognizing their old-timers (Mazeroski, Tanner). It shows that it's a good baseball city, and doesn't deserve the poor baseball it's forced to watch these days. Pittsburgh needs a good team again. Plus, have I ever mentioned I love their ballpark?

ESPNEWS: I keep forgetting to mention this, and it's strange to mention it when there are no scores worth looking for on the crawl, but consider this an advisory for the second half of the season. ESPNEWS is driving me nuts. Usually, they put the baseball scores on the crawl, divided into AL and NL, in order of the time of game. So if there was a day game, that would be first in the order, then the 7pm's, then the 10pm's. But for most of the season (the first time I noticed this was in mid-April, when I was on the West Coast), they have been putting the San Francisco Giants as the first game on the NL ticker, even if it was a 10:30 game, the latest of the day. It's probably (definitely) because of Barry Bonds' homers, but does anyone really care that much?!! I think more people are like me - it probably bothers people more than anything. I don't want to pay Bonds any mind, so I don't want his results taking precedence over the rest of the league. When I first saw this out west, I thought it was because I was out west, and ESPN had customized their west coast ticker to show the Giants first...but then I came home and realized that wasn't the case. I didn't care before Bonds passed Ruth, and I don't care now. I bet lots of others feel that way too - put the Giants back where they belong - at the end of the crawl.

THE KID'S KIDS: The St. Lucie Mets were off on Tuesday night, but they've been struggling lately. First of all, they've had to deal with some weather issues, and have had lots of doubleheaders. But when their manager, Hall of Famer Gary Carter, was in Pittsburgh to manage the Futures Game, they hit the skids. Right now, the Mets are on a 4-game losing streak, and will play two on Wednesday against Brevard County. They're two games back of Daytona in the second half of the season (after winning the first half), with a 10-6 record.

COMING UP: Wednesday night, aka the most boring night of the year, I'll post my review of American League broadcasters. Thursday night I'll do the NL, and write about anything notable from the night in baseball. Friday night the Mets are back, and I'll get back to regular postings.