Hopefully tonight's MLB All-Star game will not be unwatchable, but instead a hard-fought slugfest. Look @ the top of the starting lineup for the American League. They have Ichiro batting leadoff, DJ next, then the tenacious trio of A-Rod, Big Papi and Vlad the Impaler. The NL has a starting lineup of Reyes, B*nds, Beltran, Junior, Wright and Fielder leading off the game. But that is just the cream of the crop.
The AL reserves, as well as the NL reserves, are also stacked. The AL has "Hip, hip Jorge!" Posada, 2006 AL MVP Morneau, Torii Hunter - who robbed Barry Bonds of a home run in Milwaukee - and "Manny being Manny" Ramirez. The NL has Derrek Lee, "Winnie-the-Pujols", Matt "I am on a" Holliday, Carlos Lee and Alfonso Soriano. And i haven't even gone to pitching.
The starting pitchers are Dan Haren - who has a superb 2.20 ERA, and Jake Peavy - the best pitcher in the National League. The AL has 12-2 Josh Beckett, reliever Jonathan Papelbon, an excellent closer in JJ Putz, and two of the best in the Major Leagues, Justin Verlander and Johan Santana. The NL has Francisco Cordero, who has 27 saves, a young phenom in Cole Hamels and the #1 closer all-time in Trevor Hoffman.
I believe that the National League will come up on top, winning 12 - 9.