Major League Baseball announced tonight that Tampa Bay's Evan Longoria and Milwaukee's Corey Hart will be the two final participants in this year's All-Star Game.

The American League winner, Longoria, received the highest total number of votes ever and led all vote-getters with nine million en route to becoming the second consecutive rookie to win the balloting, following Boston's Hideki Okajima last year. He was followed by Jermaine Dye of the Chicago White Sox; Jason Giambi of the New York Yankees; Brian Roberts of the Baltimore Orioles; and Jose Guillen of the Kansas City Royals.

On the National League ballot, Hart became the second Milwaukee player to win the All-Star Game Final Vote by holding off a late charge from David Wright of the New York Mets to claim the final spot on the National League All-Star roster with a final tally of eight million votes. Hart and Wright were followed by Pat Burrell of the Philadelphia Phillies; Aaron Rowand of the San Francisco Giants; and Carlos Lee of the Houston Astros.

While I believe Jermaine Dye deserved to represent the American League, I really don't have a problem with Longoria making the team. Good for him and the Rays. They deserve all the recognition they deserve.

On the other hand, nobody can convince me that Corey Hart deserved to be in this game. Pat Burrell got the shaft, and if Burrell wasn't rewarded the final spot on the NL team, it should have been David Wright. In fact, Corey Hart shouldn't have even been on the ballot!

Seattle Mariners Vice President & General Manager of Baseball Operations Lee Pelekoudas announced today that the Mariners have released first baseman Richie Sexson according to a team Press Release.

Sexson, in the last year of his contract with Seattle, struggled this season.  At the time of his release, he was hitting .218 with 11 home runs and 30 RBI in 74 games with the team.

In his first two seasons with the Mariners, Sexson posted over 30 doubles, over 30 homers and over 100 RBI and was ninth on the all-time Mariners home run list with 105.  In his career, the 33-year-old Sexson has 305 home runs, 937 RBI and a .261 average.

In an unrelated move, the Mariners placed Erik Bedard on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to July 5.  To replace Sexson and Bedard, right-handed pitcher Jared Wells and infielder Tug Hulett were brought up from Triple-A Tacoma.

SEXSON'S PLAYER PAGE ON BASEBALL DIGEST DAILY

On a conference call today with the two managers of this year's All-Star Game, National League manager Clint Hurdle revealed that Matt Holliday will take the place of Alfonso Soriano in the starting lineup of this year's All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium.

Hurdle said he was in contact with Major League Baseball senior vice president Katy Feeney who informed Hurdle that per the basic agreement with the players, the replacement outfielder is chosen by the Player's Ballot and Holliday was first amongst outfielders on the Player's Ballot.

As for Soriano's spot on the roster that decision belongs to Hurdle.  Previous to the call, Hurdle stated he was waiting until after the Final Vote process was complete to pick a replacement for Soriano.  On the call today, he said that while there was no guarantee the roster spot would be filled from the four players not selected in the Final Vote, they would be the “list to peruse first.”

The Final Vote ends today and currently Miwaukee Brewers outfielder Corey Hart holds a slight lead over New York Mets third baseman David Wright and Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Pat Burrell.  San Francisco Giants outfielder Aaron Rowand and Carlos Lee of the Houston Astros are also in the running for the 32nd roster spot.

Hurdle said there was brief consideration given to adding another pitcher but, after some thought, decided the spot needed to be filled by a position player.

Also on the call, American League manager Terry Francona avoid directly answering numerous questions regarding the possibility of Yankees closer Mariano Rivera starting the last All-Star game at Yankee Stadium.  Francona did reveal a decision would be made public on Monday but also stated his goal was “to win and use as many players as appropriately as possible” and did not know if it made sense to go against the mold and start a closer.

…With the Mid Summer Classic coming up, one of things that fans look forward to is the Home Run Derby. The players on the other hand, not so much. A lot of players and main stream pundits think the Derby messes with your swing. And the first thing they point out as an example is Bobby Abreu who won it in 2005 with a record 41 jacks - and then went on to only hit 6 in the second half. Not only that, but they think the format is to long.

…Just 18 days before being posthumously inducted into Baseball's Hall Of Fame, former Dodgers Owner Walter O'Malley will be honored with a plaque at Dodgers Stadium. He was instrumental in bringing the Dodgers west from Brooklyn.

Here's what Peter O'Malley had to say about the plaque honoring his father.

“He wasn't much for awards, quite frankly,” said
Peter O'Malley, who took over from his father as president of the Los
Angeles Dodgers in 1970 when Walter became chairman of the board in
1970, and assumed ownership upon his death in 1979.

“But I think what would have impressed him today
as much as much as the great honor of the plaque is the gathering of
some of the people who he worked with 50 years ago — some more than 50
years ago. That would have made it a very special day for him.”

…With the Padres more than likely being sellers at the deadline, there's at least one guy that would love to remain a Padre - Randy Wolf. He will be a free agent at the end of the season, but would love to remain in sunny San Diego. He can veto trades to 14 teams, which might make it tough to unload him to begin with.

…Even though he was a bit shocked, Rich Harden - now a Chicago Cub is excited to be a part of a team that's contending for a division title.

“It's my first trade. I've been in Oakland my entire career. So it
definitely was a shock,” Harden said Wednesday, a day after the Cubs
obtained him in a six-player trade with the Athletics.”But
it's exciting to come to the Cubs, especially with the talent they
have, the reputation they have — the fans, how passionate everyone is
for baseball here. I couldn't be happier.”

Of course the big thing for Harden is the question of whether or not he can remain healthy.

…If you're looking for a piece of Baseball History and happen to be in New York for the All-Star game, you could bid on Babe Ruth's 712th home run ball.

“It's an incredibly significant ball. It's nearly impossible to
overstate it's historical significance,” said David Hunt, president of
Hunt Auctions, which has possession of the ball and has authenticated
its validity in advance of the auction. “We think it will go for six
figures, but it's hard to say how high the price will go.”

…According to Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal, the Dodgers could've gotten CC Sabathia, Casey Blake and Jamey Carroll without giving up Matt Kemp. He also goes on to add that the Dodgers are near impossible trade partners. There were even rumors that Frank McCourt nixed the deal to begin with. He just said “The Players didn't match up”.

Fan selection Alfonso Soriano will not play in the upcoming All-Star game next week due to the left hand injury he suffered on June 11 when he was hit by a pitch by Atlanta's Jeff Bennett.  Although he will not play, Soriano will attend the game.

After hearing the news, National League All-Star manager Clint Hurdle announced he planned to hold off on a decision to replace Soriano until after the Final Vote selection process to award the final roster spot on the team came to a close.

Soriano — hitting .283 with 15 homers and 40 RBI in 52 games — was one of seven Chicago Cubs picked to play in the final All-Star game at Yankee Stadium.  Yankee Stadium was also where Soriano got the first hit of his Major League as a member of the Yankees on September 14, 1999.  Soriano spent five seasons in pinstripes primarily as a second baseman.  Now, the 32-year-old Soriano will have to sit out his fifth All-Star starting nod and eighth consecutive All-Star selection. 

SORIANO'S PLAYER PAGE ON BASEBALL DIGEST DAILY

Don't get me wrong. I like the idea…it's kind of cool to have a “mad rush” vote to send the last two players to the All-Star Game, even if it's a meaningless over-hyped game. Fans like it, and it's good publicity for MLB and Monster. But, has anyone noticed the amount of campaigning going on for the “Final Vote?” I swear, and I'm not kidding, I've seen more advertisements, emails, and interviews in the past three days telling me to vote for Jermaine Dye, Evan Longoria, and Pat Burrell than I've seen for Barack Obama. As someone who works for a public relations firm, I just have to say…WOW! Whoever planned the “Final Vote” campaign this year certainly got their point across to the entire league. That person or group deserves some recognition!

Between press releases, team emails, and commercials during game broadcasts, I believe I've been reminded to vote nearly twenty-five times an hour. For those of you scoring at home…that's A LOT!

Some of the lobbying going on is actually pretty funny. For example, the Yankees are sending out a picture of Jason Giambi's face in their bid to get the DH into the game. But it's not his entire face. It's a shot zooming in on his now famous mustache! In fact, you don't even see Giambi's eyes. Oh, and if you vote for Jason, you enter a drawing to win one of five baseballs autographed by the slugger. As of this evening, over 33 million votes were cast. So guess what your odds are of getting that autographed baseball?

The White Sox are doing something similar with Jermaine Dye, but they're being just a bit more aggressive (yes, that's a sarcastic understatement). In a special offer, fans who vote on-line for Dye through the end of the voting period will automatically be entered to win a jersey autographed by the White Sox outfielder.  A total of six winners will receive one Dye autographed jersey after the All-Star Final Vote. Again, you do the math. But that's not even the crazy part…

At about 6:00 PM today I received a press release from the White Sox breaking down their efforts to get Dye into the game. Are you sitting down? Here it goes…

The Chicago White Sox have turned up the campaign to send Jermaine Dye to the All-Star Game in New York City through Major League Baseball’s Monster 2008 All-Star Game Final Vote ballot. 

The latest phase will include an airborne component above Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Mo.  Prior to this evening’s game vs. Kansas City, the White Sox will unleash the aerial phase of the campaign.  Fans in the ballpark’s vicinity will be able to observe a message from White Sox between 4-6 p.m. CT.

Tomorrow (Thursday) morning, White Sox mascot Southpaw and the White Sox Chevy Pride Crew will canvass the Chicago Loop, visiting the Farmers’ Market at Daley Plaza and local morning shows, lobbying fans for last minute votes.

Along with this evening and tomorrow morning’s efforts, White Sox fans have been relentlessly active in Jermaine’s behalf since the announcement of his place on the Final Vote ballot. 

Below are some of the highlights of the VOTE JD campaign:

- Snapping To It:  The White Sox front office quickly designed and printed VOTE JD signage, stickers and t-shirts that were distributed to fans by The Chevy Pride Crew during Sunday’s game (7/6) vs. Oakland.
- Sox Signers:  Immediately after the announcement of Jermaine’s Final Vote candidacy, VOTE JD signage was placed across the U.S. Cellular Field during the game vs. Oakland.
- Running Mate:  The White Sox created a partnership with the San Francisco Giants to get both Jermaine Dye (Bay-area native) and Aaron Rowand (member of the 2005 World Series Champion White Sox) voted to the 2008 All-Star Game.
- A Clubhouse United:  White Sox players, coaches and staff are currently sporting VOTE JD stickers and t-shirts in support of Jermaine.
- On The Campaign Trail:  Kauffman Stadium’s visitors’ clubhouse has been outfitted with VOTE JD signage, and will continue to over the next two days.
- A United Front:  The United Center, home of the Chicago Bulls and Chicago Blackhawks, is running VOTE JD campaign messages on their video board on Madison Avenue.
- Kicking-In: The White Sox Chicago soccer cousins, the Chicago Fire, are running VOTE JD campaign messages on their video board visible from the Stevenson Expressway (Interstate 55).
- Online All The Time:  The White Sox have initiated a full-blown online campaign that includes periodic reminder and update emails, and breaking club news on the Inside the White Sox blog.
- Your JD Slogan: Sox fans have been invited to submit their slogans for JD’s campaign via the “Inside the White Sox” blog.

Fans may vote an unlimited number of times for Dye and Rowand by visiting whitesox.com or mlb.com and also via mobile phone by texting the word “VOTE” to the number 36197.

Running mate in Aaron Rowand? Isn't that collusion? Skywriters? Signage in an opposing team's stadium that has its own candidate (Jose Guillen)? Is getting Jermaine Dye to the All-Star game REALLY that important???

Boy have the times changed. I remember just about 15 or so years ago when Major League Baseball refused to spend any money on marketing and promotions. You rarely saw ads endorsing their star players. Well I guess they learned their lesson. At least the White Sox have!

Jermaine Dye should be thankful he has all this support…especially if he has an All-Star bonus clause in his contract! And Aaron Rowand should be appreciative as well. What the ????

Maybe this is just a precursor to the Sox' next campaign to have Rowand traded back to Chicago!

- Kevin Youkilis singled, doubled, hit a home run, drove in 4 runs and scored 3 runs, and Manny Ramirez went 3-for-5 with 2 doubles and 3 RBI to lead the Boston onslaught of 23 hits as the Red Sox demolished the Twins, 18-5. Jacoby Ellsbury added 4 hits, and Dustin Pedroia had 2 hits and 3 RBI for Boston.
- Scott Olsen allowed just one run on 4 hits over 8 innings, and Hanley Ramirez collected 3 hits, including his 22nd home run, as the Marlins defeated the Padres, 5-2. Mike Jacobs also had 2 hits, a homer, and 2 RBI for Florida.
- Tampa Bay's Edwin Jackson and New York's Sidney Ponson gave their respective teams very solid outings, and it took 10 innings before Bobby Abreu broke a 1-1 tie with an RBI double to give the Yankees a 2-1 walk-off win over the Rays.
- John Lannan and three Washington relievers combined on a 3-hit shutout, and Jesus Flores led the offense with a 3-run home run as the Nationals upset the Diamondbacks, 5-0. Kory Casto singled, doubled, walked, and drove in 2 runs as well for Washington.
- Matt Joyce went 3-for-4 with a double, home run, and 2 RBI, and Miguel Cabrera contributed a 2-run walk-off homer in the last of the 9th inning as the Tigers rallied from 6 runs down to stun the Indians, 8-6. Detroit scored 5 runs in the 7th inning to tie the game at 6 before pulling out the victory on Cabrera's home run. Grady Sizemore had 3 hits and 2 RBI for Cleveland.
- David Eckstein doubled twice and drove in 2 runs, Marco Scutaro reached base 4 times, and Alex Rios added 2 hits and 2 RBI of his own as the Blue Jays survived the Orioles, 9-8. Adam Jones hit a 3-run home run, and Nick Markakis went 3-for-5 with a homer and 3 runs scored for Baltimore.
- Lance Berkman was on base 3 times and stole 2 bases, and Geoff Blum launched a 3-run blast to lead the Astros over the Pirates, 6-4. Nate McLouth doubled 3 times for Pittsburgh.
- Carlos Delgado singled, doubled twice, and scored 2 runs, Ramon Castro hit a 3-run home run, and Johan Santana pitched 5 scoreless innings before giving way to rain as the Mets blanked the Giants for the second night in a row, 5-0.
- Glendon Rusch gave up just one run in 6 innings, and Garrett Atkins went 3-for-4 with 2 home runs and 3 RBI as the Rockies knocked off the Brewers, 8-3. Joe Koshansky added a 2-run homer for Colorado. Ben Sheets kept Milwaukee in the game all night, striking out 11 while allowing 3 runs over 6 innings, but the bullpen blew any chance the Brewers had of coming back. Bill Hall led the Milwaukee offense with a double and a home run.
- Carlos Zambrano proved he was a worthy All-Star selection by pitching a one-hitter for 8 innings tonight, and his All-Star teammate Aramis Ramirez picked him up by collecting a double, a home run, and 2 RBI as the Cubs outplayed the Reds, 5-1.
- Ryan Howard reached base 3 times, homered to break an 8th inning tie, and drove in 2 runs, and J.A. Happ was solid for 6 1/3 innings on the hill as the Phillies snapped their 4 game losing streak by beating the Cardinals, 4-2.
- Michael Young went 3-for-5 with a stolen base and an RBI, Jarrod Saltalamacchia drove in 2 runs, and Josh Hamilton smashed a 2-run walk-off home run off Francisco Rodriguez in the bottom of the 9th as the Rangers came from behind to shock the Angels, 5-4. Los Angeles starter Jered Weaver allowed just one earned run in 6 strong innings before giving way to the bullpen.
- Carlos Quentin hit home runs #20 and #21, collected 4 RBI, and scored 3 runs, and the Chicago bullpen provided superb relief for 3 1/3 innings to help the White Sox fight back from a 5-run deficit and beat the Royals, 7-6. John Buck had 2 hits, a home run, and 2 RBI, and Ross Gload went 3-for-4 and drove in 2 for Kansas City.
- Derek Lowe took a perfect game into the 7th inning, and Matt Kemp (solo home run) and Andruw Jones each drove in a run as the Dodgers nipped the Braves, 2-1. Atlanta finished with just 2 hits, one of which was a home run off the bat of Jeff Francoeur. The Braves' Tim Hudson kept pace with Lowe, giving up just 2 runs on 4 hits over 7 innings of work.
- Ichiro Suzuki and Adrian Beltre each had 3 hits, and Jose Lopez singled, doubled and drove in 3 runs as the Mariners rallied for 5 runs in the 5th inning to defeat the Athletics, 6-4. Donnie Murphy drove in 3 runs for Oakland.

Wednesday's Scoreboard