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Ready to rock

Young All-Stars revel in their moment in the sun

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Posted: Tuesday July 11, 2000 12:06 PM

By John Donovan, CNNSI.com

	• Storylines • All Thumbs • Quote of the Day • Short Hops • Things We'd Like to See

ATLANTA -- The young pups are taking over. Guys you've never heard of, guys you wouldn't know if they hit, like, 50 homers at the All-Star break.

They are guys with names like Bordick, Baldwin and Batista. Dempster, Helton and Vidro. Isringhausen. Glaus. Pumpernickel.

OK. We made that last one up.

The point is, Major League Baseball's All-Star Game is more like the All-Semi-Star Game this year. Not stars, not quite yet.

But on their way, for sure.

"It's awesome. It's really awesome. I'm in awe right now," said Cincinnati reliever Danny Graves.

So you said, Danny.

The 71st All-Star Game, scheduled to be played Tuesday night, will be played by no fewer than 25 first-time All-Stars. They are there either through election or selection. Many are fill-ins in a game that has lost many of its biggest names, guys like Mark McGwire and Ken Griffey Jr., Barry Bonds and Mike Piazza. Even Iron Man Cal Ripken Jr. is sitting this one out.

But don't fret, baseball fans. You can be sure the littler guys who are here will at least give it their all, if given the chance.

"I feel bad. So many great players getting hurt and not being able to be here," said Baltimore's Mike Bordick, at 33 a first-timer who replaces Ripken. "Those are the guys I watch. It's too bad, but I think the players that are out there right now are certainly going to represent the game well."

Many are choosing to view the dropout rate at this game as a sort of changing of the guard, with old favorites like Ripken making way for all the young stars. For sure, Ripken is nearing the end of his remarkable career. He was elected to start in his 16th straight All-Star Game but -- and we're speaking figuratively, of course -- bowed out with a bad back.

Even Piazza, Bonds and McGwire may be closer to the end of their All-Star careers than many would like to think.

But Seattle superstar Alex Rodriguez, out with a concussion, is barely at the beginning of what promises to be a long run. And there are already a load of younger All-Stars, though not necessarily first-timers, who are healthy and raring to go.

"We're just trying to move up," said Oakland's Jason Giambi, elected to his first All-Star Game at 29. "That's how the game gets passed on."

At this point, though, the All-Star rookies are willing to just bide their time.

"I'm just here. That's it," said California third baseman Troy Glaus, another first-timer who left Anaheim on Sunday night around midnight, crawled into his Atlanta hotel room around 7:30 a.m. Monday and was yakking it up giddily with the media just hours later. "Wherever they put me is wherever they put me. It don't matter. I'm here just to be here and enjoy myself."

It's probably a good bit of advice for all the young guys enjoying their first All-Star Game.

And not a bad bit for all those watching, too.

On to this special, daily edition of the baseball Week at a Glance. The regular Week at a Glance, for those of you keeping track, will re-appear Wednesday.

Meanwhile, a query for you: Can the American League win its fourth straight game?

The answer: We think you're missing the point.

 

The Derby What's so enthralling about the home run? Well, watching the arc of a well-struck baseball as it hurtles toward the seats. Hearing the crack of the bat, a bit delayed, from the cheap seats. Ken Griffey Jr.'s beautiful swing. Sammy Sosa's power. A towering drive that just clears the fence. "That got out of here in a hurry." Thousands of faces following the ball cut through the night air. And more.
The Newbies Lots of new guys, lots of last-minute subs, lots of guys you've never heard of and probably haven't ever seen. It's like you need a scorecard to keep track of these players. Hey! Maybe that's why those things were invented in the first place.
The Starters Arizona's Randy Johnson for the National League, our pal David Wells of Toronto for, er, the Americans. The Big Unit vs. the Big ... well, we've probably carried that far enough, haven't we? Great choices. Maybe the only choices given the fact Pedro Martinez is shelved.
The Time We oughta be, what, halfway through the introductions before anyone with any kid of any age ought to think about putting the youngster to bed? Sheesh. It's way too late to whine about the effect of TV on sports. But, dag nab it, it's just a shame junior can't watch the game's best.
Sammy Sosa . Just week's ago, he came off as just another whining rich ballplayer. After Monday's Home Run Derby, though, this guy can have anything he wants. Think Mark McGwire, only with more smiles.
Ken Griffey Jr. . Give him credit for taking part in the HRD, even if he did it only because he didn't want to get ripped by everyone. He's still too moody to be a guy you want to get too close to, but that pretty swing makes us overlook any faults he might have.
David Wells . We're not really sure he likes us -- in fact, we're pretty sure he could totally do without us media guys -- but, heck, we love the big lug. Originality goes a long way in our book.
The Show . It's been said that the All-Star Game is fun and the post-season is work. We're all for fun, and the players who are approaching this exhibition that way are the ones who will have good memories of it. Most of them, as far as we've seen, are doing that.
A special All-Star Weekend collection "It gives guys who deserve to be here a chance to come in here and weigh in. I think it's wonderful." -- Denver's Todd Helton, a first-time All-Star, on the opportunities of this All-Star Game.
NBC is breaking out the hardware for the game, with microphones at first, second and third base and 22 cameras, including remotes in each bullpen.
In case you're counting: Seven of the 16 elected starters have been replaced due to injury. That's the most in All-Star history.
The National League has won all three games hosted by the Braves, including ones in Atlanta (Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, 1972), Milwaukee (County Stadium, 1955) and Boston (Braves Field, 1936).
All three of those, by the way, were one-run wins and the last two went into extra innings.
For you sicky stats freaks: It's 40-29-1 in favor of the NL, all right?
A clean, interesting, well-played game. With lots of homers, of course.
Three words: No more injuries.
A nice breeze through Turner Field. Going out to center, of course.
A longball from Jason Giambi.
A few strikeouts from Randy Johnson.
A nine-inning game that's done by 11 p.m. ET.

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