As human beings in the 21st century, we have very fickle attention spans. For some, focusing on a napkin LeBron James sneezed on or the legitimacy of some Russian-translated report on Ilya Kovalchuk, or speculation on who will and won't show up to a Jets or Giants camp might drag our attention away from baseball during what's become the Dog Days of summer. Yesterday, however, would be a good day to focus on baseball, since both teams one and had many from their ranks selected among the best in their sport for the MLB All-Star Game. Here goes:
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- The Yankees banked another victory in walk-off fashion, downing the Blue Jays in 10, 7-6, on a Marcus Thames (Really? He's still on the team?) pinch hit single. The Yankees took two of three from Toronto. Meanwhile, Robinson Cano and Derek Jeter will be starting in the All-Star Game, while CC Sabathia, Phil Hughes, Alex Rodriguez and Mariano Rivera will all be in the bullpen and on the bench. Nick Swisher is in the voting for the final spot on the roster. It goes without saying that Andy Pettite's exclusion from the team is downright ridiculous. ↵
- While the Mets will be slightly less represented in Anaheim, they regardless got a win as well to hang on to their current playoff position (albeit, one in July). A five-run third led the Mets to a 9-5 win. The Mets split a 4-game set with the Nats. David Wright (starter) and Jose Reyes (reserve) will both travel to the west coast for the All-Star Game, but Mike Pelfrey's snub is as egregious as Pettite's. ↵
- Division! Watch! '10! The Red Sox finally lost to the Orioles, moved back to a game and a half behind the Yankees in the AL East. The Rays amassed another impressive victory in Minnesota to put them 2 back of New York and 1/2 behind Boston. The Mets got a Marlins win over the Braves to put them 2 games behind the Braves. Los Angeles (1/2 back) and St. Louis (1 back) both kept pace with New York in the Wild Card race, while Colorado's win kept them at 2 back, and the Phillies loss pushes them to 3 back. ↵