2010 MWL All-Star Game recap

First the score:

WEST 2
EAST 6
Box score | Game story

That MiLB.com Game Story was written by Matthew Linder. He was the guy in press row who turned around to let everyone know that the last shutout in MWL All-Star History was 1999 in Lansing...after the bottom of the seventh.

Also, that MiLB.com story is titled two different things on the Midwest League website.

The story itself is:

Sands powers East to All-Star win
Loons slugger whacks two-run homer in Midwest classic

The kicker off the media wall page is:

Greenwell captains East Division to All-Star win

Greenwell had three hits, a double, an RBI, a stolen base, and two runs scored.

Sands hit a two run homer and walked twice.

Sands was the Top Star (or MVP) as voted on by the media.

Sportswriters dig the long ball, too.

Turning over the rest of this post to the Journal-Gazette.

East stars shine bright

“It was awesome. The home-field advantage, the crowd,” Sullivan said. “I gave up a couple of knocks early, but I felt comfortable. We got a big throw by Chen and I was able to punch (Trout) out to end the inning. It was a sigh of relief. It was good.”

The East scored three runs in the first, including a two-run home run to right-center by the game’s MVP Jerry Sands of Great Lakes, to make Sullivan the winning pitcher.

“I had faced (Peoria’s Trey McNutt) a few weeks ago and he had a pretty good slider,” Sands said. “I didn’t want to see it, so I was looking for a fastball early and I got it, and luckily I put a good swing on it. I hit that one a little better than I did some (Monday in the home run derby).”

LIVE BLOG: 2010 MWL All-Star Game

If you want to listen to the game, tune in to the TinCaps broadcast team.

LIVE BLOG: MWL All-Star Monday

Remember the '94 All-Star Game?

Ben Smith of the Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette does and they are looking back at the last time Fort Wayne hosted a Midwest League All-Star Game.

’94 stars a distant memory

How long is 16 years?

Long enough that the youngest Wizard All-Star (Jason Baker) is 37 now.

Long enough that there was a different nickname (Wizards), a different ballpark (Memorial Stadium) and a different owner (Eric Margenau).

Long enough that Ernie Els, who on the same day won the U.S. Open at Oakmont in a three-way playoff, was just this long-hitting kid from South Africa, 24 years old. And that Kenny Perry, who shot the low score in the Mad Anthonys Celebrity Pro-Am (also on the same day as the Midwest League All-Star game), was only 33 years old.

...

None of the players you’ll see Tuesday have names that shine yet, but wait awhile. In ’94, one of the players on the South squad was Billy Wagner, who has 396 saves and 1,130 strikeouts in 16 major-league seasons.

And one of the players on the North squad was Mike Sweeney, who, also in 16 major-league seasons, has 1,525 hits and a lifetime batting average of .298.

So pay attention Tuesday night. One day you’ll be able to say you saw something.

That is kind of what I am here for.

Also, it should be pointed out that Alex Rodriguez and Raul Ibanez were all-stars in 1994 as representatives of the Appleton Foxes. Rodriguez did not play in the game because he had been promoted just before the game in Fort Wayne.

Digging the long ball

Khris Davis is representing the Timber Rattlers in the Home Run Derby in Fort Wayne next week.

When I told him about the invite he said no. Then, Michael Marseco did a sales job on Davis to convince him to do it.

On the latest episode of Timber Rattlers Field Pass on Sports 32, I interviewed Davis and asked him about the home runs he has been hitting because a lot of them have been real tape measure jobs.


He said that he doesn't consider himself a power hitter. He prefers his father's description of his style as "A hitter with power."

I guess we'll see on Monday next week.

Four All-Stars

The Timber Rattlers have four All-Stars this season.

Nick Bucci
Khris Davis
Scooter Gennett
Jake Odorizzi

Davis will start in the outfield and Gennett will start at second base. The details on the players may be found at the link.

For more of a historical look back here is this section:

The election of Davis and Gennett as starters marks the first time since the 2002 season there have been two Timber Rattlers elected to the starting lineup for the Midwest League All-Star Game. Shin-Soo Choo (OF) and Greg Dobbs (3B) were both starters for the West in the game on June 18, 2002 at Lansing.

Here is a list of the other Timber Rattlers elected to the start in the Midwest League All-Star Game since 2000:

2008: Edilio Colina (2B)

2006: Ron Garth (3B)

2003: Rene Rivera (C)

2002: Greg Dobbs (3B)
......Shin-Soo Choo (OF)

2001: Jamie Bubela (OF)

2000: Shawn McCorkle (1B)
......Chris Snelling (OF)