NL East

NL All-Star manager Charlie Manuel said he was told to include a utility player on the NL roster, so he has chosen Omar Infante of the Braves.

Infante is a very versatile player who can play all the infield and outfield positions, but he has one home run and 22 runs batted in this season. He is a good player, but he is not an All-Star player.

His teammate Troy Glaus, who has hit 14 home runs and driven in 56 runs, would have been a much better choice, not to mention the NL home run leader Joey Votto, who has hit 21 home runs.

The last time the National League won an All-Star game was in 1996.

Back then, the Braves were represented by John Smoltz (who got the win), Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux, Mark Wohlers, Fred McGriff, and Chipper Jones.

The Braves will again be represented by a handful of players this year. Jason Heyward, Martin Prado, Tim Hudson, and Brian McCann were all expected (at least somewhat) by fans.

Mets fans who didn’t know it tonight found out that this year, umpires are jokes.

Plain and simple.

I have not seen a bigger joke my entire life, and hopefully won’t the rest of my life. After tonight, I have to ask, what constitutes a situation where umpires can confer and possibly overturn a call?

Can someone, preferably MLB, explain that to me? Why was there no conference of umpires in Armando Galarraga ’s near perfect game yet there was one in tonight’s Mets game?

Jerry Meals is probably being given a free meal by the Reds. Is that an overreaction statement?

Yes. Does he deserve it? Yes.

Mike Pelfrey did not have his greatest game tonight, but the wheels came off in the 5th inning. I wonder if it’s a reaction to the terrible decision by Jerry Meals. 

It can now be said without a doubt that the Philadelphia Phillies will not be making their third straight trip to the World Series this October.

Or at least their manager, Charlie Manuel, seems to think they won't.

Why else would he do such a preposterous job of selecting his All-Star pitching staff and reserves?

As we all know, the Dumbest Rule in Professional Sports mandates that the winner of the MLB All-Star Game gets home field advantage in the World Series.

The Mets will send two players to the All-Star Game, however neither of them are named Mike Pelfrey or R.A. Dickey.

David Wright and Jose Reyes will represent New York in Anaheim. Wright is hitting .313, with 14 homers and 64 runs batted in. Reyes is dealing with an oblique strain right now, and it is unknown if he will be able to play. Hs return date keeps getting pushed back.

The Mets had an excellent opportunity to guarantee at least a series split, maybe even a series win last night, but Francisco Rodriguez couldn’t hold it for them.

He, along with the Mets, try to rebound. Courtesy of NewYorkMets on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/NewYorkMets/status/17724997077 here is this afternoon’s lineup, with comments and notes from me:

If absence makes the heart grow fonder, it is patience that gives a baseball team confidence.

Finally, New York fans get to see Stephen Strasburg. I have been waiting a while to see him face the Mets MAJOR league team. I actually saw his last minor league start against the Buffalo Bisons. He was pitching with the Syracuse Chiefs and went five innings, allowing three hits, no runs, one walk, and five strikeouts. Three words. He looked awesome.

Remember Brian Bruney? He is well known in New York for his comments about Francisco Rodriguez last year. If you don’t remember, this is basically what happened:

After K-Rod blew his first save last year, when Luis Castillo dropped the pop up against the Yankees, Bruney said, "It couldn't happen to a better guy on the mound, either. He's got a tired act."

Because of this comment, the two almost fought before a game a couple of days later.