All Star game

Well it's been awhile since I have posted anything - maybe because so much going on with new house, going to Florida, finally everything setting after what happened back in September. I'll try to catch you up with everything of all that at some point but tonight it's baseball's Mid-Summer Classic - The All Star game from Chase Field in Phoenix, Ariz. Again the American League has the big bats, but the National League has the pitching and in a tight game late that could bold well for them.

I am peeved at the no shows for the game especially those that seemed pretty healthy to play in their games the weekend leading up to the break - Mr. Jeter! 

Brad Pitt's intro was so-so: FYI - Marketing ploy as he plays Billy Beane in Moneyball.

Joe Buck announcing the lineups...yeah let's hope they can get Vin Scully to call the World Series this year. Joe's good but Vin should be owed and deserves this last chance to call the World Series in his final year of broadcasting. Listening to Dodger games on XM Radio at night won't be the same after this season.

The music is highly annoying during these lineups.

Just remember - "this one counts" Let's go ahead and begin the drinking game of how many times Buck or Tim McCarver says that during this game.

Over/under of home runs hit into the pool - 3

Over/under of how many actors from Fox shows including King of the Hill and The Simpsons - 30

Over/under how many times we see Rupert Murdoch - 0

I want Josh Hamilton to have the greatest all star performance ever tonight. Can his comeback story and what happened with that fan trying to go after the ball he tossed them last weekend get any more like a Hollywood script?

BTW - I am Mr. Mom this week and watching the game with three of the Fabulous Rueff Boys. Andrew is at camp with Wendy. Meaning I have Luke, Ryan and Micah tonight eating junk food and watching the game with me.

We are at National League Park - why are we using the DH?

The X factor - American Idol part Deux - ugh!

nice tribute to the victims of the Tucson shootings earlier this year

Jordan Sparks and the National Anthem.

Ryan seemed to like so it must have been all right as he continues to clap for it.

WOW! How crooked is Buck's mouth? Looks like he's talking out of both sides of it

It's 8:34 p.m. we still haven't thrown out a first pitch...the eyes are looking sleepy amongst the Fabulous Rueff Boys

Terra Nova - looks good...really good

One pitch-one out

Halladay pitching like this is game one of the World Series

1-2-3 inning;

why is it every major sporting event is the coming out party for new commercials? Anyone else ever notice that?

how computer generated is that flip Ozzie does in the Pepsi Max commercial?

Hate it when the screen on my television isn't big enough to see the statistics. No problem next year - either 60" or 120" screens in the new Rueff Manor.

Micah calls it a night and has decided he would rather watch Scooby Doo in his room

Ryan though is celebrating every pitch whether strike or ball

Saw Kemp go deep in the Reds-Dodgers game back on June 5. Dude can hit!

Man for this being Vin Scully's last year in the booth the Dodgers would have the horrible season they are having. Not really all their fault that little divorce battle the owner Frank McCourt is in doesn't help matters at all.

Kemp walks now let's see what Prince Fielder can do...btw - What is up with all my St. Louis Cardinal friends who think because the Reds are four back that they have the division won? There are two teams right there either knocking on the door or currently tied with the Cardinals. I said before the season began that Milwaukee would win it and now it looks like if things continue the Pirates and Brew Crew could be battling for the NL Central crown in the final series of the season.

No score through 1

I want to be a fly on a wall during a brainstorming session for the ad agency that handles Budweiser. They continue to amaze me with their ideas.

Match up been waiting for Halladay vs. Hamilton - nice stop by Scott Rolen and throw to get Hamilton

McCarver saying Rolen is one of the best 3rd basemen of all time. Man hope he can play like that in the second half of the season - the Reds are going to need it.

Through 1 1/2 - Halladay throws a perfect two innings

OK Moneyball trailer - coming out just in time for the MLB playoffs. Last decent baseball movie - For Love of the Game. Looks promising - will be interesting to see how they rearranged somethings for theatrical sake or kept it real.

Weaver only went one inning - Robertson from the Yankees in and what a play by Bautista - I really like him

Go figure Berkman gets the first hit of the game

Strike 'em out; throw 'em out as Berkman over slid the bag - how often have we seen that happen?

Cliff Lee now in the game for the NL and going up against Big Papi and throws three outside pitches; right down the pipe with the complimentary 3-0 strike and now it's full; Cliff Lee against lefties - pretty much unhittable; Cano with a deep grounder to Fielder - Lee covers and it all seems pretty routine thus far.

Captain America trailer - Tommy Lee Jones is in it - ahh...probably some promise

no quiero taco bell - too many nachos for me - will actually have to go and run at some point tonight.

Stan Musial's home run the greatest moment...OK, I'll buy it. Still like Parker's throw to nail Brian Downing in the '79 game.

Rolen coming to the plate - looks at one right down the middle; went fishing on that one as the ball fell right off the table; and the whiff;

Man Jeter, I have a feeling your gonna need some good PR to get out of this mess of not showing up for the All-Star game in Ariz.

Man two strikeouts in the third for Pineda - he's got some nasty stuff going on - I wouldn't be able to even hit his straight stuff I don't think.

A-Gone is GONE and just over the pool breaks up the no-no for the NL.

Fielder had a good look at it but couldn't do the Willie Mays version of a first baseman and allowed Bautista to get a hit; and now Hamilton gets a single and the AL getting ready to put up a crooked number and Bochy says enough for Lee.

Tyler Clippard coming into the game; I think the NL could be trouble unless they get the last out here with Clippard pitching.

Hunter Pence doing his best Dave Parker impersonation with that strike to to McCann to end the inning;

Timerlake trying to show his man card worth saying his favorite concession stand food is beer

Now the NL making some noise with no one out and two on; YES Cecil Fielder showing you why the Brewers will win the Central!

Rise of the Planet of the Apes looks like a decent Sci-Fi - we'll see; possible a rental though for us

At the end of this half inning I must go and change the laundry.

Ahh...Oritz's son pretty dead on with his impressions of different players batting swings.

Hey the Canadian Mountie - Joey Votto has entered the game; and if I could I would do my best Vin Scully here "And now on the mound for the National League the lefthander one young Clayton Kershaw."

I think the 3rd base umpire needs to get somewhere in Phoenix before 8 p.m. PDT because that was a quick ring up on Ortiz on barely a check swing.

lookey what I found by one Joey Votto to end the top of the fifth; the synchronized swimming in the MLBFancave in the pool - nice touch. I can only imagine how much tickets to be in the pool at Chase Field cost tonight.

Hey Berkman - that's how you slide to steal second!

And Rolen strikes out for the second time tonight - you sure about that one of the greatest comments McCarver?

Oh brother McCarver - really? I am pretty sure that's not what the fastball is called - leaping? really?

Fox's production crew just did a horrible use of video to illustrate the "leaping fastball" his left foot never ground at the same time as his right.

Weeks is 0-for-3 after that fielder's choice; and again another stolen base for the NL - taking notes Berkman?

third stolen base for the NL this inning; wonder what the record is for most stolen bases in an inning for the all star game. Let me google and find out and it's a new MLB All-Star game record; Starlin Castro with two in that inning.

Watch out camera man! Ethier almost nailed a camera. Bet he can't do that again...nice bit of hitting for Ethier but he got caught in a run down after Weeks scores to make it 4-1 NL through five.

Phillips to Votto to end the top of the sixth

30 minutes or less - advice - don't even rent it!

man I can't wait to get our new house and new cable package because I WANT THE MLB NETWORK! Want it now but we'll wait until we move.

Kemp flies out for the first time tonight and now comes up Votto! WHIFF! Come on Votto we need you to hit in the second half if the Reds are going back to the playoffs and right now it doesn't look good; Molina showing you why I picked him as one of my catchers in my fantasy league this year.

For an All Star game this one is moving right along through six already;

Now is not the time U-Verse to be breaking up and pausing on me!

I missed most of the seventh inning well the top half since U-Verse has again done it's after 10:30 pm freeze frame and garble junk. I doubt I get U-Verse at the new Rueff Manor!

It has to stink to be Starlin Castro and be on a horrible team like the Cubs.

NL threatening again. Pence at third on the passed ball; time for some State Farm, AllState, Progressive, or name the insurance company sponsored type run here.

Pablo Sandoval with the insurance run; and here comes Brandon Phillips;

Mr. Twitter at the plate and now I am wondering - should I get a twitter account and what would my handle be?

just got that too high for Phillips;

the impromptu flash mob - still hysterical but I believe has run it's course.

The Champ is at the game - say what you will but Ali is by far the greatest boxer of all time!

Yes Prince Fielder for MVP; if he would have just made that backward catch off Bautista's hit earlier in the game.

Heath Bell 10.2 100 yard dash and a nice fundamental slide into the pitching mound; he's throwing nothing but heat oh wait there's a breaking ball that missed and it's 3-0; got the pop up and the AL is struggling;

Neil Patrick Harris - when's the Doogie Howser reunion show (showing a preview for Smurfs)? And don't lie if you watched that show you had a crush on Wanda!

Votto coming back to the plate - get a hit - please; I think Reds players are something like 0-3; Reds players are 0-for-5 in the game

let's see if Bruce can get the Reds only hit for the game; WOW! The third base umpire must have suddenly decided he didn't need to get to where ever it was before 8 p.m. PDT.

McCarver and Buck talking Manual from the Phillies likes Bruce enough that he could possibly want him; and with that Bruce looks at strike 3.

We go to the 9th three outs away from a second consecutive NL win.

OK anyone see this Chevrolet Truck commercial and not ball your eyes out!

Now it seems the first base umpire has to be somewhere before 9 p.m. PDT

such a routine scoop to make - I think I could have even scooped that play out of the dirt on that throw; it really wasn't that bad of a throw; so far the Reds are 0-for-6 and a bad scoop at first; that was by far one of the worst sequences of getting the baseball back to the infield I have seen in a long long time. There was nothing All Star about that and luckily the AL didn't score a run off of it.

Make that 0-for-6 and an error on Bruce and one bad scoop that Votto couldn't handle.

the one year beard man Brian Wilson on to finish; Bruce makes a bullet throw to save the run from scoring and making it 5-2; I think this is going to be a quick at bat for Paul Kornerko.

Down to the final strike for the AL; now you wonder if this would have been different had Jeter played tonight? Guess we'll never know.

What a great game and another quick one even with all the pitching changes and substitutions that took place.

Wilson shuts it down and the NL wins 5-1 and gets home field again for the 2011 World Series. Brandon Phillips now being interviewed. Hopes Reds can get it turned around

I think the game possibly could have been different with the other players showing up but I do think the NL was the better team tonight and that's what matters. Asking about the beard - really? that interview was about worthless and not even funny.

the Chevy baseball commercial that just played - I swear the pressbox behind home plate looked like the one used in the original Bad News Bears movie.

Unfortunately no home runs in the pool tonight - if you had the under congratulations.

Prince Fielder the Ted Williams MVP Award - Fielder had probably one of the longest home runs I have seen in the All Star game and he was the first Brewer to hit a home run in the game. Nice glass bat and what kind of car is he getting - well $40,000 to renovate a baseball field in his name in Milwaukee; Lincecum has that long hair but Fielder's kids get the vote for best hair.

One more look at Moneyball - yeah I'll be either seeing it at the dollar movie or waiting for it to come out on DVD.

And with that we put a wrap on the 2011 Mid Summer Classic. Congrats to the NL so we'll see four games in Philly and three games in probably Boston.