MLB All Star Game Set For Tuesday, July13

Written by Administrator

Monday, 12 July 2010 09:00

The annual Major League Baseball All Star Game is the traditional midway point of the season, and is arguably the most eagerly anticipated of any professional sport. The 2010 All Star Game will be the 81st edition of the ‘Midsummer Classic’ and will be played on July 13 at the home of the Los Angeles Angels, Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California. Unlike other pro sport all star games, there’s something to play for in addition to pride and ‘bragging rights’—the winning league receives home field advantage during the World Series in October.

Although there will be no games on the Monday before the All Star Game or the Wednesday after the contest, Major League Baseball has a number of events to keep fans entertained. The highest profile of these events is the annual ‘Home Run Derby’ slated for Monday, July 12th. The ‘Home Run Derby’ has lost some of its appeal in recent years as a number of teams have prohibited their players from participating due to the risk of injury. The field has yet to be finalized, but is tentatively scheduled to include Milwaukee’s Corey Hart and St. Louis’ Matt Holliday representing the National League, and Boston’s David Ortiz, Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera and Toronto’s Vernon Wells competing for the American League.

The Yankee’s Robbie Cano was originally announced as participating in the event, but was withdrawn at the behest of team manager Joe Girardi and general manager Brian Cashman. Cano understands their concern, but was unhappy with how the decision was made—he was pulled from the event without his prior consultation by team management and first learned of the decision from the media:

"They don't want to take the risk to lose me for the second half or two weeks, three weeks or a month. I agree with them. To be honest, I was upset. You guys are talking to me and I don't know what is going on."

There are also a number of players who were named to the team but have pulled out due to injury. New York Yankees’ closer Mariano Rivera will miss the game as he attempts to recover from nagging injuries, and Tampa Bay’s Rafael Soriano has been named to replace him. Milwaukee Brewers’ starting pitcher Yovani Gallardo was named to the National League team, but in the interim has wound up on the 15 day disabled list. Second baseman Chase Utley of Philadelphia will also miss the contest due to injury, with Atlanta’s Martin Prado taking his spot in the lineup.

The All Star Game will also have plenty of wagering opportunities, and if you’re looking to take a financial position on the contest keep in mind that although the head to head breakdown is fairly even with the NL winning 40 and the AL 38 (two games ended in a tie) the most recent trend has been that of American League dominance. Excluding the infamous 2002 tie game, the AL has won twelve straight All Star Games.

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MLB All Star Game Set For Tuesday, July13

MLB All Star Game Set For Tuesday, July13

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