2009 MLB All-Star Game: Live blog

Since I haven't so much as sniffed this blog or Bleacher Report in over two months, what better way to get back into the groove than a second annual live blog of Major League Baseball's mid-summer classic?

The game allegedly starts around 8 p.m. EST. I don't know when the first pitch will actually be thrown.

6:15 - Here are a few predictions to get the ball rolling.

1) Barack Obama's ceremonial first pitch will not be in the strike zone. It won't even travel the full 60 feet, 6 inches. It will arrive to the catcher on one bounce.

2) Michael Young will not get his third game-winning hit this All-Star game. But he is still better than Derek Jeter, who only led all players in votes because there were no other shortstops to vote for (no offense to Jason Bartlett) after Young made the move to third. For the conspiracy theory, click here.

3) The National League will finally pull through and win. With names like Tim Wakefield, Justin Verlander, Mark Buehrle, and Edwin Jackson potentially taking the hill for the A.L., there are a lot of question marks as to what level their stuff will be at tonight. National League should be able to capitalize.

4) The MVP of the All-Star game will be Ryan Braun, since Omir Santos somehow wasn't selected.

5) Alex Rodriguez will use the seventh inning stretch to steal the show, announcing he'll be comepeting on the next season of Dancing With the Stars. Wait, that's on Fox, right?

8:01 - Bad first taste. Chris Rose, reporting from down on the field, has a headset microphone on. Looks dumb. The ShamWow! guy is the only one who can pull off that look.

8:08 - Who would have thought the Rays would EVER have five representatives in a single ASG? And the crowd just booed Ted Lilly. Save the boos for Jeter.

8:12 - Mixed reaction for Jeter. Chalk it up as a win in my book.

8:14 - Nobody should be booing Roy Halladay. He could be on your team by the end of the night.

8:15 - Too bad Carlos Beltran is hurt and had to miss the game. I bet the St. Louis fans would have cheered him as much as Pujols. Ugh.

8:16 - Interesting how Joe Buck's tone changed when he announced David Wright, compared to every other NL starter.

8:18 - Not to make light of the tribute to people who have gone above and beyond to make the world a better place, but it totally could have been a lookalike contest. I saw Suzyn Waldman, Michael Jackson, and Sally Struthers all in that group.

8:26 - Stop showing Derek Jeter.

8:27 - Sheryl Crow is singing the National Anthem? Come on. Taylor Swift hit the Olympics in Beijing, why can't she grace the fine folks in St. Louis? They at least could have brought Carrie Underwood in.

8:30 - Okay, she's from Missouri. Fine.

8:31 - I've seen that jet that just flew over the stadium before. Independence Day. Will Smith.

8:37 - It must be amazing for Joe Buck to be doing this game in the town he grew up in. I'm going to try to put myself in his shoes and be nice to him tonight. No promises. He's already driving me nuts.

8:39 - A mixed reaction for President Obama. That's awkward. At least the cheers outlasted the boos. I was wrong about his pitch not making it the whole way. 0-for-1 on my predictions.

8:45 - It's cool if I'm drinking Bud Light instead of Budweiser, right? Less calories, baby. I'm not getting any younger and my metabolism isn't getting any faster.

8:48 - At least Ken Rosenthal doesn't have the same microphone Chris Rose had.

8:50 - Ichiro beats Lincecum, singling to start the game. Let's boo Derek Jeter together. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

8:52 - YES!!!!!! (Jeter drilled by Lincecum. Shows Timmy did some homework and knew to bust him inside.)

8:55 - Shut up, Joe Buck. Don't blame this on David Wright. You can't assume the double play.

8:56 - There's karma for you, Joe Buck. Trash David Wright, then your boy Pujols makes an error. Now we're losing! It's all your fault, Joe Buck!

8:58 - Did Josh Hamilton just dive into first? It's NEVER smart to do that, let alone the ASG. Lay off the blow. Too soon?

9:01 - Just switched to a bigger TV. Will this make Joe Buck a bigger thorn in my side?

9:05 - "It was A-Rod, now it's Pujols." Hey Tim McCarver, care to elaborate on why A-Rod is no longer the best hitter in baseball?

9:07 - Michael Young can save a dozen kittens from a burning building and still not get the credit he deserves. What a good baseball player. He should come play second base for the Mets.

9:09 - I'll always contend that the designated hitter is the biggest load of crap in the world...but maybe for the ASG, there should always be a DH.

9:16 - Okay, Ryan Braun probably won't be the MVP. The NL has a lot of outfielders to get in the game. He may not see another at-bat. Let's call it 0-for-2 on predictions. At least Obama is in the boooth so Joe Buck doesn't talk as much...for this half-inning at least.

9:19 - David Wright can hit Roy Halladay. That's all I'm saying.

9:22 - They're not cheering Yadier Molina for the game-tying base hit. They're cheering David Wright for being the best player in the universe. Joe Buck brought up the bailout on live television. More awkward.

9:25 - National League up 3-2 after two innings. David Wright started the two-out rally. Remember that when you're voting for MVP.

9:28 - Derek Jeter, 0-for-1 officially. Ryan Franklin, more obnoxious facial hair than Scott Spezio, officially.

9:30 - Technical difficulties in the AL dugout. Maybe Chris Rose should have kept the headset.

9:34 - Joe Buck just called Mark Buehrle "automatic" since 2001. I'm sorry, apparently Buck hasn't had him on his fantasy baseball team.

9:37 - Though Buehrle just had a perfect, three-minute inning, I refuse to rescind my previous statement. His numbers lie.

9:43 - Oops. Did we just call Aaron Hill the best No. 2 hitter in baseball? Come on, guys. You're better than that.

9:51 - This game just got really boring.

9:54 - Just checked Joe Buck's Facebook page. He has over 1,400 fans, which shocked me. Then I read down his wall. It's everyone telling him he sucks.

David Wright is out of the game. Rob & Bob (Nationals' announcers) are jumping for joy right now. Ryan Zimmerman is not better than David Wright.

9:57 - The old timers are now complaining about how Carl Crawford wears his pants. Worry about how he plays the game.

9:59 - I like the graphic they just showed about Jeter crying.

10:00 - That's 0-for-2 with three plate appearances. It's time to get Jeter out of the game. Unless Joe Maddon is being sneaky and leaving him in, hoping he'll get hurt, helping the Rays' chances of overtaking the Yanks in the division. Always thinking, Joe. Always thinking.

10:03 - I choose to ignore Jeter's two runs scored. As should you.

10:13 - Uh oh, is it too early for Michael Young to win the game?

10:14 - Yes it is. Double play. Trevor Hoffman is a better closer than Mariano Rivera.

10:19 - JETER IS OUT OF THE GAME!!!! Celebrate! And why hasn't Albert Pujols gone 5-for-5 and cured cancer yet?

10:21 - Jeter gets taken out of the game so they resort to Jeter COMMERCIALS. I will not go to JetersFordChallenge.com! I will not!

10:28 - Sara Evans performing during the 7th inning stretch! Nice!

10:32 - WHOA! Nice catch by Carl Crawford to rob Brad Hawpe of a home run! Is the game getting exciting again?

10:33 - Now Tejada gave one a nice ride, but apparently he only has warning track power anymore. Interesting. Wonder why that is.

10:43 - Granderson deserved to start this game. I guess it's better for the A.L. that he didn't. Speaking of the Tigers, where's Miguel Cabrera?

10:48 - Even though I want the NL to win, I'm glad Heath Bell is blowing the game. Let's see him run his mouth now.

10:56 - I said it before and I'll say it again. David Wright is better than Ryan Zimmerman. Donating $250k to UVA? That's not the way to my heart. He should be donating the money to charity - or at least the school's educational programs. Division I athletic programs have enough sources of income from boosters. Take that, Rob Dibble.

10:59 - Ryan Howard vs. Joe Nathan. With the game on the line. It's only bottom 8. I think Howard vs. Mariano would be better next inning, but I'll take this. I don't know what to root for.

11:05 - Nice. This can still work out. Nathan made Howard look like a fool, and Mariano can still blow the save against players who I don't hate. I'm blindly optimistic.

11:08 - Make us look good, K-Rod.

11:10 - NL has nobody coming up in the bottom of the 9th. Game's over. Feel free to change the channel. Nice catch by Werth to end the inning.

11:17 - Tony Womack and Luis Gonzalez need to come back. Then we'll see who's laughing.

11:19 - Not much to say. AL wins 4-3. The game was decent. Started great, got boring, picked up a little in the middle, then ended slow. I could live without Joe Buck and Derek Jeter.

11:26 - Looks like I went 1-for-5 on my predictions, with my only correct prediction being completely obvious. Sounds about right for me!