Beat, Er, Streak Goes On for Hapless NL

ST. LOUIS -- The last time the National League won an All-Star Game, Justin Upton was 8 years old, Barack Obama had never been elected to a public office and the Internet was barely more than the private toy of a few scientists.

Now Upton is an All-Star, Obama is the President and the Internet touches just about every part of daily life.

But the National League? Nothing has changed for it. The senior circuit is still looking for its first win since 1996.

"Nobody likes to be on the wrong end of things, but there is not a lack of competitiveness and compassion to win the ballgame," Trevor Hoffman said after the NL's 4-3 loss on Tuesday night at Busch Stadium.

Hoffman was the most senior member of the NL All-Star squad, having participated in seven games during the winless streak, including the 2002 tie.

David Wright has played in the past four games. He conceeded it's probably not just a fluke that the AL has dominated the games, but he didn't want to read too much into it either.

"When you win that many in a row, you have to give those guys credit," Wright said. "I don't know if you can compare leagues based on one game in the middle of the season."

Truth be told, the AL's dominance in interleague play is more indicative of the balance of power than the All-Star Game. These past four All-Star Games have all been decided by the thinnest of margins, one-run games.

"There's a little bit of luck involved there," AL reliever Jonathan Papelbon said. "To be able to come here year after year and do we've done as an American League ballclub is pretty impressive."

The difference in this one was a pair of balls hit to left field, one that was caught over the fence and one that was just beyond the outfielder's reach.

"Every game I've been a part of has been a pretty good game," said Chase Utley, another four-time All-Star loser. "Tonight was a good old fashioned baseball game. They just ended up scoring one more run than we did. You are always tired of losing, but most of us had a pretty good time."

A quote like that might give you the idea that the NL players are "just happy to be here," while the AL players come to win.

"That's what we came here to do," AL closer Mariano Rivera said. "We came here for a mission and the mission was accomplished."

Wright said that manager Charlie Manuel made it clear before the game that this was not to be taken lightly.

"Charlie addressed it," Wright said. "We all know how important it is. We take a lot of pride in coming here to win one for the National League. I don't think there's really anything that needs to be said. We know the circumstances. We know the importance of this game."

Orlando Hudson, who has been on both sides of the All-Star mismatch, said he doesn't see the difference.

"They're an unbelievable team," he said. "They got us again tonight. ... They came out on top tonight. And last year. And the year before. And before I ever called up to the big leagues. I have only been in the big leagues seven years, you can't get mad at me. We were losing long before I came in."

MLB All-Star Game Photos

ST. LOUIS, MO - JULY 14: U.S. President Barack Obama (R) greets National League All-Star Albert Pujols #5 of the St. Louis Cardinals after throwing out the first pitch before the 2009 All-Star Game at Busch Stadium July 14, 2009 in St. Louis, Missouri. The American League beat the National League 4-3. (Photo by Rich Pilling/MLB Photos via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Albert Pujols;Barack Obama

MLB Photos via Getty Images

ST. LOUIS, MO - JULY 14: U.S. President Barack Obama throws out the first pitch before the 2009 All-Star Game at Busch Stadium July 14, 2009 in St. Louis, Missouri. The American League beat the National League 4-3. (Photo by Rich Pilling/MLB Photos via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Barack Obama

MLB Photos via Getty Images

ST. LOUIS, MO - JULY 14: U.S. President Barack Obama walks onto the field before the 2009 All-Star Game at Busch Stadium July 14, 2009 in St. Louis, Missouri. The American League beat the National League 4-3. (Photo by Rich Pilling/MLB Photos via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Barack Obama

MLB Photos via Getty Images

ST. LOUIS, MO - JULY 14: Sheryl Crow sings the National Anthem before the 2009 All-Star Game at Busch Stadium July 14, 2009 in St. Louis, Missouri. The American League beat the National League 4-3. (Photo by Rich Pilling/MLB Photos via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Sheryl Crow

MLB Photos via Getty Images

ST. LOUIS, MO - JULY 14: American League All-Star Victor Martinez #41 of the Cleveland Indians congratulates American League All-Star Mariano Rivera #42 of the New York Yankees after the American League team won the 2009 All-Star Game at Busch Stadium July 14, 2009 in St. Louis, Missouri. The American League beat the National League 4-3. (Photo by Rich Pilling/MLB Photos via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Mariano Rivera;Victor Martinez

MLB Photos via Getty Images

ST. LOUIS, MO - JULY 14: A general view of Busch Stadium during the pregame ceremonies of the 2009 All-Star Game at Busch Stadium July 14, 2009 in St. Louis, Missouri. The American League beat the National League 4-3. (Photo by Jessica Foster/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

MLB Photos via Getty Images

ST. LOUIS, MO - JULY 14: American League All-Star Victor Martinez #41 of the Cleveland Indians tags National League All-Star Ryan Howard #6 of the Philadelphia Phillies out after dropping the ball in the bottom of the eighth inning during the 2009 All-Star Game at Busch Stadium July 14, 2009 in St. Louis, Missouri. The American League beat the National League 4-3. (Photo by Rich Pilling/MLB Photos via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Victor Martinez;Ryan Howard

MLB Photos via Getty Images

ST. LOUIS, MO - JULY 14: American League All-Star Carl Crawford #13 of the Tampa Bay Rays catches a ball off the bat of National League All-Star Brad Hawpe #11 of the Colorado Rockies during the seventh inning during the 2009 All-Star Game at Busch Stadium July 14, 2009 in St. Louis, Missouri. The American League beat the National League 4-3. (Photo by Rich Pilling/MLB Photos via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Carl Crawford

MLB Photos via Getty Images

ST. LOUIS, MO - JULY 14: National League All-Star Miguel Tejada #10 of the Houston Astros turns a double play against American League All-Star Josh Hamilton #32 of the Texas Rangers in the sixth inning of the 2009 All-Star Game at Busch Stadium July 14, 2009 in St. Louis, Missouri. The American League beat the National League 4-3. (Photo by Rich Pilling/MLB Photos via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Josh Hamilton;Miguel Tejada

MLB Photos via Getty Images

ST. LOUIS, MO - JULY 14: American League All-Star Joe Mauer #7 of the Minnesota Twins throws to first base during the 2009 All-Star Game at Busch Stadium July 14, 2009 in St. Louis, Missouri. The American League beat the National League 4-3. (Photo by Rich Pilling/MLB Photos via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Joe Mauer

MLB Photos via Getty Images

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

7-15-2009 @ 4:59AM

Michael said...

Actually, the Internet comparison isn't very accurate - in 1996 I was buying books from Amazon.com and reading about the glorious National League win from ESPN SportsZone. Yep, the Internet as a big-deal, public entity has been around for the better part of a generation now. Time flies, huh?

That said, the continued AL dominance kind of makes a mockery of the "This Time It Counts" World Series home-field advantage seriousness.

7-15-2009 @ 11:47AM

Cecil Jones said...

As the NBA thrives in it's relationship with Las Vegas, it sickens me to see MLB strangle it's future in a political relationship promoting Presidential agendas. The flag waving and call to volunteer at a time where we all fear for our future shows a lack of awareness on behalf of MLB that could prove economically fatal. The "All Star" game was a dud that began with a Home Run Derby lasting entirely too long. Why not throw 25 pitches and the person who hits the most wins. As for "All Stars" where was Manny Ramirez? He's a "Star" but the game is political and that's choking off it's star potential. Take the politics out of Baseball or may the MLB RIP like Michael Jackson. The NBA is Fantastic. The NFL has a CZAR problem that the Union must fix.

7-15-2009 @ 7:29AM

Mark said...

I'd rather see home field advantage in the World Series go this way. The team with the best record gets games 1,2,5,6 and the other team gets 3,4,7.This could also make teams think about trying to get a couple of more wins or just "settling" for the wild card, and possibly making the end of the season a little more meaningful.

This way the team with the most wins still gets the advantage of 4 home games but the idea of game 7 at the other teams' park could make for some excitement and strategic planning. I'm not really in favor of the All-Star game deciding as most of the players obviously are not even going to make the Series.