St. Louis’ most like latino guy won’t be dropping any long balls in to the stands at this year’s Major League Baseball Home Run Derby in Anaheim, CA.  Like Jim Edmonds before him, he felt that after participating before his power numbers declined in the second half of the season and he doesn’t want to do that again.

…probably something about the All-Star Game being in St. Louis last year had a little something to do with it as well.

“I don’t have any problem doing it, but I want to concentrate on the second half,” Pujols said. “I enjoyed every moment that I did it.  I don’t regret it, and that doesn’t mean I would never do it again. I wouldn’t mind doing it again. I just feel that right now, this is not the time. “

1st half of 2009: 32 HRs and 87 RBIs

2nd half of 2009: 15 HRs and 48 RBIs

Though we have a hard time believing that his second half drop was all about the Home Run Derby (for instance: injury, or the fact he had a huge first-half), we see his point.

So who can we look forward too? Joe Mauer, A-Rod, Josh Hamilton? Who knows…but we have heard that Tony LaRussa has been making a case for Aaron Miles.

We’re kidding.

Hopefully…I mean who knows at this point.

via Fox Sports Midwest

Easily the #1 complaint we have heard about the All Star game, well after the whole booing thing, was the fact that after spending weeks telling everyone that they would finally honor the man that is the invisible baseball great, Stan Musial, all the Cardinals did was wheel his old ass on there on a cart and let him hand a ball to the President.

Thats the same job we give little kids in weddings people.

Our favorite sports writer Bernie Miklasz (@miklasz) had this to say:

LA Dodgers manager Joe Torre — an NL coach and popular former Cardinal — pointed to Musial and clapped. Excellent. So where were the other National Leaguers? Hello? Anybody want to chip in? Say hello to Stan? Maybe a little pat on the back, fellas?

The Man was sitting there, all alone. No players approached him, and then the classy Torre came over and chatted with Stan for a minute or so. One baseball guy in the entire ballpark — Torre — seemed to understand what was required here.
And that’s all.
Thanks, Stan.
Play ball
The Man was sitting there, all alone. No players approached him, and then the classy Torre came over and chatted with Stan for a minute or so. One baseball guy in the entire ballpark — Torre — seemed to understand what was required here.

Maybe the Cardinals hoped that Stan simply being out there a magical moment would just form.  Sure the President was in there, and that would overshadow anyone, but couldn’t the Cardinals at least put together a nice 5 minute video piece of the greatest of Stan Musial on the big screen?  Maybe interviewed a few baseball historians?  Wouldn’t have taken long and it would have done a world of good towards getting the rest of the planet to understand how good this guy was.

To make up for the Cardinals and Major League Baseball’s fail, we pulled his stats and a few good quotes and facts about The Man:

Musial once had five home runs in a doubleheader.

“I’ve had pretty good success with Stan by throwing him my best pitch and backing up third.” – Carl Eskine, former Dodgers pitcher

He played in 24 All Star games.  24!

At the time of his retirement, he held 55 major league records.

“Stan is one of the elite Hall of Famers, that’s the way I put it. He towers over just about everyone.” – Brooks Robinson, Hall of Famer

He hit .300 for a record 16 straight years.

Here is Jack Buck on Stan Musial (via YouTube)

“…I can’t think of any all-time great in any sport who gets left out of more who’s-the-greatest conversations than Stan Musial.” – ESPN Baseball writer Jayson Stark

His career splits show his consistency:  His batting average for day games: .310 night games: .310

Bob Costas: “All Musial represents is more than two decades of sustained excellence and complete decency as a human being.”

Picture via @BJRains

The Riverfront Times put together a Guide to All Star Weekend, including their St. Louis “map”  Don’t miss the section of where sports celebs live to get your stalk on.

Patrick Says tells the tale of how his paid blogging past cost him a laptop.  Is that irony?  You decide.

The discussion of the “Largest Tweetup Ever” continues on Simple Justice.

Mary Louise Parker gets a little naked for…does it matter?  I’ve always had a thing for her. (NSFW)

The best video of a repossession of a Delorean from an insane Michael Jackson fan you’ll see this week.

Here’s the way you should have been opening bananas your whole life. Sorry I made you feel stupid.

“Gary: Landlord of the Flies” is the best blog your aren’t reading.  Unlike Punching Kitty.com which is the best blog you are reading, but your friends aren’t.  Fix that today will ya?