SAN FRANCISCO [bar] Dan Haren has always lacked the luster of his big-name teammates, quietly putting up big numbers and impressing opposing hitters.
With Barry Zito out of Oakland and the spotlight mostly his own this year, Haren has shown he has the stuff and the composure to be a No. 1 pitcher on any staff, including a star-studded one at the All-Star Game.
Haren was picked to start for the American League tonight - just across the bay from his home ballpark in Oakland. Haren is 10-3 with an AL-leading 2.30 ERA.
Opposing him on the mound will be San Diego's Jake Peavy, another young pitcher just starting to come into his own.
Peavy earned the start for the National League, part of a remarkable turnaround from a rare off year. Peavy struggled to an 11-14 record with a 4.09 ERA last season in his worst year since becoming a full-time starter in 2003. This season, Peavy is 9-3 with a 2.19 ERA.
AL manager Jim Leyland of Detroit chose not to start his no-hit pitcher, Justin Verlander,
The former Old Dominion University star said he understood Leyland's thinking to let Haren start since the game was so close to his home ballpark.
'I would have liked to have started but it's not my decision,' said Verlander, who was 10-3 with a 3.14 ERA and a no-hitter against Milwaukee in the first half. 'Skip makes the right decisions.'
missing legends: Sosa, Biggio and Thomas
Craig Biggio got his 3,000th hit in the first half of the season. Sammy Sosa hit home run No. 600 and Frank Thomas hit his 500th.
But all three are missing this week at the All-Star Game, once again raising the question if baseball should have some sort of career achievement award for this game. Leyland said he thought about that but determined it was too difficult to draw a line on what players to add.
NL manager Tony La Russa said he would have liked to have Biggio on his team but said it's too tough with the roster size of 32.
as expected, manny boycotts the media
One side of the room was lined with Red Sox: David Ortiz, Jonathan Papelbon, Hideki Okajima, Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell.
There was one empty table though: Manny Ramirez didn't show up for the media availability.
'I just made sure he got to San Francisco,' Ortiz said. 'After that, I have no control.'
Ramirez usually skips the Monday media availability, so this was no surprise. He also was held out of the lineup Sunday at Detroit because of a stomach ailment. The 11-time All-Star is expected to play tonight.
Ramirez is hitting .284 with 11 homers and 45 RBIs.
'I think he was a little surprised to be here,' Lowell said. 'He didn't have the same numbers he usually has, but I do know he's happy to be here. Manny is hard to talk to about a lot of topics. He's a hard worker but he's in his own world.'
Bonds crowns A-Rod the next home run king
Alex Rodriguez laughed.
Barry Bonds had just suggested that, if he does indeed break Hank Aaron's home-run record, A-Rod will top Bonds' figure before too long.
'I kind of feel shy talking about it because I hit 14 or 15 home runs in April and they said I was going to hit 140,' Rodriguez said. 'I think it's kind of ridiculous, but I take that as a compliment.'
Bonds, who turns 43 on July 24, entered the All-Star break with 751 homers, four shy of Hank Aaron's record.
Rodriguez, who turns 32 on July 27, leads the majors with 30 home runs this season, raising his total to 494.
Asked whether A-Rod would make his reign short, Bonds quickly replied: 'Oh, definitely. His talent is unbelievable. I don't think people really appreciate his talent.
'His eye-hand coordination, his actual strength, his actual recognition of the ball, those are things you can't teach,' Bonds added.
- The Associated Press
CAPTION(S):
kevork djansezian [bar] the associated press
American League starting pitcher Dan Haren of the Oakland Athletics, left, and Josh Beckett of the Boston Red Sox chat in the outfield during batting practice Monday in San Francisco.
