Experiencing the All Star Game

I'd be lying if I told you I wasn't a little disappointed that I got hurt early in the season. If I had stayed healthy who knows maybe I'd be at the All Star Game with my teammates. There is no doubt that New York is a special environment. Every living Hall of Famer is there so there is no doubt the atmosphere is sweet. It is going to be a great experience. I told our guys, especially Joe and Ervin to just take it all in, get to all the parties and have fun. It's their first time and I'm sure they're enjoying it. I had a great time last year. San Francisco did a great job. It was funny because Frankie and I got booed when they introduced us because of the World Series stuff. There is a lot more to the All Star game than you think, especially when it is your first time. They had this entire room filled with stuff for all of us to sign for sponsors, for other players, for charity - it took two days to get through it all. They have you doing something all the time so there really isn't much time for yourself. They definitely keep you busy. The homerun derby was cool, but the best part is meeting guys from the other teams. You compete against these guys but you don't really know what they're like off the field. When I got there Manny came across the clubhouse and gave me a big hug like we'd been friends for ever. It really caught me off guard, but he was a cool guy. Getting to know all those guys was great.

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Comments (31)

soxaddict said July 15, 2008

That is all fine and well but seriously, it's 8:30 and this crap still hasn't started yet. Wtf? Any day now..
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BrockSamson said July 15, 2008

Anyone you thought would be an asshole and turned out to be pretty cool?

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soxaddict said July 15, 2008

46 minutes and counting. This is the 3rd time we've heard the starting lineups. :\
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Airsuzuki said July 16, 2008

That's right we booed you guys haha. That was probably the worst, and most heartbreaking thing I've ever had to endure as a fan (of the Giants of course) and baseballs not even my favorite sport. I ahve to admit, you guys are my front runner to win the American League penant this year.
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Reneeskates said July 16, 2008

awww my fav players from my fav teams together (you and manny)...haha. sweet!
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Annt74 said July 16, 2008

Man-Ram spreadin the love with an umwarranted hug? NICE!
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johnlackeyfan said July 16, 2008

the guys pitchede really good last night at the all star game. i was a little scared when ervin gave up that homer but we got out of it!
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lightitup said July 16, 2008

Thanks for sharing the inside moments with us, Big John! It's really appreciated. Let's win home field advantage for the playoffs! None of the other teams are playing very good on the road so it could be the key to going deep this year!

Have a great second half! My wife and I will be up in 423 cheering you on Friday night against the Sox!
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dsiano6447 said July 16, 2008

Hi John, Watching you last year in the All Star Game was great. I look forward to seeing you play in the Game next year. Good luck in Friday's game. Donna
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NOLAsWildPitch said July 16, 2008

Can't wait til' 2010 when the All-Star Game comes to Angels Stadium. That'll be sweet.

Good luck against the boys from Boston!
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siddFinch441 said July 16, 2008

John, what game's have more intensity...the All Star Game or the Divisional playoffs?
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OCManny said July 18, 2008

Hey John, why is the Angels don't object to being in the only 4 team division in MLB? It gives AL West team an unfair advantage of making the playoffs each year. Now that MLB has interleague play, there is no reason a fifth team can't be added to the AL West. Yet curiously, everyone within the Angels organization seems to dodge the question. Is it because the Angels know they can only win the World Series if they are in a four team division and have the help of a Wild Card?
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lizmoses said July 18, 2008

....expect a business gift soon....
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BrianC6234 said July 19, 2008

Lackey - Forget about the All-Star game. You pitched like an All-Star tonight against the Red Sox. It didn't look too good at first but then you got going and the offense really showed up. Maybe if you take GA out for dinner he'll keep knocking in five runs like that. I hope the offense keeps this up. If the Angels have that offense and the pitching they already have nobody will stop you guys.

And the A's and Rangers both lost so that's more great news.
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- OCManny replied July 19, 2008
  
  Wow, this Brian needs to get a clue. Boston will own the Angels in the postseason AGAIN this year.
BrianC6234 said July 19, 2008

"Hey John, why is the Angels don't object to being in the only 4 team division in MLB? It gives AL West team an unfair advantage of making the playoffs each year."

That's nonsense. First, the Angels have nothing to say about it. But that part about an unfair advantage is silly. They still have to play 162 games and the A's always do well. The Rangers are tough even if their pitching stinks.

By the way, the Angels only get five games against the Royals this year and are already done with them. There aren't many bad AL teams for anyone to feed on. If you want to talk about an unfair advantage complain about the team that wins the NL West. That division is a joke.
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- OCManny replied July 19, 2008
  
  Brian, you are just another clueless Angels fan. Something tells me the Angels would be objecting if they were in the only six division team in MLB, but since they have an advantage of being in the only four team division, they say nothing. So the real question is, if there is no advantage as you say, why not get onboard and help convince MLB to even out the divisions? The easiest way would be to move the Houston Astros to the NL West, and the Arizona Diamondbacks to the AL West. Or are you scared, like other Angels fans, that a move like that might make it more difficult for the Angels to cakewalk to the playoffs every year? In case you didn't notice, the Angels only made it to the World Series AFTER the AL West was turned into a four team division and AFTER a Wild Card was added. Prior to that, they were a joke, just as they are today. It's truly sad Angels fans don't have the confidence in their team to demand a level playing field, because as it stands now, Angels baseball is boring and predictable---they beat up on the lowly AL West teams during the regular seasons (teams, by the way, whose team salary is tens of millions of dollars less than Anaheim's), and then they choke in the playoffs and embarass the city and its fans.
  - aforstner replied July 25, 2008
    
    OCManny.....By the way, the easiest way to even the divisions would actually be to just move Houston to the AL West and be done with it, that way you are only moving 1 team, and the Rangers/Astros "battle for Texas" would become a divisional rivalry. As far as Angel fans being scared....are you serious? What kind of drunken haze has you dreaming that up? If you haven't looked at the standings lately, the Angels would be leading any division in the game right now, and have gone 38-18 against teams with winning records - including 5-1 against the East Coast, and ESPN's favorite team the Red Sox. Angel fans fear nothing. Everyone else could only dream of a starting rotation like the Angels'. That's what will get us deep into the playoffs this year - something that has been lacking in years past. Either Escobar had been relegated to bullpen duty, or we would put Jarrod Washburn out there and cross our fingers, Bartolo Colon's injury in 05 didn't help either. Last year half the lineup was on the shelf. Our pitching was nowhere near as good as Lackey-Saunders-Santana-Garland is now for a short series. If we head into the playoffs healthy this year, I don't see who can beat us - and that includes the $200 million Red Sox and Yankees.
Annt74 said July 19, 2008

looks like this article has been hit by the YB trolls.................thanks for starting ruin a good site u pieces of crusty u know what
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- OCManny replied July 20, 2008
  
  Speaking of crusty pieces of you know what, how about you stop your whining Annt74? You sound like Rex Hudler during that time of the month.
  - Annt74 replied July 25, 2008
    
    eat me
    - GSWgirl replied July 25, 2008
      
      directly from OCManny's yard; "OCManny does not have any fans."
    - Annt74 replied July 25, 2008
      
      its a boston fan who is too much of a puss to say these things on his original account so he opened up this OCManny one on the 18th so he could come troll lackeys article, funny thing is angels swept the sox last weekend, which evidently made someone upset
BrianC6234 said July 19, 2008

Lackey - I hope the Angels are going to send a copy of the game today, Saunders vs Beckett, to Bud Selig's office for investigation. I've never seen such a horrible umpire. He has to be a Red Sox fan. Saunders is getting squeezed really bad. The Angel hitters are getting called out on pitches feet from the strikezone. If the Angels end up losing they should contest the game and demand the win for corrupt umpiring. I've seen way too much bad umpiring this year. It's time for Bud Selig to clean these guys up once and for all.
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- OCManny replied July 20, 2008
  
  Lackey, do you actually enjoy when suck-ups like BrianC come here and schmooze your bottom? I would think you'd find it annoying, but maybe you are into that sort of thing. Personally, I think it cheapens baseball.
- aforstner replied July 25, 2008
  
  I'm starting to get the idea that OCManny is just an instigator with too much time on his hands. I guess I shouldn't take anything he posts seriously. Anyway - to your point BrianC6234 - I do agree that the umpiring can be quite achotty at times. I do think that superstar pitchers like Beckett have gotten superstar calls thoughout the game's history. Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine have made careers off of superstar calls. I would however caution Bud Selig to keep an eye on the situation. I wouldn't worry so much about WHETHER a certain umpire would have a rooting interest in a certain team, but rather WHY they would have that rooting interest. The Saunders/Backett game you mention was a pretty high-profile game - it could have had Vegas implications. MLB certainly cannot afford a Tim Donaghey type scandal, especially on the heels of the Mitchell Report.
lizmoses said July 16, 2008

It is my biggest dream to own Angels stadium.
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lizmoses said July 19, 2008

expect great things in a couple of months.......it's a surprise!

from yours truly
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clutch_brewery said July 19, 2008

John where was some of the other living hall of famers? ( i.e. Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan, Nolan Ryan, etc...) There was more than a few missing.
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lightitup said July 25, 2008

Good luck on the 10-game east coast roadie! We'll be rootin' hard for you to throw a blanket on the Sox and Yanks when you face off with 'em. Of course, we'll be rootin' just as hard for Joe, Ervin, Jon and Jered! Go get 'em!
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lightitup said July 29, 2008

Way to go into Fenway and shut 'em down, Big John! Loved seeing you brush the demons aside and take control of the game. No-hitter or not, that was a masterful performance! Good luck in closing out this monster roadtrip in great fashion!
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