Pittsburgh deserving All-Star recipient

With a sun-splashed Pittsburgh skyline serving as a picturesque background, Major League Baseball Commissioner Allan H. "Bud" Selig held a press conference at PNC Park on July 20, 2004, to announce that Pittsburgh would serve as host of the Midsummer Classic in 2006.
While Pirates officials and local politicians soaked up the sun and the good news with obvious delight, most of the rest of the baseball world was left wondering how the Bucs had pulled off such a coup.
How, just 12 years after hosting baseball's midseason showcase at Three Rivers Stadium in 1994, had the Pirates managed to convince Selig to hold another game in Pittsburgh? After all, other cities had gone decades since their last shot at the All-Star Game. San Francisco, despite their lovely new ballpark, had pushed hard to bring the Midsummer Classic back to the City by the Bay for the first time since 1984.
The answer, according to Selig, was three-fold.
First and foremost, the Commissioner wanted to reward the Pirates and the city of Pittsburgh for building what ESPN.com in 2003 selected as the best ballpark in the Major Leagues.
"This ballpark is spectacular. It certainly played a critical role," said Selig. "I wouldn't be standing here today if PNC Park didn't exist.
"I felt during the [construction] of PNC Park that we really also had a commitment to this community. If they built it and it worked out well we ought to bring an All-Star Game back."
Selig also believed that the Pirates were in greater need of the economic boost that comes with hosting the All-Star Game than the Giants and other top bidders for the 2006 Midsummer Classic.
At the time of Selig's announcement, the Pirates' full-season ticket base had declined by approximately 50 percent from the opening of PNC Park in 2001 to 8,500 full-season equivalents in 2004. After aligning their full-season ticket plans to the availability of All-Star Game tickets, the Bucs experienced a predictable upturn in sales. More than 11,300 full-season equivalents have been sold for the 2006 season.
The third factor in bringing the All-Star Game back to Pittsburgh so quickly, according to Selig, was the relentless nature in which Pirates CEO and Managing General Partner Kevin McClatchy lobbied the Commissioner's Office.
"Kevin was tenacious, sometimes in a rather intense manner," said Selig. "He really wanted to get it."
McClatchy downplayed his role in securing the 2006 All-Star Game for the Steel City, choosing instead to spread the credit around to all involved.
"Why did we get the 2006 All-Star Game? Because we have the best ballpark in America. Plain and simple," said McClatchy. "The other thing is in 1994 we put on one of the greatest All-Star Games of all time.
"I'm proud for the organization, the people who worked on it and the city. We worked hard and put a pretty good pitch together. It worked out." McClatchy did admit, however, that he was driven by the opportunity to show off how far Pittsburgh has come in the 12 years since the Midsummer Class was last played there.
"It was an incredible experience for the city of Pittsburgh in 1994. It was something we had to work very hard to bring back because we felt it would be a very important event for the Pirates and the city," said McClatchy.
"I am excited for the Pirates, but I'm probably more excited as somebody who lives in Pittsburgh for this city to get the All-Star Game."
The hard work will be rewarded in July, when Pittsburgh and the "Jewel of the North Shore" will be put on display for all the world to see.

They might be "coaches on the field," as the old cliché goes.
But that doesn't mean catchers for the All-Star Game have to be chosen by the managers, as other coaches are.
No, these "coaches" are picked by the fans, and there are several deserving candidates for the job behind the plate during the 77th Midsummer Classic, which will be played in Pittsburgh's PNC Park on July 11.
Fans can cast votes up to 25 times with the Monster.com 2006 All-Star Online Ballot at MLB.com and all 30 club sites. Online balloting ends at 11:59 p.m. ET on June 29.
Both leagues have their share of men who not only know how to squat behind the plate but also how to drive their teammates across it.
In the American League, 27-year-old Victor Martinez has emerged as one of the game's more feared hitters, regardless of position. He put up a Major League-best average of .380 with 11 home runs and 45 RBIs for the Indians in the second half of 2005.
Martinez backed up his strong finish to '05 with a strong start to '06. Through Sunday, he was batting .306 with five home runs and 26 RBIs.
But Martinez, an All-Star in '04, has plenty of worthy competition for the AL catcher's job.
He needs to look no further than the rival White Sox to find a rival for the position in A.J. Pierzynski, who has batted .344 with two homers and 12 RBIs this season.
Yankees catcher Jorge Posada remains a tough out, as he's put up a .307 average with six homers and 26 RBIs. Baltimore's Ramon Hernandez (.311 average, six homers, 26 RBIs), Detroit's Ivan Rodriguez (.305, two, 15) and Minnesota's Joe Mauer (.338, three, 22) have been solid, as well.
And with the Japanese ballot available online this year, it's tough to count out Mariners rookie Kenji Johjima, who has adjusted well to playing ball in the States with a .281 average, three homers and 20 RBIs. He could be a sleeper to get the starting nod.
Over in the National League, the fans always seem to gravitate toward Mike Piazza, whether he's hitting or hurt.
This year probably won't be any different, even though Piazza's team colors have changed. The perennial All-Star is batting .257 with five homers and 14 RBIs. Perhaps more importantly, he's helped the Padres turn in one of the best ERAs in baseball in the early going.
The Diamondbacks' Johnny Estrada has stats deserving of some votes, as he's compiled a .316 average with three homers and 29 RBIs.
Second-year Braves catcher Brian McCann has a .353 average that is best among NL catchers, and veteran Brad Ausmus of the Astros is right up there with a .325 mark.
The Brewers' Damian Miller is batting .300 with four homers and 21 RBIs and the Cubs' Michael Barrett is hitting .284 with five homers and 20 RBIs.

Rosters for the 77th All-Star Game will be unveiled at 7 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 2. The announcement will reveal the 16 elected starters, as determined by fan balloting, and 45 pitchers and reserves, as determined by the player ballot, the two All-Star team managers -- Ozzie Guillen of the World Series champion Chicago White Sox and Phil Garner of the NL champion Houston Astros -- and Major League Baseball.
Fans will once again have the opportunity to select the final position player for each league's 32-man roster at MLB.com. The Final Vote will provide fans the opportunity to cast their votes from a list of five players from each league over a three-day period. Fans added Roy Oswalt (NL) and Scott Podsednik (AL) to the rosters with that Final Vote last summer.
For the fourth consecutive year, the league that wins the All-Star Game will receive home-field advantage during the World Series. The AL has won back-to-back-to-back Midsummer Classics since that provision was added prior to the 2003 World Series, and eight straight overall.

Options behind the plate

They might be "coaches on the field," as the old cliché goes.
But that doesn't mean catchers for the All-Star Game have to be chosen by the managers, as other coaches are.
No, these "coaches" are picked by the fans, and there are several deserving candidates for the job behind the plate during the 77th Midsummer Classic, which will be played in Pittsburgh's PNC Park on July 11.
Fans can cast votes up to 25 times with the Monster.com 2006 All-Star Online Ballot at MLB.com and all 30 club sites. Online balloting ends at 11:59 p.m. ET on June 29.
Both leagues have their share of men who not only know how to squat behind the plate but also how to drive their teammates across it.
In the American League, 27-year-old Victor Martinez has emerged as one of the game's more feared hitters, regardless of position. He put up a Major League-best average of .380 with 11 home runs and 45 RBIs for the Indians in the second half of 2005.
Martinez backed up his strong finish to '05 with a strong start to '06. Through Sunday, he was batting .306 with five home runs and 26 RBIs.
But Martinez, an All-Star in '04, has plenty of worthy competition for the AL catcher's job.
He needs to look no further than the rival White Sox to find a rival for the position in A.J. Pierzynski, who has batted .344 with two homers and 12 RBIs this season.
Yankees catcher Jorge Posada remains a tough out, as he's put up a .307 average with six homers and 26 RBIs. Baltimore's Ramon Hernandez (.311 average, six homers, 26 RBIs), Detroit's Ivan Rodriguez (.305, two, 15) and Minnesota's Joe Mauer (.338, three, 22) have been solid, as well.
And with the Japanese ballot available online this year, it's tough to count out Mariners rookie Kenji Johjima, who has adjusted well to playing ball in the States with a .281 average, three homers and 20 RBIs. He could be a sleeper to get the starting nod.
Over in the National League, the fans always seem to gravitate toward Mike Piazza, whether he's hitting or hurt.
This year probably won't be any different, even though Piazza's team colors have changed. The perennial All-Star is batting .257 with five homers and 14 RBIs. Perhaps more importantly, he's helped the Padres turn in one of the best ERAs in baseball in the early going.
The Diamondbacks' Johnny Estrada has stats deserving of some votes, as he's compiled a .316 average with three homers and 29 RBIs.
Second-year Braves catcher Brian McCann has a .353 average that is best among NL catchers, and veteran Brad Ausmus of the Astros is right up there with a .325 mark.
The Brewers' Damian Miller is batting .300 with four homers and 21 RBIs and the Cubs' Michael Barrett is hitting .284 with five homers and 20 RBIs.Rosters for the 77th All-Star Game will be unveiled at 7 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 2. The announcement will reveal the 16 elected starters, as determined by fan balloting, and 45 pitchers and reserves, as determined by the player ballot, the two All-Star team managers -- Ozzie Guillen of the World Series champion Chicago White Sox and Phil Garner of the NL champion Houston Astros -- and Major League Baseball.
Fans will once again have the opportunity to select the final position player for each league's 32-man roster at MLB.com. The Final Vote will provide fans the opportunity to cast their votes from a list of five players from each league over a three-day period. Fans added Roy Oswalt (NL) and Scott Podsednik (AL) to the rosters with that Final Vote last summer.
For the fourth consecutive year, the league that wins the All-Star Game will receive home-field advantage during the World Series. The AL has won back-to-back-to-back Midsummer Classics since that provision was added prior to the 2003 World Series, and eight straight overall.

Options behind the plate