All-Star TV Ratings Strike Out

All-Star MVP jumps to No. 5 on MLB salary list with $90M deal

(NEWSER) - Ichiro Suzuki is officially the highest-paid Mariner of all time. The 33-year-old Japanese import signed a 5-year extension worth $90 million this week and is now sewn up through 2012. Seattle worked hard to secure its leadoff man, who was a hot item with deep-pocketed clubs like the Yankees even before hitting the first inside-the-park homer in All-Star Game history. More»

MVP Ichiro jump-starts 5-4 victory, Series edge

(NEWSER) - The American League won its 10th straight Midsummer Classic last night, besting the National League 5-4. The game, hosted by San Francisco at AT&T Park, was a slugging match: MVP Ichiro Suzuki chalked up the first in-the-parker in All-Star game history, and blasts from Carl Crawford and Victor Martinez helped hand the AL a 1-run victory. More»

Selig needs to get the boys of summer off the field

(NEWSER) - Isn’t the Fall Classic supposed to happen in the fall? Not this year. The World Series begins tomorrow night and, in case Bud Selig hasn’t noticed, it’s “never seemed more irrelevant,” writes Jay Mariotti. It’s simply too late in the year for baseball. “I can hear my body clock ticking, knowing Game 3 will be played on Halloween night.” Game 7, if it comes to that, will be in a probably frigid New York on November 5. More»

Prez makes no apologies for All-Star get-up: 'I'm not 20'

(NEWSER) - President Obama will go to bat for his health care plan, but he won’t defend his pants. Asked on NBC’s Today Show about the “dad jeans” he wore at last week’s All-Star Game, Obama punted. “I’m a little frumpy,” he confided. “I hate to shop. Those jeans are comfortable. For those of you who want your president to look great in his tight jeans, I’m sorry … I’m not 20.” More»

(NEWSER) - President Obama will toss the ceremonial first pitch at the All-Star Game on July 14, Major League Baseball announced yesterday. He’ll be the fourth president to do so, following John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, and Gerald Ford, and the seventh to attend the game. He’s also got some first-pitch experience; he did the honors for his beloved Chicago White Sox during the 2005 playoffs. More»