No Doubting the Star of the Show

TV Sports

By RICHARD SANDOMIR
The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com
July 16, 2008


NEW YORK - JULY 15: American League All-Star Mariano Rivera #42 of the New York Yankees shakes hands with Hall of Famer Rich "Goose" Gossage as Derek Jeter #2 of the New York Yankees looks on at the start of the 79th MLB All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium on July 15, 2008 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

It turns out, in the Fox Sports view on things, that Mariano Rivera was the defining Yankee in the final All-Star Game at old Yankee Stadium.

Consider that when Jonathan Papelbon, the Boston Red Sox’ closer, entered the game in the eighth inning, he was already shown on the mound. And Joe Buck said he had been greeted by a chorus of boos that occurred during commercials.

After Miguel Tejada singled off Papelbon, Fox cut to a glory shot of wonderful, glorious Mo, in the bullpen, his back to the camera, gazing at the field from his perch, with the packed house in the foreground, a video recapitulation of the classic Ben Hogan photo, also shot from behind.

And when Rivera entered in relief, with one out in the ninth, Fox caught him in a long shot, once more from behind, as he jogged onto the field. And once he began pitching, he was accorded a replay showing the flashbulbs atwitter.

Soon enough, mighty Mo struck out Ryan Ludwick, and his catcher, Dioner Navarro, threw out Cristian Guzmán trying to steal second.

That’s Mo — the truest Yankee of all. Perhaps he should have been made the winner of the Aquafina “Make Your Body Happy” sweepstakes.

NEW YORK - JULY 15: A B-2 bomber flies over Yankee Stadium prior to start of the 79th MLB All-Star Game on July 15, 2008 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Michael Heiman/Getty Images)

As the game moved into extra innings, I thought back to the start of the evening, when dozens of Hall of Famers stood at the positions that made them famous, beside the starting All-Stars playing those positions. A smart idea, uniting pitchers Bob Feller and Bob Gibson with Ben Sheets and Cliff Lee, and third basemen Brooks Robinson and Mike Schmidt with Chipper Jones and Alex Rodriguez.

It was a wonderful assembly, a regal gathering, but one thing was missing: sound. As the Hall of Famers gathered beyond the outfield fence, as they walked onto the field and as they stood at their positions, they needed microphones to animate the regal human statuary.

Wouldn’t you have loved to have heard Willie Mays gab with Josh Hamilton, or Geovany Soto chat with Yogi Berra? Just a few sound bites — they didn’t have to be live — interspersed throughout?

Fox asked to wire Hall of Famers, but Major League Baseball wouldn’t consent.

“We’re cautious about live microphones, and on this one we chose to let the ceremony speak for itself,” said Tim Brosnan, M.L.B.’s executive vice president for business. Goose Gossage had one, he said, “but we didn’t mike them all by our own choosing, really to let them enjoy the moment.”

The ceremony became more memorable when it acquired some spontaneity: Hank Aaron high-fived Manny Ramírez, and Ozzie Smith embraced A-Rod. But we didn’t see much of it.

NEW YORK - JULY 15: American League All-Stars Derek Jeter, Joe Girardi, Alex Rodriguez and Mariano Rivera walk on the field during the 79th MLB All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium on July 15, 2008 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Moments later, it became emotional when the weeping Boss, George Steinbrenner, entered on a golf cart to deliver four balls for ceremonial first pitches to Berra, Gossage, Reggie Jackson and Whitey Ford. He didn’t leave the cart, which was profoundly sad. But the hugs and kisses from the quartet of great Yankees were a reminder of Ted Williams’s emotional appearance before the start of the 1999 All-Star Game at Fenway Park, which still resonates because of how it evolved into a spontaneous celebration of the Splendid Splinter that nearly wouldn’t end.

The Hall of Famers were put to their most animated use when Fox showed Ernie Banks and George Brett delivering pregame pep talks to the National and American League teams. Brett reminded his squad that that in his day, when the A.L. rarely won, the All-Star Game “didn’t mean diddly,” but now the winner gets home-field advantage in the World Series.

And then, except for a stint by Berra in the booth, the Hall of Famers seemed to disappear into a magical cornfield on River Avenue.

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