Pittsburgh – Rockies outfielder Matt Holliday awoke earlier Monday morning, a buzz of activity. Well, that’s not entirely accurate. He hadn’t gone to sleep, and at 3 in the morning, he began playing baseball in the hotel hallway with his infant son, Jackson, and one of his advisers.
“Jackson was still up,” Holliday said. “He never sleeps.”
Holliday was determined to soak in every moment of his first All-Star Game. Until Nomar Garciaparra was selected in the Final Man vote, Holliday was the only position player to represent the National League West.
“That’s hard to believe. I thought there would be more. But it’s a great honor for Matt and Brian (Fuentes),” Rockies owner Dick Monfort said. “Both were very deserving.”
Holliday had several relatives in attendance Tuesday at PNC Park, not a surprise given his family’s ties to Pennsylvania. Holliday entered the game in the third inning as a pinch-hitter, grounding out against former Arvada West star Roy Halladay. Holliday played the final six innings in right field, going 0-for-3 with a flyball to the left-field warning track.
“I thought I had hit out, but it was to the wrong place in the park, right where that fence juts out,” Holliday said. “I’m going to remember this entire experience.
“You kind of wait your whole life for this opportunity, and it’s something they can never take away from you.”
For Fuentes, the experience was more calming and awarding the second time around. For starters, he was more than a decoy, making his all-star debut in the sixth inning. Bearing no resemblance to the reliever who struggled Saturday, Fuentes struck out Grady Sizemore on a 79 mph slider, and induced harmless groundouts from Ichiro Suzuki and Derek Jeter.
“I was in a haze out there. I came out on all cylinders and was confident I’d do well,” Fuentes said. “If this is anything like what the playoffs would feel like, that is something I want to be a part of.”
New TV deal set
At a luncheon meeting with members of the Baseball Writers of America Association, commissioner Bud Selig promised a big announcement regarding the new TV contract. A few hours later, he was discussed a seven-year agreement with Fox and Turner Sports.
Fox receives exclusive rights to the World Series and All-Star Game. The most notable change is the World Series will begin on the first Tuesday after the completion of the league championship series. That means there will be only one Saturday game, which draws lower ratings.
Turner received rights to all divisional playoff games beginning in 2007.
Arroyo on AL
Reds starter Bronson Arroyo, who pitched a scoreless fifth inning, provided an explanation for the American League’s dominance over the National League in interleague play, if not the All-Star Game. The NL has weaker lineups.
“It’s been a tremendous difference,” he said. “Just having breathing room of the pitcher in the nine hole, being able to pitch around the eight-hole guy. There’s no break in the AL East, I know that.”
Arroyo scored points for his candor Monday, admitting he missed a media session because he was out late the night before at a bar drinking, peeved that the Braves shelled him.
Footnotes
The Rockies have had recent talks with the Orioles about reliever LaTroy Hawkins, but they haven’t gotten serious yet. Despite speculation, the Rockies have no interest in Baltimore catcher Javy Lopez. … Mets third baseman David Wright became the 13th player to homer in his first All-Star Game at-bat, drilling a 337-foot line drive into the left-field stands. … Atlanta catcher Brian McCann, wide-eyed during media day, said, “I want to make sure this is not a fluke.” … Alex Rodriguez praised the charisma of Boston slugger David “Big Papi” Ortiz. “I think he’s the Magic Johnson of our era right now.”
Rocks in the Stars
Outfielder Matt Holliday and closer Brian Fuentes represented the Rockies in the All-Star Game.
A look at their performances:
Holliday: In his first all-star at-bat, Holliday pinch-hit against former Arvada West star Roy Halladay in the third inning. The Holliday-Halladay matchup ended quietly. After taking a 92 mph fastball for a strike, Holliday bounced out to shortstop Derek Jeter. Holliday remained in the game in right field and flied out to left fielder Gary Matthews at the warning track in the fifth inning and lined softly to third in the eighth. On defense, he made a running catch of Michael Young’s blooper in the seventh.
Fuentes: With Brian McCann catching, Fuentes made his all-star debut in the top of the sixth, throwing nine pitches, eight strikes. Rebounding strongly from the worst outing of his career Saturday, Fuentes struck out Grady Sizemore and induced weak groundouts from Ichiro Suzuki and Jeter.
TROY E. RENCK
