The following entry comes from Tyler Maas

With half the season in the books and the All-Star break within a stone's throw, it's almost acceptable for baseball fans to begin their other pastime - scoreboard watching.
 
Sure, there are already five teams with double-digit deficits in their respective divisions, and players on the Mariners and Nationals can safely begin making non-occupational plans for October. But as a whole, one great or terrible week of play against a divisional foe could do volumes to catapult a cellar-dweller within grasp of the division lead or topple a leader’s likelihood of maintaining its first place standing.
 
This week, the first full week of the season’s latter half, three division leaders will face off against their closest competition in the standings.
 
Tampa Bay vs. Boston
The surprise Rays and defending champ Red Sox have been taking turns holding the AL East torch all season. With Tampa again in the driver’s seat, Justin Masterson and the Wild Card leader BoSox hope to vanquish the half game margin Monday, and reclaim the lead as the series wraps up Wednesday.
 
Masterson will face off against James Shields Monday. Tim Wakefield and Matt Garza will battle it out Tuesday and Daisuke Matsuzaka takes on Scott Kazmir in the series finale.
 
Los Angeles vs. Oakland
After dropping two straight to the Giants this weekend the Athletics travel to Anaheim looking to shorten the 4.5 game gap that now separates them from the Halos.
 
Greg Smith and Jon Garland go in the first game Monday, Ervin Santana and the red hot Rich Harden take the rubber Tuesday. The series wraps up Wednesday with Oakland’s Dana Eveland and AL win leader Joe Saunders.
 
St. Louis vs. Chicago
On the National League side of things, the Wild Card-leading Cardinals host the Central leader Cubs in a three-game weekend series. Both teams have scuffled of late, due primarily to injury and an exit from their previously cushy schedules.
 
Braden Looper and Carlos Zambrano, who looks to bring fireworks in his July 4th return from a shoulder injury, will set the series in motion Friday. Kyle Lohse and Ted Lilly go Saturday, while Todd Wellemeyer and ex Cardinal Jason Marquis round out the series on Sunday.
 
There’s a lot of season left, but each game that elapses en route to season’s end means exceedingly more – especially when the teams competing sit one and two in their division.

Tuesday night, I was lucky enough to be able to cover a Cleveland Indians game against the San Francisco Giants as a credentialed member of the press. It was most special to me as it was the return to Cleveland of one of my all-time favorite players, Omar Vizquel.

I had circled that game on my calendar as the one I would choose to attend, at first as a fan, but after being brought on as a contributor to Seamheads.com, things changed.

Through its association with Baseball Digest Daily, I was able to ask for credentials to major-league games. So it was obvious which one I would choose to attend.

It was a surreal experience to say the least. You dream of these opportunities, but rarely does anyone get to experience it.

I live in Columbus, so it was a decent drive, about two-and-a-half hours, up route 71 to Progressive Field. Game time was 7:05, but I was to be there at 4:30 to attend Vizquel’s press conference.

I left my job at 1:00 to begin my quest, after daydreaming all morning of what was to come. I had everything I thought necessary packed away in my bag. I had a laptop, notebook paper, emails showing proof that Indians’ Media Director Bart Swain approved my credential in case of questioning, among other items.

During my drive up, I realized one thing that I was missing. If I were to get any audio or do any interview, I would need a digital audio recorder. So I had to stop off on the way at a Wal-Mart off of the highway to pick one up.

After getting back into the car, I realized that I took a little more time than I should and needed to hurry along. I rushed up the highway (only 10 MPH over the limit), and took an exit to take the Rapid Transit train into town. The time was 4:00.

I had a half-hour to get to the stadium, and the train would take 15 minutes to get me into downtown, where I would then have to walk a few blocks to the stadium and find out where to go.

To skip ahead a little, I finally got to the media gate at 4:25 with a few minutes until the news conference. My mind was focused on just trying to keep moving, but I had to be checked by security. They checked my bag and ID and then gave me my badge for the night.

After checking out my badge for a few seconds, and thinking how cool this was about to become, I quickly walked on to where I could get down to the stadium's service level. I walked by the security guard without any questioning and continued on my way.

I had no idea where this room was, but having had experience in another sporting venue, I knew I could figure it out. They are actually quite simple.

I ran through the service corridor past the Indians' clubhouse, then the Giants' Clubhouse, the Dugout Suites, and then finally came to the Press Room at 4:33.

I was only three minutes late, not as bad as it could have been, but I still missed Omar’s entrance.

As I opened the door and peeked in, there sat Vizquel at the front of the room, answering a question about his favorite memories in Cleveland. I looked around and just was in awe at first. Was I really here? I have only seen these interviews through a camera lens on the television. I totally felt out of place.

Omar continued to answer questions as I got my notepad and audio recorder out, which I learned to use in the car on the way up, and started to record and take notes. I wanted to take a picture, but wasn’t sure if I could at that point. It was all focused on Omar’s words.

The rest of the conference lasted about ten minutes or so. He then got down off of the podium and walked back out of the room right by me.

The mass of media continued to follow him down the hallway as he entered the Giants locker room to begin getting himself ready.

I had no idea what to do here, so I just continued to follow. I ended up going down through the Indians' clubhouse and out onto the field for pregame batting practice.

Walking though those hallways, I could not help myself but to think of the Albert Belle tantrums that were thrown back there. Don’t ask me why, but that’s what was going through my mind.

We ended up going up a set of stairs and into the dugout. Wow! I just entered the Indians' dugout. Once again, it was soak it all in time. I got out of the way and just took my time looking around.

The Indians were on the field, taking their batting practice, Cleveland media personalities like Mark Schwab, Andre Knott, Tony Rizzo, Matt Underwood, and others were walking around me.

I knew I could take pictures here, so I started taking some. I then saw Eric Wedge come into the dugout, and the media swarmed him. I knew what was up. It was his pregame conference. So it was time to get out the recorder and paper again.

I wanted to ask a question, but I was totally out of it. I admit, I was nervous. If I spoke I was going to screw up. So I kept my mouth shut and listened to his discussions of new free-agent signings, where the injured Indians were in their rehabs, his memories of Omar, and much more.

And again, it was totally surreal. I usually am sitting at home watching this. I never thought I would be sitting two seats down in the dugout hearing this.

After he finished, I stuck around the field a little while longer, getting more shots as the Indians came off of the field and Omar and the Giants came out. Vizquel came over to the Indians' side for an interview on a local television station, and I took more pictures of him as I was standing on the dugout steps. More on this detail later.

After hanging around the dugout and watching the players a while longer, I walked back into the clubhouse and dipped my head into the batting cages for a second to see if anyone was there, but there was no one. I then went back into the locker room to see if anyone was talking.

Inside the locker room were a few guys: Jamey Carroll, Grady Sizemore, Ryan Garko, and some coaches. Nobody was talking at the time, so I looked around, noticed video of that night's starter Jonathan Sanchez on the big screens. Carroll was focused in on it. I didn’t want to nose around too much and get into trouble, so I left and went to find the Press Box.

It was dinnertime, and I needed something to eat before the game. I took the elevator up to the press level and walked down the hallway and found the dining room. I signed in and paid my $10 for dinner. I had a choice of jerk chicken, hamburger or hot dog. I went hamburger, finished plating up, and found a seat.

I look over to my left, and there’s Bob Feller! Holy Crap. I had to keep telling myself, “you can’t ask for an autograph, Michael.” Then, I look up and see Giants and ESPN broadcaster Jon Miller walk in. He went over to Feller and started a conversation. Was I really sitting here?

You want to go be a part of that conversation, but know you have no business to. So I continued eating while witnessing more local media types, Bruce Drennan and others, come through.

I did have a nice conversation from a sports editor at a Norwalk newspaper, Mike Grecco. He was very nice and we talked about the Indians, Ohio State football, and I asked him questions about how things work. He was a big help to me, and he gave me some tips on what to watch for the rest of the night.

As game time drew near, I walked on down the hall, signed into the press box, found my assigned seat and set myself up.

I went back to the information table where they provide rosters, press releases, and media guides, and picked up as much information as I could for reading. I still haven’t read much of it, but I had to pick it up.

During the game, I wrote my article for the night focusing on Vizquel’s return. To be honest, I didn’t watch most of the game. I was busy writing and thinking of how amazing this day was. I could not focus on the game.

I completed my article around the eighth inning, and I then watched the end of the game. The Indians would go on to lose as Vizquel had a squeeze bunt that scored the eventual winning run. It was only appropriate. He was the one who brought the fans to the ballpark, and he was the one who started sending them home with that bunt.

After the game, I went downstairs and wanted to get into the Giants' locker room to witness Vizquel’s postgame interview.

We waited there for about five minutes until the Giants allowed the media in. During this wait, Indians' general manager Mark Shapiro walked by with a very disturbed look on his face. He didn’t even take a look over at any of the media; he just kept walking. One could only assume what was circling in his mind at that point.

When entering the locker room, I began to see multiple Giants’ players walking around, eating their postgame dinners, coming from the showers, sitting at their lockers, watching the Cubs game on the big screen, or playing Golden Tee golf. In the background was some rap music that I admit to having never heard.

Omar was nowhere to be found.

To kill the time, I got into a conversation with Andre Knott about the Indians and how the season was going. He is a local radio personality that I have listened to many times. It was very odd to speak face-to-face with him. He is just a regular guy who is a big sports fan just like anyone else.

After about 15-20 minutes of waiting for Vizquel, he finally came to his locker. He knew there was going to be a mass quantity of media there, but you could sense he was ready to be done with that part of the day.

Being the great pro that he is, he still gave an excellent interview. He talked of the video tribute that the Indians gave him before the game, and how he was surprised that they put a couple of home runs on the reel of highlights.

When Vizquel was finished with the interviews, I went back down the hall towards the Indians' locker room, but could not get in. I had missed my chance to see the Indians. That was a major bummer to me, but I couldn’t complain. The main reason I came up to cover the game was to witness the special evening of Omar Vizquel.

I saw him in every aspect that I could: pregame press conference, on the field, and in the locker room after the game. It was truly a night I will never forget.

And to top it all off, the next morning, after reviewing some of the AP game coverage about last night’s game, I found a picture that was very intriguing.

Remember how I was taking pictures of Vizquel on the field during an interview?

Well the picture I found on Yahoo! that morning was from the exact opposite angle as mine. I was in the background of the AP picture taken by Tony Dejak, posted on at least Yahoo!. I am standing on the dugout steps, playing with my camera and wearing a red striped shirt.

It is not a big deal, as nobody would really know that, but to me, I had to save that and send it to everyone I knew. If they didn’t believe that I did cover the game, here’s a picture as proof!

Chase Utley's Phillies may be slumping but the second baseman is still the leading vote-getter in all of baseball followed by Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez who is the top vote-getter in the American League.  Utley and A-Rod lead an All-Star voting race that is tightening at a number of positions across the NL and AL.  With a few days left to vote Online there are still a number of tight races that are too close to call.  Here is a look at the races both decided and up-for-grabs in the 2008 All-Star voting race:

 

FIRST BASEMAN

Boston's Kevin Youkilis (1,915,376) leads Minnesota's Justin Morneau (1,641,467) by less than 300,000 votes in the AL.  Youkilis is hitting .313 with 13 homers and 50 RBI while Morneau is at .306 with 12 homers and 63 RBI.  Youkilis would be making his first All-Star appearance if he can hold off Morneau who has made one All-Star appearance.

In the NL, Houston's Lance Berkman (2,132,663) is the likely starting first baseman with more than 700,000 votes more than his next competitor Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals.  Berkman's numbers through half the season are impressive -- .364 with 21 home runs and 67 RBI.  He is also on a pace to challenge his career high in doubles with 27 in 82 games and has a career-high 12 stolen bases.  It is fairly certain Berkman's lead will hold and will give him his fifth All-Star appearance.

SECOND BASEMAN

Boston's Dustin Pedroia (1,669,216) is being challenged by Texas' Ian Kinsler (1,485,350) who is less than 200,00 votes behind the Red Sox second baseman in the AL.  Pedroia is hitting .304 with eight home runs, 37 RBI, 53 runs scored and is 9-for-9 on steal attempts while enjoying the Red Sox Nation boost.  Kinsler is hitting .323 with 13 home runs, 50 RBI, 71 runs scored and is 20-for-21 on steal attempts.  Both Pedroia and Kinsler are seeking their first All-Star appearance.

In the NL, Philadelphia's Chase Utley (2,645,027) leads the next two NL second baseman -- Chicago's Mark DeRosa (1,139,698) and Florida's Dan Uggla (947,425) -- combined.  Utley's output has decreases slightly in June but is still hitting .297 with an NL-leading 23 home runs, 65 runs scored and 60 RBI.  For Utley, it will be his third consecutive All-Star appearance.

THIRD BASEMAN

Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez is a lock to nail down the starting job here.  With 2,518,067 votes, A-Rod leads Boston's Mike Lowell (1,313,090) by over 1.2 million votes.  This will be the 12th All-Star appearance for Rodriguez who is hitting .322 with 15 home runs and 43 RBI through Sunday.

Atlanta's Chipper Jones (2,433,753) should join his AL counterpart if he is healthy enough to play.  With a lead of over 1 million votes over Chicago's Aramis Ramirez (1,373,565), the only question is will Jones be able to play as he battles through injury and is possibly headed to the 15-day disabled list.  Through Sunday, Jones continues to flirt with .400 at a .394 average.  He also has 16 homers and 46 RBI.  It would be Jones' sixth All-Star appearance and first since 2001.

SHORTSTOP

Another Yankee likely to get the starting nod at shortstop as New York's Derek Jeter (2,507,534) leads Texas' Michael Young (1,478,823) by over 1 million votes.  Jeter trails A-Rod for the top spot in the AL by less than 11,000 votes.  Jeter is hitting .284 with four home runs and 47 runs scored and is headed for his ninth All-Star appearance and third consecutive starting nod courtesy of the fans.

The NL race is extremely tight with Florida's Hanley Ramirez (1,483,875) holding a narrow lead over Houston's Miguel Tejada (1,315,240) and Chicago's Ryan Theriot (1,114,336).  Ramirez has never been selected to an All-Star team and is hitting .294 with 18 dingers, 35 RBI, 69 runs scored and 20 steals.  Tejada is hitting .287 with 10 homers and 43 RBI in his first season in the NL and is seeking his fifth All-Star selection.  Like Ramirez, Theriot has never been on an All-Star roster and has a .314 average, 45 runs scored and 13 steals this season.  All three would be candidates for a backup spot along with New York's Jose Reyes.

CATCHER

Another race too close to call in the AL is between Minnesota's Joe Mauer (1,632,338) and Boston's Jason Varitek (1,487,390).  Mauer leads by less than 150,000 votes and must hold off Varitek to get his second All-Star nod.  Mauer is hitting .321 and on pace for career highs in runs scored and doubles.  Varitek, a former two-time All-Star, is hitting .225 with seven home runs and 25 RBI and would be an unlikely candidate for a backup spot. 

The NL spot will probably belong to Chicago's Geovany Soto (1,827,279), in his first season behind the plate for the Cubs.  Soto leads Atlanta's Brian McCann (1,149,247) by a healthy 600,000-plus votes.  In '08, Soto is hitting .281 with 13 home runs and 47 RBI.  McCann is also having an All-Star worthy season with a .295 average and 14 homers and 45 RBI.  Soto would be making his All-Star debut and McCann is seeking his third All-Star shot.

OUTFIELDER

Boston's Manny Ramirez (2,409,388)and Texas' Josh Hamilton (2,327,467) have All-Star bids locked down while Seattle's Ichiro Suzuki (1,397,460) must hold off five players within 400,000 votes of the third spot.  Chasing Ichiro are Los Angeles' Vladimir Guerrero (1,187,273), New York's Bobby Abreu (1,141,618) and Johnny Damon (1,104,990), Boston's J.D. Drew (1,134,658) and Texas' Milton Bradley (1,058,985).  Ramirez will be headed to his 12th All-Star appearance and is the owner of a .289 average with 16 home runs and 52 RBI.  Hamilton is having a huge year and will be making his first All-Star appearance.  He is 10th in the AL in batting average at .312 and leads the AL in homers with 19 and RBI with 79.  Ichiro is in jeopardy of not making the All-Star team for the first time in his eight year Major League career.  Ichiro is hitting .297 with 57 runs scored and 33 steals and would be one of a few worthy candidates should he fall out of the top three in votes.

In the NL, four candidates are in the running for three spots.  Chicago's Alfonso Soriano (2,120,635) leads Cincinnati's Ken Griffey Jr. (1,917,739) and Chicago's Kosuke Fukudome (1,783,983) while Milwaukee's Ryan Braun (1,751,058) is on the outside looking in by the narrowest of margins of all the runner-up candidates.  Soriano is hitting .283 with 15 homers and 40 RBI and is in line for his seventh All-Star appearance where he is 5-for-14 with three home runs in six games.  Griffey is living on his reputation as his .234 average and nine homers are not strong enough to get him his 14th All-Star nod if it were not for the votes.  Rookie Cubs outfielder Fukudome and reigning NL Rookie of the Year Braun will be the tightest race as the voting comes to an end.  Fukudome's .297 average, six homers and 55 RBI might not be good enough to land him his first All-Star appearance should he come up short in the voting.  Braun, also seeking his first All-Star selection, is hitting .287 with 20 home runs and 58 RBI.

DESIGNATED HITTER

Boston's David Ortiz (2,482,981) leads New York's Hideki Matsui (1,567,847) by nearly one million votes.  Both players are currently on the DL and it is unlikely that Ortiz will be back in time for the All-Star despite the likely fan selection.  Ortiz is hitting .252 with 13 home runs and 43 RBI in 54 games and has not played since May 31. 

In-stadium voting is complete and the only way a ballot can be cast is online at MLB.com or any of the team's Web sites where voting closes at 11:59 PM on Wednesday, July 2. 

The All-Star rosters will be revealed on Sunday, July 6 on TBS at 2 PM and will be made up of fan selections and pitchers and reserves selected by a "Player Ballot" and the team's managers -- Terry Francona in the American League and Clint Hurdle in the National League.  A total of 32 players will be selected for each team.

 

Atlanta    

Chipper Jones - Strained right quadriceps, day-to-day.
Omar Infante - Strained right hamstring, day-to-day.
    
Cincinnati    

Edwin Encarnacion - Missed 3 games (back spasms).
    
Detroit    

Matt Joyce - Recalled from Toledo (AAA).
Magglio Ordonez - Pulled oblique muscle, 15-day DL.
    
Florida    

Dan Uggla - Sprained left ankle, day-to-day.
Alfredo Amezaga - Missed 6 games (left groin).
    
Minnesota    

Denard Span - Recalled from Rochester (AAA).
Michael Cuddyer - Left index finger, 15-day DL (retroactive to June 28).
    
NY Mets    

Ryan Church - Missed 19 games (post concussion).
Trot Nixon - Strained groin, 15-day DL.
    
Oakland    

Eric Chavez - Right shoulder injury, day-to-day.
Ryan Sweeney - Sprained left ankle, day-to-day.
    
Pittsburgh    

Romulo Sanchez - Recalled from Indianapolis (AAA).
Ty Taubenheim - Optioned to Indianapolis (AAA).
    
Seattle   

 Erik Bedard - Missed 3 games (back spasms).
    
Washington    

Roger Bernadina - Recalled from Harrisburg (AA).
Lastings Milledge - Strained right groin, 15-day DL.

- Brandon Phillips went 3-for-5 and scored 3 runs, Edwin Encarnacion reached base 4 times, homered, and drove in 3 runs, and Adam Dunn blasted a 3-run bomb to lead the Reds to a 9-6 win over the Indians. Bronson Arroyo finally had a decent outing for Cincinnati, allowing just one earned run in 6 innings.
- A.J. Burnett struck out 11 over 7 scoreless innings, and Alex Rios doubled twice and drove in the game's only run as the Blue Jays shut out the Braves, 1-0. Jo-Jo Reyes allowed just one run in 7 innings for Atlanta.
- Oliver Perez gave the Mets a rare brilliant performance, allowing just one run on 3 hits in 7 innings of work, and Carlos Delgado hit another subway-series home run as the Mets defeated the Yankees, 3-1. Luis Castillo and Endy Chavez also had 3 hits apiece for the Mets.
- Shawn Riggans went 3-for-4 with a home run, and Andy Sonnanstine threw 7 strong innings to help the Rays get past the Pirates, 4-3. Willy Aybar reached base 3 times and homered for Tampa Bay.
- Kevin Slowey tossed a complete game 3-hit shutout, and Delmon Young hit a 2-run home run as the Twins blanked the Brewers, 5-0.
- Ichiro Suzuki went 5-for-5 and scored 2 runs, and Adrian Beltre had 2 hits, a home run, and 3 RBI as the Mariners sunk the Padres, 9-2. Erik Bedard gave Seattle 5 2/3 strong innings, allowing just 3 hits.
- John Lackey pitched 8 2/3 superb innings, allowing just 3 hits, and Mike Napoli knocked in the game's lone run with an RBI single as the Angels shut down the Dodgers offense once again, 1-0. Derek Lowe threw 7 strong innings for the Dodgers.
- Marcus Thames went 3-for-4, and Dane Sardinha stroked a 2-run triple to pick up his first major league hit as the Tigers edged the Rockies, 4-3.
- Hanley Ramirez reached base 3 times, doubled, and hit a game tying home run in the bottom of the 9th inning, and Jorge Cantu later singled in the winning run to complete the rally and give the Marlins a 4-3 victory over the Diamondbacks. Dan Haren did not allow an earned run in 7 innings for Arizona.
- Jason Bergmann gave up just one run in 7 innings, and Ronnie Belliard belted a 2-run home run in the bottom of the 12th inning as the Nationals rallied to walk-off with a 3-2 win over the Orioles. Jeremy Guthrie was excellent in his own right, allowing one run on 4 hits in 7 innings of work for Baltimore.
- Brian Moehler allowed one run in 5 2/3 innings, and Mark Loretta broke a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the 8th inning with an RBI single to propel the Astros to a 3-2 victory over the Red Sox. Boston's Josh Beckett was solid for 7 innings but didn't figure in the decision.
- Jason LaRue tripled, homered, and drove in 4 runs, and Albert Pujols added a double, a home run, and 2 RBI as the Cardinals upended the Royals, 9-6. Mark Grudzielanek went 4-for-5 with 2 doubles and 3 runs scored for Kansas City.
- Rich Aurilia went 3-for-5 with a home run and 5 RBI, and John Bowker added 3 hits, 3 runs, and 2 RBI to lead the Giants to an 11-1 triumph over the Athletics. Jonathan Sanchez gave up one run on 4 hits while striking out 6 in 7 innings for San Francisco.
- Ian Kinsler went 3-for-4 with a triple, Chris Davis hit his second home run in as many starts, and Eric Hurley allowed just one run over 5 2/3 innings as the Rangers downed the Phillies, 5-1.
- Carlos Quentin, Jim Thome, and Brian Anderson each hit home runs, and Mark Buehrle gave up just one unearned run in 7 innings to lead the White Sox to a 3-game sweep of the Cubs on Sunday, 5-1.

Sunday's Scoreboard

American League

National League

Final 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Cincinnati « 0 0 0 0 5 0 3 0 1 9 14 2 Cleveland 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 2 5 11 0 W:B.Arroyo(5-7) L:A.Laffey(4-5) HR: CIN- A.Dunn (20), E.Encarnacion (13) CLE- G.Sizemore (19), B.Francisco (6)   Final 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Colorado 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 8 0 Detroit « 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 X 4 13 1 W:K.Rogers(6-5) L:G.Reynolds(2-6) S:T.Jones (15) HR: COL- T.Tulowitzki (2) DET- None   Final 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Atlanta 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 Toronto « 0 0