PLDT All-Star Basketball Challenge

On Wednesday night, legends from the NBA and the PBA will face each other on the court, thanks to the people behind the Mall of Asia Arena for the PLDT All-Star Basketball Challenge.

The NBA Legends, put together by the Professional Basketball Alumni Association and its head, former New York Knicks forward Charles Smith, is currently on their Asian tour. They previously were at Kuala Lumpur, where they won 96-81 against a reinforced ASEAN Basketball League side KL Westport Dragons. They will then proceed to Taiwan after making an appearance here in Manila. They have been in the region before, having conducted a similar tour in Macau last year.

With Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson as the head coach, the team is led by multi-titled Chicago Bulls forwards Scottie Pippen, Horace Grant and Dennis Rodman. Joining them are fellow NBA vets Mitch Richmond, Jason Williams, Clifford Robinson, Bryon Russell and Jeff Trepagnier. Completing the roster are Alexis Foyle, Chris Campbell and Charoy Bentley. Richmond, Grant and Rodman had been previous visitors to Manila.

As for their opponents, the PBA Legends will be handled by playing coach Jerry Codinera. He will have at his disposal his fellow legends who had recently graced the recent Jaworski retirement ceremony, Bal David, Noli Locsin, Vince Hizon, Marlou Aquino and EJ Feihl. Completing the team are Kenneth Duremdes, Jojo Lastimosa, Bong Hawkins and Nelson Asaytono.

If you miss out on seeing the game live, no worries. AkTV will be broadcasting this game on July 23 at 8pm.

Here is the press conference as hosted by Vince Golangco of Mellow 94.7 and When In Manila.

All-Star Rosters Revealed: Who wants homefield?

The rosters of the MLB All-Star Game at Kansas City have been revealed, so we know how the fans went out and voted. Of course, that includes yours truly.

The Starters (AL / NL):

Catcher - Mike Napoli / Buster Posey  
1st Baseman - Prince Fielder / Joey Votto
2nd Baseman - Robinson Cano / Dan Uggla
3rd Baseman - Adrian Beltre / Pablo Sandoval

Shortstop - Derek Jeter / Rafael Furcal
Outfielders - Josh Hamilton, Curtis Granderson and Jose Bautista / Melky Cabrera, Carlos Beltran and Matt Kemp
Designated Hitter - David Ortiz / no DH in NL

Pitchers and reserve players are selected by a combination of players, managers and coaches, with inputs from the All-Star Game managers in Ron Washington and Tony LaRussa in conjunction with MLB. Of course, all 30 teams have to be represented in this spectacle.

Here are the pitchers:

AL: Ryan Cook, Matt Harrison, Felix Hernandez, Jim Johnson, Joe Nathan, Chris Perez, David Price, Fernando Rodney, CC Sabbathia, Chris Sale, Justin Verlander, Jered Weaver, C.J. Wilson

NL: Matt Cain, Aroldis Chapman, R.A. Dickey, Gio Gonzalez, Cole Hamels, Joel Hanrahan, Clayton Kershaw, Craig Kimbrel, Lance Lynn, Wade Miley, Jonathan Papelbon, Stephen Strasburg, Huston Street

And the reserves:

AL: Joe Mauer, Matt Wieters, Elvis Andrus, Asdrubal Cabrera, Miguel Cabrera, Ian Kinsler, Paul Konerko, Adam Jones, Mike Trout, Mark Trumbo, Billy Butler, Adam Dunn

NL: Yadier Molina, Carlos Ruiz, Bryan LaHair, Jose Altuve, Starlin Castro, Ian Desmond, David Wright, Ryan Braun, Jay Bruce, Carlos Gonzalez, Andrew McCutchen, Giancarlo Stanton

Of course, lineups are fluid, due to injuries and those weird rules involving pitchers.

Lastly, the Final Vote. The mad dash as to who will complete the roster. An AL pitcher and a NL position player will make the team, thanks to the voting masses.

The AL pitcher will be between Jonathan Broxton, Yu Darvish, Ernesto Frieri, Jason Hammel and Jake Peavy, while the NL position player will be involving Michael Bourn, David Freese, Bryce Harper, Aaron Hill and Chipper Jones. Already, one player on the ballot has said to be voting for another.

Now that you know the teams, feel free to complain on it below.

My 2012 MLB All-Star Ballot

Today serves as the last day of voting online for the 2012 MLB All-Star Game. As sometimes with what I do, I cast in and publicize my ballot. Here are the ones I voted.

AL

1st Base - Paul Konerko
2nd Base - Robinson Cano
3rd Base - Miguel Cabrera
Shortstop - Derek Jeter
Catcher - Mike Napoli
Designated Hitter - Edwin Encarnacion
Outfielders - Jose Bautista, Josh Hamilton, Adam Jones


NL

1st Base - Joey Votto
2nd Base - Jose Altuve
3rd Base - David Wright
Shortstop - Rafael Furcal
Catcher - Yadier Molina
Outfielders - Andrew McCutchen, Matt Holliday, Ryan Braun

They also have a write-in system, but you put a name there and you will slot someone out from the position you voted. If not for that aspect, would have gone for David Ortiz (AL) and Bryce Harper (NL).

Remember that the winner here gets to secure homefield advantage in the World Series, arguably one of the most preposterous things I have heard.

Blog Outsourcing - February 20, 2012 edition

Hello Everyone!

You're probably wondering where the heck has been the basketball stuff I have been doing. Well, I have been a little busy with the other sport of devotion as of late, and I have been remiss on the duty, so here. I will break down the All-Star Friday and Saturday for you. The All-Star Game itself will have something on its own at a later time.

BBVA Rising Stars Challenge - Novel idea to have "captains" (in this case being Shaq and Sir Charles) make their selections, which were based from players voted in by the NBA assistant coaches, and of course, an assist from "Commissioner" Kenny Smith (for Lin and Cole).

Team Shaq has Blake Griffin, Jeremy Lin, Ricky Rubio, Markieff Morris, Kemba Walker, Landry Fields, Norris Cole, Brandon Knight, Tristan Thompson and Greg Monroe. They will have Ron Adams of Chicago as their head coach, with TNT's Steve Kerr as an assistant.

Team Chuck has Kyrie Irving, DeMarcus Cousins, Derrick Williams, Paul George, Marshon Brooks, John Wall, Tiago Splitter, Evan Turner, Gordon Hayward and Kawhi Leonard. They will have Maurice Cheeks of Oklahoma City as their head coach, with TNT's Mike Fratello as an assistant.

With this, it may replace the Dunk Contest as the biggest highlight of the weekend other than the All-Star Game.

Sprint Celebrity Challenge - Dwight and KD will be the head coaches, but the interesting idea of Jersey Shore's Vinny lobbying to make this roster paid off.

Haier Shooting Stars - Team Atlanta aims to defend their title with Joe Johnson and Lindsey Harding as the new wingmen to holdover Steve Smith. Team Texas also has a holdover in Kenny Smith, but will be joined by Sophia Young and Gator alumnus Chandler Parsons. Team New York will have Landry Fields, Cappie Pondexter and Allan Houston; while Team Orlando will have Jameer Nelson, Marie-Ferdinand Harris (who is a Florida native) and Dennis Scott to try to win it for the home fans.

Taco Bell Skills Challenge - No official list yet, but if healthy, Stephen Curry should be defending the title against a gaggle of fellow youngsters with the depth at the position available. Ricky Rubio should be in this competition, as well as Kyrie Irving. If the NBA wants to squeeze as much out of Jeremy Lin, he would be in this competition, too.

Foot Locker Three-Point Shootout - James Jones returns to defend his title against five other noted shooters in Kevin Love, Ryan Anderson, Joe Johnson, his own teammate in Mario Chalmers, and Anthony Morrow. The Net is already currying favors in paying homage to late great Drazen Petrovic in this competition.

Sprite Slam Dunk Contest - No Blake Griffin repeat, but hopefully Chase Budinger, Iman Shumpert, Paul George and Derrick Williams has the opportunity to entertain the fan base with three dunks. No judges on court, as it will be done via texts and tweets, opening it to the power of the people. It is of course assumed that Iman will figure a way to incorporate Jeremy Lin into the equation.

Here forth are the links after the jump to welcome the morning for you.

Blog Outsourcing - 2/21 edition

Welcome to today's edition of The Victory Formation.

The previous weekend has been dubbed as the welcome to the Blake Griffin Experience. He played in the Rookie-Sophomore Game, with his team winning and John Wall being named as the MVP. We all know the Dunk Contest. And of course, he is the first rookie after Tim Duncan to be selected by the reserves. Naturally, being a first-timer, he got limited minutes.

So, let me use this to give my own personal viewpoint and assessment of the past few days:

TWTWTNBA: Finalizing the Western Conference All-Stars

Other than Tracy Morgan's moment (and TNT's subsequent apology), the highlight of last week's pregame was the naming of the All-Stars Starters (which are voted on by the fans) for both conferences.

The Coaches will dictate who will comprise the reserves. Each coach, however, cannot vote for his own players. Now each coach can be creative in designating positions, because there is a need to have at least one "Center" on the roster.

TWTWTNBA: Finalizing the Eastern Conference All-Stars

Other than Tracy Morgan's moment (and TNT's subsequent apology), the highlight of last week's pregame was the naming of the All-Stars Starters (which are voted on by the fans) for both conferences.


The Coaches will dictate who will comprise the reserves. Each coach, however, cannot vote for his own players. Now each coach can be creative in designating positions, because there is a need to have at least one "Center" on the roster.

TWTWTNBA: The Pacific Division All-Star Roster Pool

All-Star Voting for the Starters ended on Sunday, with the final ballot numbers to be released on Thursday in TNT at Madison Square Garden (Friday for those in the Motherland). Heat vs Knicks being the reason why Ernie and his crew will be in Broadway instead of their cushy Atlanta studios. A week after that, the All-Star Reserves are to be named.

Now, if the Pacific Division were to set up an All-Star team of their own, this would be their logical pool of candidates:

Golden State Warriors - Monta Ellis, Stephen Curry, David Lee, Dorell Wright

Los Angeles Clippers - Eric Gordon, Blake Griffin, Baron Davis

Los Angeles Lakers - Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom

Phoenix Suns -  Steve Nash, Grant Hill, Vince Carter

Sacramento Kings - Tyreke Evans, DeMarcus Cousins

Based from this, I believe this would be their roster composition.

Coach: Phil Jackson - He has 11 rings as a coach and 2 as a player. That's all.

Starters:

Guard: Steve Nash - The two-time MVP is the only reason why Phoenix is relevant.


Guard: Kobe Bryant - The Black Mamba recently celebrated the 5th anniversary of 81.

Forward: Lamar Odom - Khloe's husband was definitely rejuvenated by playing for Team USA. His role there also helped him with his role in LA. He's in near double-double territory.


Forward: Blake Griffin - He's just simply the gift that keeps on giving. There's already Clipper merchandise available dubbing him as "The Poster Child."


Center: Pau Gasol - He is the early season MVP for the defending champs, with Kobe having a slow start.


Reserves:

Guard: Monta Ellis - He's ballin' at a ridiculous level. Apparently, only a moped can derail him.


Center: David Lee - He's an offensive upgrade compared to what they had previously. Plus, the Warriors went in the tank when he was sidelined.

Guard: Tyreke Evans - Plagued with plantar fasciatis, he's still producing numbers harkening to his 20-5-5 ROY.

Guard: Stephen Curry - Hard to argue with the numbers. He really can shoot the lights out.


Forward: Dorell Wright - Golden State needed a small forward. He needed to prove himself. Perfect match.

Guard: Baron Davis - He definitely needs to thank Blake Griffin for re-energizing him as well as figuring out his new role as a distributor first and scorer second. (Update: This was supposed to be Eric Gordon, but he's injured)

Forward: Grant Hill - I will take him over Vince Carter. The wonders of the Phoenix Suns Medical Staff at work.


Inactive Roster:

Guard: Eric Gordon - Beneath all the flash of Blake Griffin is a smooth suave killer instinct Ambrose provides for Clipper Nation. He's now ready to take over games. (Update: He's out until the All-Star break, so I moved him here.)

Guard: Vince Carter - I just don't know how he can be revived. What started out with a bang will end on a whimper.


Center: DeMarcus Cousins - If only he can get his head screwed on straight. Definitely needs mentoring from someone with similar attributes: Zach Randolph

TWTWTNBA: The Southwest Division All-Star Roster Pool

All-Star Voting for the Starters ended on Sunday, with the final ballot numbers to be released on Thursday in TNT at Madison Square Garden (Friday for those in the Motherland). Heat vs Knicks being the reason why Ernie and his crew will be in Broadway instead of their cushy Atlanta studios. A week after that, the All-Star Reserves are to be named.

Now, if the Southwest Division were to set up an All-Star team of their own, this would be their logical pool of candidates:

Dallas Mavericks - Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, Dirk Nowitzki, Caron Butler

Houston Rockets - Kevin Martin, Luis Scola

Memphis Grizzlies - Rudy Gay, Zach Randolph, Marc Gasol

New Orleans Hornets - Chris Paul, David West, Emeka Okafor

San Antonio Spurs - Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Tim Duncan


Based from this, I believe this would be their roster composition.

Coach: Gregg Popovich - Pop reinvented how the Spurs roll this season unlike before, now using its speed.

Starters:

Guard: Chris Paul - Arguably the best amongst all the point guards out there, although there are still concerns regarding that huge knee brace that he has on.

Guard: Manu Ginobili - With Duncan slowing down / aging gracefully, this is now Manu's team.

Forward: Rudy Gay - Has taken the next step. He's Memphis' go to guy in the clutch. Could have had the Game-Winner-Of-The-Year if not for the Tyreke heave.

Forward: Dirk Nowitzki - We credit him for the great start Dallas had this season. Also the reason why the Mavs have slumped as of late, due to his injury.

Center: Zach Randolph - He's averaging 20-10 again, proving the previous season was not exactly a fluke.


Reserves:

Guard: Tony Parker - Free from Eva's grasp, he's the straw that stirs the uptempo Spurs.

Guard: Kevin Martin - The perennially underrated small-school standout is probably one of the most efficient players in the NBA. Might be the personification of what Daryl Morey wants in his version of Moneyball.

Forward: Luis Scola - He's Mr. Do It All for Houston. No Yao, he took on his load and then some.

Center: Marc Gasol - Surely, the Pau Gasol deal giveaway killed Chris Wallace's reputation, but the Wendigo has proven to be a positive for the Grizzlies

Forward: Tim Duncan - Slowly descending into the graceful exit mode that David Robinson took in the latter stages of his career.

Forward: David West - Can't let a fellow Jesuit alum down. (He's from Xavier). Has the numbers to back it up, too.

Guard: Jason Kidd - Because he might be one ahead of his time back in the day, with all the quality point men prevalent in the Association right now. It's hard to imagine an All-Star game without J-Kidd's flashiness. (although that time is coming soon)


Inactive Roster:

Center: Emeka Okafor -  Arguably one of the best Centers on the Western Conference ballot.

Guard: Caron Butler - Was on his way to possibly his last big payday before he innocently got injured to (in all likelihood) end his season.

Guard: Jason Terry - The former Sixth Man of the Year winner has ably stepped up in both Dirk and Caron's absence.

TWTWTNBA: The Northwest Division All-Star Roster Pool

 
All-Star Voting for the Starters ended on Sunday, with the final ballot numbers to be released on Thursday in TNT at Madison Square Garden (Friday for those in the Motherland). Heat vs Knicks being the reason why Ernie and his crew will be in Broadway instead of their cushy Atlanta studios. A week after that, the All-Star Reserves are to be named.

Now, if the Northwest Division were to set up an All-Star team of their own, this would be their logical pool of candidates:

Denver Nuggets - Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Nene

Minnesota Timberwolves - Kevin Love, Michael Beasley

Oklahoma City Thunder - Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Jeff Green, Serge Ibaka


Portland Trailblazers -  LaMarcus Aldridge,Wesley Matthews, Andre Miller, Brandon Roy

Utah Jazz - Deron Williams, Paul Millsap, Al Jefferson

Based from this, I believe this would be their roster composition.

Coach: Jerry Sloan - The taskmaster has a good knack coming from behind.

Starters:

Guard: Deron Williams - The new age John Stockon for the Jazz. The new rules are tailored for him to take over.

Guard: Russell Westbrook - He has The Sports Guy using references from The Wire comparing his situation with Kevin Durant. Also a Most Improved Player candidate.

Forward: Kevin Durant - NBA's leading scorer. All around good guy. The future has definitely arrived.

Forward: Carmelo Anthony - Currently the center of attention. His move to New York seems inevitable.

Center: LaMarcus Aldridge - With Brandon Roy out, he's emerged as the go-to-guy for Nate McMillan.

Reserves:

Forward: Paul Millsap - Quite simply the most egregious omission on the All-Star Ballot this year.

Forward: Kevin Love - Only Minnesota's miserable record is keeping him from being universally considered as an All-Star.

Guard: Chauncey Billups - With all the unsteadiness of the Carmelo situation, the veteran has somewhat stabled the ship

Center: Nene - Can make the argument for being the best performing center on the Western Conference All-Star Ballot.

Guard: Andre Miller - Without Brandon Roy, he gets to run the team his way, instead of having the usual clashes he has when both of them are on the court.

Guard: Wesley Matthews - He definitely is the main beneficiary of Brandon Roy's absence. He's definitely earning his pay.

Forward: Michael Beasley - Being transplanted from the hotbed of Miami to the frozen tundra of Minneapolis sure helped him, although there are still signs of immaturity still lurking (getting ejected in their loss against the Clippers). David Kahn snagged him cheap.


Inactive Roster:

Guard: Brandon Roy - Please do not rush your comeback. Please do not rush your comeback.

Center: Al Jefferson - Stepped up nicely with Memo being sidelined.

Forward: Jeff Green -  He's the third wheel in Oklahoma City.

TWTWTNBA: The Southeast Division All-Star Roster Pool

All-Star Voting for the Starters ended on Sunday, with the final ballot numbers to be released on Thursday in TNT at Madison Square Garden (Friday for those in the Motherland). Heat vs Knicks being the reason why Ernie and his crew will be in Broadway instead of their cushy Atlanta studios. A week after that, the All-Star Reserves are to be named.

Now, if the Southeast Division were to set up an All-Star team of their own, this would be their logical pool of candidates:

Atlanta Hawks - Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Al Horford, Jamal Crawford

Charlotte Bobcats - Gerald Wallace, Stephen Jackson, DJ Augustine

Miami Heat - Dwayne Wade, Lebron James, Chris Bosh

Orlando Magic -  Dwight Howard, Jameer Nelson, Jason Richardson, Hidayet Turkoglu

Washington Wizards - John Wall

Based from this, I believe this would be their roster composition.

Coach: Erik Spoelstra - They're leading the division right now. Plus, does not hurt to have someone with the same heritage. (Yup, his roots trace back to the Motherland).

Starters:

Guard: Dwayne Wade - He's still the King in South Beach.

Guard: Joe Johnson - Still overpaid, but Atlanta would beg to differ with you and say he's worth every penny.

Forward: Lebron James - He took his talents to South Beach and apparently took every offensive tool of Cleveland with him.

Forward: Josh Smith - Quite simply, J-Smooth is the main attraction of the Highlight Factory.

Center: Dwight Howard - In all likelihood will be winning Defensive Player of the Year trophies for a while. The fruits of working out with Patrick Ewing and Hakeem Olajuwon are showing. Plus, he's taking a more leadership role with the team. However, he's still going to be a kid at heart.

Reserves:

Forward: Gerald Wallace - Plays hard. Is all out, that's why he's called Crash. He needs to be rescued off Charlotte and be placed with a contender (this screams Mark Cuban) or a team with a gaping hole at one of the forward spots (like my Clippers or Oklahoma City).

Forward: Chris Bosh - He's the anti-Gerald Wallace. In spite of all his talents, he'd still rather chill than hustle.

Guard: Jamal Crawford - The defending 6th Man of the Year shows why he needs to get paid.

Center: Al Horford - I still believe that even with the hype all around Joakim Noah (and I like Noah), he's the best piece on the Florida 04's.

Forward: Hidayet Turkoglu - Back where he belongs. Reminds us that sometimes, we should not allow the wives to make the decisions for you all the time. (Hope LaLa gets that message.)

Guard: John Wall - The Future in Washington lies with him.

Guard: Stephen Jackson - Better numbers compared to his former Golden State teammate.

Inactive Roster:
Guard: Jason Richardson - The final spot was either he or Stephen Jackson. I just decided to take Captain Jack instead.

Guard: DJ Augustine - Definitely thriving in the uptempo-friendly post-Larry Brown era.


Guard: Jameer Nelson - Role has now been reduced a little bit with Hedo being back as the point forward.

TWTWTNBA: The Atlantic Division All-Star Roster Pool

All-Star Voting for the Starters ended on Sunday, with the final ballot numbers to be released on Thursday in TNT at Madison Square Garden (Friday for those in the Motherland). Heat vs Knicks being the reason why Ernie and his crew will be in Broadway instead of their cushy Atlanta studios. A week after that, the All-Star Reserves are to be named.

Now, if the Atlantic Division were to set up an All-Star team of their own, this would be their logical pool of candidates:

Boston Celtics - Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett

New Jersey Nets - Devin Harris, Brook Lopez

New York Knicks - Raymond Felton, Wilson Chandler, Amar'e Stoudemire, Danilo Gallinari

Philadelphia 76rs - Andre Iguodala, Elton Brand, Jrue Holiday

Toronto Raptors - Jose Calderon, Andrea Bargnani, DeMar DeRozan

Based from this, I believe this would be their roster composition.

Coach: Doc Rivers - All about Ubuntu.

Starters:

Guard: Rajon Rondo - The guy can serve it up to anyone, anywhere.

Guard: Ray Allen - As what Bill Simmons has been pointing out, he's turned into Reggie Miller 2.0

Forward: Paul Pierce - He has said he's the best player in the world. And he has his followers (you know who you are) who will back up that statement.

Forward: Kevin Garnett - Face it, Boston's title chances lie in with his health.

Center: Amar'e Stoudemire - MVP Candidate. The Spotlight is on him in Broadway, and has met the challenge of bringing the Knicks back to respectability.

Reserves:

Guard: Raymond Felton - Has become adept in running the SSOL. He is definitely not Steve Nash, but he has definitely arrived as a playmaker.

Guard: Devin Harris - Now free from the burden of the Melo-drama (thanks to Mutant Russian billionaire owner), he can do what he always does, score and handle the ball.

Center: Andrea Bargnani - Toronto's best offensive weapon

Forward: Wilson Chandler - Dutifully handling what the Matrix's role was in the SSOL in Phoenix, albeit at a smaller extent, numbers-wise. (Shawn Marion was fantasy gold in the heyday of the SSOL in the middle 00's)

Guard: DeMar DeRozan - Definite candidate for the Most Improved Player race. Solid #2 option for what was supposed to be a moribund Raptors franchise (and probably still would be if not for the state of the Cavs and the Wizards).

Center: Brook Lopez - One of the better young bigs in the league. If he can raise his disappointing rebounding numbers, he'll be taken a little more seriously than what he is right now.

Guard: Jrue Holiday - I thought that he showed the most marked improvement in Philly.

Inactive Roster:

Forward: Andre Iguodala - The most talented player on the Philly roster. He's my biggest omission to this squad.

Guard: Jose Calderon - Had to leave him off because of the PG's ahead of him.

Forward: Elton Brand - He'll probably never ever live up to the contract the Sixers gave him, but definitely a bounce-back season for him.

Blog Outsourcing 2/15

Well, welcome to the post-Valentine edition of TMA. Also known as the post-All Star Weekend. About time to do an All-Star Weekend assessment.

Well, the game was what you can say was much better than the Saturday Night.

Saturday was pretty much, blah. The dunk contest is an absolute disappointment. The three-point shootout was a surprise. Skills is what it was and H.O.R.S.E. was going to be good, but the provider at home decided to cut it short due to scheduled programming.

Good thing, the game made up for it. Especially the halftime portion.

Time for the links:

Your game recap.

Let's see what the Cowboys could do to top this.

Update with the trade.

You know one thing needed to happen for the floodgates to possibly open. Well, with Caron moving, it has started.

According to John, Paul Pierce is the greatest thing since sliced bread.

He still won, but with a so-so performance.

Future is now for him. He rules H.O.R.S.E.

One month before the Event. Another good Filipino makes his move.

Jamie McMurray fans can celebrate.

Cycledan would be disappointed with this news.

Looks good for Vonn.

Video Daily Double (the halftime edition):

One-half of the NBA halftime:

And this is the other half:

Updates on the All-Star rosters

Brandon Inge and Shane Victorino win the Final vote.

Jason Werth replaces Carlos Beltran.
Nelson Cruz replaces Torii Hunter.
Trevor Hoffman replaces Jonathan Broxton.
Carlos Pena replaces Dustin Pedroia.
Zach Duke replaces Matt Cain.

Home Run Derby participants:

NL: Albert Pujols, Ryan Howard, Adrian Gonzalez, Prince Fielder
AL: Brandon Inge, Carlos Pena, Joe Mauer, Nelson Cruz

I still think the AL will win this and an NL will win the derby. However, the derby seems to produce an unlikely winner all the time.

2009 MLB All-Star Roster named.

Here are the recently announced players for the 2009 MLB All-Star Game in St. Louis

National League

STARTERS (as voted by the fans)

POS PLAYER TEAM ALL-STAR APPEARANCES
C Yadier Molina St. Louis 1
1B Albert Pujols St. Louis 8
2B Chase Utley Philadelphia 4
3B David Wright NY Mets 4
SS Hanley Ramirez Florida 2
OF Ryan Braun Milwaukee 2
OF Raul Ibanez Philadelphia 1
OF Carlos Beltran NY Mets 5

RESERVES
POS PLAYER TEAM ALL-STAR APPEARANCES
C Brian McCann Atlanta 4
1B Prince Fielder Milwaukee 2
1B Adrian Gonzalez San Diego 2
1B Ryan Howard Philadelphia 2
2B Orlando Hudson LA Dodgers 2
2B Freddy Sanchez Pittsburgh 3
SS Miguel Tejada Houston 6
3B Ryan Zimmerman Washington 1
OF Brad Hawpe Colorado 1
OF Hunter Pence Houston 1
OF Justin Upton Arizona 1

PITCHERS
POS PLAYER TEAM ALL-STAR APPEARANCES
RHP Heath Bell San Diego 1
RHP Chad Billingsley LA Dodgers 1
RHP Jonathan Broxton LA Dodgers 1
RHP Matt Cain San Francisco 1
RHP Francisco Cordero Cincinnati 3
RHP Ryan Franklin St. Louis 1
RHP Dan Haren Arizona 1
RHP Josh Johnson Florida 1
LHP Ted Lilly Chicago 2
RHP Tim Lincecum San Francisco 2
RHP Jason Marquis Colorado 2
RHP Francisco Rodriguez NY Mets 4
LHP Johan Santana NY Mets 4

American League

STARTERS (as voted by the fans)
POS PLAYER TEAM ALL-STAR APPEARANCES
C Joe Mauer Minnesota 3
1B Mark Teixeira NY Yankees 2
2B Dustin Pedroia Boston 2
3B Evan Longoria Tampa Bay 2
SS Derek Jeter NY Yankees 10
OF Jason Bay Boston 3
OF Ichiro Suzuki Seattle 9
OF Josh Hamilton Texas 2

RESERVES
POS PLAYER TEAM ALL-STAR APPEARANCES
C Victor Martinez Cleveland 3
1B Justin Morneau Minnesota 3
1B Kevin Youkilis Boston 2
2B Aaron Hill Toronto 1
SS Jason Bartlett Tampa Bay 1
3B Michael Young Texas 6
OF Carl Crawford Tampa Bay 3
OF Curtis Granderson Detroit 1
OF Torii Hunter LA Angels 3
OF Adam Jones Baltimore 1
OF/IF Ben Zobrist Tampa Bay 1

PITCHERS
POS PLAYER TEAM ALL-STAR APPEARANCES
RHP Andrew Bailey Oakland 1
RHP Josh Beckett Boston 2
LHP Mark Buehrle Chicago 4
RHP Zack Greinke Kansas City 1
LHP Brian Fuentes LA Angels 4
RHP Roy Halladay Toronto 6
RHP Felix Hernandez Seattle 1
RHP Edwin Jackson Detroit 1
RHP Joe Nathan Minnesota 4
RHP Jonathan Papelbon Boston 4
RHP Mariano Rivera NY Yankees 10
RHP Justin Verlander Detroit 2
RHP Tim Wakefield Boston 1

MLB.com is allowing the fans to vote here to see who gets the final spot.

NL:
Cristian Guzman (Washington)
Matt Kemp (Los Angeles)
Mark Reynolds (Arizona)
Pablo Sandoval (San Francisco)
Shane Victorino (Philadelphia)

AL:
Chone Figgins (Los Angeles)
Brandon Inge (Detroit)
Ian Kinsler (Texas)
Adam Lind (Toronto)
Carlos Pena (Tampa Bay)