European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 12, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                July stars and stripes Page s3 Al stars not buying this time it counts Jim Leyland finally got the draw on Tony la Russa when it or did it besides beating his National league counterpart 54 in tuesday nights Allstar game and secur ing Homefield advantage for whichever Al club reaches the world the de troit tigers manager piled up some Seri Ous style Points a Day earlier in route to an easier win in the fashion its hard to be sure which loss bothered la Russa on monday the cardinals manager showed up for an interview session Wear ing a casual shirt without a tie and was steamed to take a seat alongside his much More nastily attired in a Little la Russa with a nod toward we talked about coming to this and i asked him what to Wear and he its califor dont worry about a sport once the laughter died la Russa he got me ballplayers will compete at anything card Eye luxury autos sex the Allstar at least that Bud Zeligs the commissioner caught some heat for trying to prop up sagging to ratings by dragging a podium onto the Field in the mid Jim Litke die of the 2001 contest to hand lifetime achievement awards to departing stars Cal Ripken and Tony a year he was positively Fiam for halting a tied game in the Lith in Ning because there were no pitchers Selig answered his critics with this time it a neat but a Lousy con Vinced that bragging rights we rent motivation the commissioner decided after some Arm twisting from the know stalls at Fox to award the winning league Homefield advantage for the world the plan was to make the game feel less like an exhibition and More like a com petition to produce moments like Pete Rose steam rolling Catcher Ray Fosse at the plate to score the winning run in the 1970 what Selig forgot is that today Ballplay ers  risk knocking Over a wheaties Box let alone each other in a game that Doest count in the with teams and especially players agents charged with looking after their Multi Mil lion Dollar the Only collisions tuesday night were within an arms length of the clubhouse Buffet it should just be an event and not taken so Barry Bonds neither does Ripken nor Gwynn nor la Russa not a big thing with nor just about anybody else who was asked just be fore or during the Allstar i like Bud dont get me Yankee manager Joe who has called the shots in six Allstar told the san Francisco chronicle during a recent Stop in but in not sure any of the Al stars Are thinking about that when they go out and a Selig said during an after noon Chat session with its a great he replied to Jeff from and ill Tell you being a student of the commissioner said the 1993 game in which the Toronto manager Cito Gaston was roundly booed for not playing Pitcher Mike Mussina set an ugly then the managers started using every Selig they Felt they had to get everybody in the the game lost its there was a no body wanted to come and everybody had an excuse somebody needed to get a hair Cut or he needed to do that he didst want to now they want to because it Means that was the were not sure which game the commissioner was since this one ended with the nos Aaron Rowand flying out with the bases loaded while the cardinals Albert Pujols was still glued to the la his takes a backseat to no one in terms of either intensity of com which is apparent to anyone who saw him pull every managerial trick in the Book during a Battle with close buddy Leyland in last Falls world but he also knows that the results in the fall classics is even Between the leagues at two each since Zeligs directive took and he want about to risk his recovering who fought injuries during the first for a payoff his team might not be Able to if i want expecting to i  have come up an angry Pujols said after the replied la if he wants to get he can get whatever he wants to he can its that want the most important thing Jim Litke is a National sports columnist for the associated write to him at . No puzzled by als dominance in annual showcase by Josh Dubow the associated press san Francisco pitchers duels or blown leads or failed even that Infa Mous tie for some reason the National Allstar game notes league just cant seem to come up with an Allstar game win and the players Are struggling to come up with explanations follow ing a 54 loss to the american league on tuesday its a Little bit frustrating not to win one of these Chica go cubs first baseman Derrek Lee its almost what is 11 games now its we match i dont know what it auras european department celebrating 40 years of supporting americas soldiers and their families in come join the association of the army european department for its 50th anniversary july Patrick Henry Village Cost a Contact Albert lit  for tickets or its the Al Hast lost since a Streak that has included 10 wins and the 2002 tie in its the longest unbeaten Streak since the no won 11 straight from the Al has won All five Allstar games since Homefield advantage in the world series was on the including last years ninth inning comeback against Trevor Hoffman in Pitts you know a couple of swings the last couple of a couple of crazy bounces in the it Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Aaron Rowand Treyve got it rolling on their Side right now and weve got to upend theres a lot to it and then theres not a lot to at least one no player could take some pleasure in the losing Ken Griffey was on the Al Side for the first four games in this according to my calculations its Only been seven for he everybody wants to you look at the Effort the Guys put up in the ninth to Battle Back against two of the Best Stop pers in the league and take some it was pretty Short night no starter Jake Peavy knew he was Only going to pitch one inning so he want too upset when first baseman Prince fielder made an at least that meant he would get to stay in the game for a Little Peavy allowed a Lead off single to Ichiro Suzuki before getting Derek Jeter to ground into a Dou ble he looked As if he would get out of the inning quickly when David Ortiz hit a grounder to Sec Ond but fielder dropped Chase Utley throw and Peavy got Alex Rodriguez to ground out to end the was actually kind of glad there because i got to throw some More Peavy i was kind of Happy to throw a few More in who threw Only 16 pitches in the inning before being re placed by Brad admits he had a few regrets about one inning plan but figures it was for the when youre walking off the you i was just getting warmed up and Loose and com he i wish we  have had to make that decision for one inning but look ing Back on i think Well be glad going into the second half we didst stretch ourselves Penny started last years game and was in the running for this years he had an even Shorter night than pitching a 123 second it was he what did i seven pitches that made it even i didst have to work out there that Short hops Derek Jeter went lfor3 and his batting in 16 career Allstar tied with Moises Alou and Charlie Gehringer for the second highest Ever for players with at least 10 Richie Ashburn had a aver age Victor Martinez hit the 18th Pinch hit Homer in Allstar history in the eighth in Ning off Billy Hank Bla lock was the last to do it in Josh Beckett earned the win with two scoreless the first Boston Pitcher to do it since Pedro Martinez won at Fenway Park in cubs outfielder Alfonso Soriano homered in the ninth becoming the first player to Homer for three teams in the Allstar he previously homered for Texas and the Yan a sports writer Greg Beacham contributed to this