Shanoff's Wake-Up Call: Rays All-Star Snub

Today's Calls: All-Stars vs. Non-Stars, Evan Longoria vs. David Wright, CC Sabathia vs. Cliff Lee, Jamie Burke vs. Randy Johnson, Rafael Nadal vs. Roger Federer, Elton Brand vs. Chris Duhon, Derrick Rose vs. Michael Beasley, Dara Torres vs. History and More!

The Opening Pitch: The Rays got totally screwed by this All-Star thing.

Let me get this straight: The team with the best record in baseball -- the surprise of the season, the construction job of the decade -- gets a measly 2 All-Stars?

Meanwhile, the team sitting behind them in the standings -- the AL East standings, no less, and coming off a 3-game sweep at the hands of this superior team -- gets SEVEN All-Stars?

Welcome to All-Star politics, Tampa Rays: Where your team may be MLB's best, but you can't compete with the Red Sox in either the All-Star fan balloting or the "inside baseball" picks for the reserves.

You would think in a season with a whopping 25 first-time All-Stars that a first-time contender like the Rays would be represented. Not quite: Scott Kazmir. Dioner Navarro. And that's it.

Friends, here's where you can help right this injustice:

Rays rookie Evan Longoria should be America's overwhelming pick as the AL's "Final Vote" winner -- he is the face of the Rays franchise. And they are the face of baseball this season.

(Longoria even made it easier, hitting his 16th HR on Sunday, leading the Rays to yet another win, their 55th of the season. Last year, they had 66 wins -- total.)

Vote Longoria. Vote Rays. Vote America.*

(* -- No, seriously, if you don't vote for Longoria, you basically are signaling that you not only hate baseball, but that you hate everything that makes America worth living in.)

Random All-Star Notes: Of the 25 1st-timers, Josh Hamilton has to be the most amazing, given his combination of stats and backstory -- and a starter, no less. ...

Interesting how you can rarely find a fan to confess to actually liking A-Rod, yet he is the overall All-Star vote leader. ...

The over-under on the number of All-Star games that NL rookie starting C Geovany Soto will start in his career should be at least 10. He is now in that "default vote-getter at his position" spot. ...

I thought Ryan Braun was in a voting battle with Kosuke Fukudome; it turned out that both players' final voting push edged out Ken Griffey, in the ultimate symbolism that the league is shifting to its new stars. ...

With Milton Bradley starting at DH for the injured David Ortiz, the "freak-out" factor will be higher than usual. ...

As for the NL Final Vote, I think David Wright is a lock; does it matter who I endorse?

MLB Instant History: CC Sabathia is the move of the midseason in the NL Central

It is a boost for a good-not-great Brewers starting staff that has been missing a fifth arm. For Sabathia, he could use a strong 2nd half after a so-so 1st half (6-8, 123 Ks in 122.1 IP), heading into free agency.

On the other hand, it feels like the Indians have officially checked out of 2008, one year after their scintillating ALCS run. With Sunday's loss, that's 8 straight, not to mention MLB's 5th-worst record.

(Cliff Lee getting the start for the AL in the All-Star Game is the All-Star equivalent of Andre Dawson's NL MVP award on the last-place Cubs.)

More from Sunday: Jamie Burke, a Mariners backup C, became only the 4th position player ever to earn a pitching decision since 1969 (unfortunately for Seattle, it was a L). ...

Ryan Braun gets the All-Star glory, but it's guys like JJ Hardy (2 HR, 3-4, 4 RBI) who have kept the Brewers in contention. ...

So I guess Brad Lidge WASN'T washed up (3Y/$37.5M extension from Philly). ...

Walk-Off Watch: Brett Gardner, filling in for Johnny Damon, joins the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry with a GW RBI single in the 10th.

A-Rod's wife Cynthia divorcing him today: And, yes, if you're wondering, she says it is because of his extra-marital affairs. The most intriguing thing about A-Rod's monster contract is now this: How much will Cynthia get?

(A-Rod, again unfazed by his domestic issues, hit HR No. 536 to tie Mickey Mantle for 13th all-time.)

Wimbledon: 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-7 (8), 9-7. The summary says it all: This was arguably the greatest tennis match of our generation.

By winning such an epic battle, Rafael Nadal is now able to lay claim to the title of world's best player.

But the way he did it -- beating Federer on grass in a tournament Roger has owned, in the most unbelievably memorable fashion -- exponentially increases his claim.

NBA Free Agency: Whither Elton Brand? (The Warriors want him -- who DON'T they want at this point? -- but it seems like the Clippers will retain him. GSW would be better off pursuing Josh Smith, whom the Sixers love, but the Hawks want to keep.)

Next time you want to rip Gilbert Arenas for his antics, please consider that he negotiated a $127M offer from the Wizards DOWN to $111M, so the team could bring in other pieces for a contender.

Not sure if Knicks fans figured Chris Duhon would be the key cog to the team's revitalization. (At least it's not Marbury.)

NBA Summer League: Rose vs. Beasley today in Orlando. Their teams are playing, but the players' minutes will be questionable -- Rose with a knee issue and Beasley with that freak sternum fracture from his first Heat practice. The latest word is that both will play today, making this THE must-track result of the Summer League season.

NFL: Most of you know I'm no Favre fan, but he could turn that around entirely by not just coming back (which would be trite and lame), but coming back and joining the Packers' arch-rivals in Chicago (which would be awesome in ways that cannot be properly described).

I'm not holding out, but I figure if he's coming back (which I think he is) and that the Packers can't exactly take him back (now that they've handed the keys to Rodgers), it is at least a possibility.

NASCAR: Kyle Busch remains unstoppable. His win Saturday at Daytona was his 6th of the season and his 11th Top 5 finish. You keep jeering; he'll keep winning.

NHL: Wrigley Field will host the 2009 Outdoor game -- annually, the most telegenic gimmick on the NHL schedule. Putting it at Wrigley is the best idea yet for this game.

The Last Word: Dara Torres has Athlete of the Year locked up. From qualifying for Beijing in the 100m free to setting TWO new American records in the 50 free, what the 41-year-old has done is nothing short of remarkable.

It would be like Michael Jordan coming out of retirement today -- and scoring 30 ppg. The next time you hear someone talking about Brett Favre's "comeback," recommend they tune into Torres a month from now, when her races will be the most-watched moments of the Games.

(Interestingly, she might drop out of the 100m to concentrate on the 50. Hey, at this point, she can do what she wants.)

Dan Shanoff writes The Wake-Up Call every weekday morning for SportingNews.com and blogs daily at DanShanoff.com. Got any comments, questions or feedback? Email Dan at shanofftsn-[at]-gmail-[dot]-com.

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