A huge loss in the world of baseball

I had a few things to post on today, but first off all I wanted to share my condolences to the Yankee fans/family on the passing of George Steinbrenner.

I’m not a Yankee fan (although, one of my all time favorite outfielders in Mickey Mantle) but I respected him as I’m sure many other non-Yankee fans do. It’s a huge loss to not just NY but to baseball fans all over. There will never be anyone quite like him.

A tweet from @adam_schefter said it perfectly: “RIP, George Steinbrenner. Bob Sheppard already is there to annouce your arrival.”

Pirates News:

• Yesterday the Pirates re-quired Brian Bixler from the Cleveland Indians for a player to be named later. He has been assigned to AAA Indy. (You know, the Pirates never seem to really suprise me anymore with certain trades and aquisitions but this one left me a little confused. Not very excited to see him back, but I’m sure there is a reason for it.)
• Tim Alderson was demoted from AA Altoona to High-A Bradenton. 

A Tweet from @RobBiertempfel: 

#Pirates farm dir says Alderson demotion is “big-picture move focused on his delivery and understanding of who he needs to be as pitcher.”

• More bad news regarding Tony Sanchez, he is out for the rest of the season. (Broken Jaw) He had hoped for a late August return. You can read more here.

As you know, tonight is the All-Star Game. I always look forward to watching it, and I’m excited to see Evan Meek represent the Pirates. Here are some links regarding his All-Star journey:

• Meek morphs into All-Star reliever – TribLive
• Meek reflective on All-Star Journey -Pirates.com
• All-Star Media Day -ByGoshitsLangosh

Tonight’s Starting Lineups for the All-Star Game:

AL:

Ichiro 9, Jeter 6, Cabrera 3, Hamilton 8, Guerrero DH, Longoria 5, Mauer 2, Cano 4, Crawford 7 - Starting Pitcher David Price 

NL:

 H. Ramirez 6, Prado 4, Pujols 3, Howard DH, Wright 5, Braun 7, Ethier 8, Hart 9, Molina 2 -Starting Pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez

Of course I’m rooting for my beloved National League. Could this be the year? We will soon find out.