Picking All-Star teams is serious business - Baseball

This time it counts. Excuse me, THIS TIME IT COUNTS. How do I know? Fox tells me so. And Fox is in charge of Major League Baseball plot development, at least as far as the All-Star Game is concerned.

With home-field advantage in the World Series at stake, I've selected 32 All-Stars for the American and National leagues, forming the most competitive rosters possible while adhering to the rule that each team must be represented.

Never mind that the rule is outdated in a game suddenly invested with meaning; barely deserving players such as the Tigers' Dmitri Young will stay pinned to the bench unless the game--ahem--goes extra innings.

I've done my part (bold type denotes my starters). The managers--heh, heh--can take it from here. Not that the A.L.'s Mike Scioscia should be nervous or anything, but George Steinbrenner will be watching his every move.

American League

Infielders Carlos Delgado and either Mike Sweeney or Jason Giambi, first base Bret Boone, Alfonso Soriano, second base Nomar Garciaparra, Melvin Mora, Alex Rodriguez, shortstop; Hank Blalock, Core Koskie, third base.

Glaring omissions: Eric Chavez, Troy Glaus, Derek Jeter, Miguel Tejada, Frank Thomas.

Jeter is tempting because of his big-game history, but he no longer is in the class of Garciaparra and Rodriguez. Tejada revived too late to justify inclusion, as did Giambi, who would make my team only if Sweeney still were out with nerve irritation in his neck. Mora is the type of versatile player who will prove especially valuable when the game is played in an N.L. park next season.

Outfielders and DHs Manny Ramirez, Garret Anderson, Dmitri Young, left field; Vernon Wells, Milton Bradley and either Rocco Baldelli or Carlos Beltran, center field; Ichiro Suzuki and either Magglio Ordonez or Aubrey Huff, right field; Edgar Martinez, DH.

Glaring omissions: Eric Byrnes, Torii Hunter, Rafael Palmeiro.

If Sweeney can't play, Beltran would become my Royals representative and Huff would replace Baldelli as my lone Devil Ray, costing Ordonez his spot. Byrnes is the A's first-half MVP, but Bradley is the most qualified Indian. Hunter's offensive numbers aren't good enough. I'd love to include Palmeiro's lefthanded bat but can't justify three Rangers

Catchers Jorge Posada, Jason Varitek.

Glaring omissions: Ramon Hernandez, Bengie Molina, A.J. Pierzynski.

Molina is the best thrower, but Varitek's bat rates him an edge.

Pitchers Mark Mulder, Roger Clemens, Brendan Donnelly, Keith Foulke, Roy Halladay, Esteban Loaiza, Pedro Martinez, Jamie Moyer, Mike Mussina, Mariano Rivera, Arthur Rhodes, Barry Zito.

Glaring omissions: Eddie Guardado, Shigetoshi Hasegawa, Tim Hudson, Gil Meche, Sidney Ponson, David Wells.

Sorry, I can't start Loaiza in a game of this significance. I want Mulder, a lefthander, facing Barry Bonds in the first inning, Martinez available for the biggest out in the middle innings and relievers who are equally effective against lefties and righties to neutralize matchup advantages.

Managed properly, the game will take approximately six hours. That will give Fox plenty of time to promote its new baseball-flavored reality series, Surreal World, in which contestants try to survive life with the Expos.

National League

Infielders Todd Helton, Ryan Klesko, Richie Sexson, first base; Jose Vidro and either Jeff Kent or Marcus Giles, second base; Edgar Renteria, Rafael Furcal, shortstop; Mike Lowell, Scott Rolen, third base.

Glaring omissions: Alex Gonzalez (Marlins), Jim Thome.

The elite A.L shortstops are more heralded than their N.L. counterparts, but Gonzalez's OPS is comparable to A-Rod's, and he's not even on my team. Renteria is the best all-around shortstop, and Furcal the most qualified leadoff hitter. Giles leads the fan voting, but on my team he'd be an injury replacement for Kent.

Outfielders and DHs Barry Bonds, Brian Giles, Luis Gonzalez, left field; Jim Edmonds, Preston Wilson, center field; Gary Sheffield, Austin Kearns, Sammy Sosa, right field; Albert Pujols, DH.

Glaring omissions: Adam Dunn, Richard Hidalgo, Andruw Jones, Chipper Jones, Larry Walker, Brad Wilkerson.

Squeezing Sosa onto the roster--a must with his bat starting to revive and the game being played in Chicago--forces me to remove Andruw Jones.

Kearns isn't as deserving as Hidalgo or Walker, but he's my only Red; Dunn is batting in the low .200s. Pujols, unable to throw with maximum effort due to an elbow injury, is the obvious DH.

Catchers Javy Lopez, Paul Lo Duca.

Glaring omissions: Mike Lieberthal, Ivan Rodriguez.

Lo Duca is the best offensive player for a contending Dodgers club.

Pitchers Kevin Brown, Shawn Chacon, Eric Gagne, Mark Prior Jason Schmidt, Jae Seo, John Smoltz, Billy Wagner, Woody Williams, Dontrelle Willis, Randy Wolf, Kerry Wood.

Glaring omissions: Rocky Biddle, Hideo Nomo, Kirk Rueter, Carlos Zambrano.

Even without Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling, who are injured, it's difficult to imagine the A.L beating this staff, particularly if the A.L. fails behind after six innings. Three electric closers--Wagner, Smoltz and Gagne--could pitch the seventh, eighth and ninth.

The staff includes two rookies--Seo, the only deserving Met, and Willis, the. Marlins phenom. Willis, in particular, offers the element of surprise; the A's and Devil Rays are the only A.L. teams that have seen his funky lefthanded delivery, That's why I chose him over Nomo, who is more than worthy.

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Javy Lopez still gets benched when Maddux pitches. Why? Sean Wisniewski, Tokyo

M@IL BONDING KEN ROSENTHAL ANSWERS YOUR QUESTIONS

Javy Lopez still gets benched when Greg Maddux pitches. Why?

Sean Wisniewski, Tokyo

Sean: Maddux believes Lopez's catching is inadequate. Part of his dissatisfaction apparently stems from the way Lopez frames pitches. Lopez catches the ball close to his body instead of grabbing it sooner and giving Maddux a better chance for a called strike. Another issue is game-calling. A catcher must be cerebral to think along with Maddux, and Maddux evidently believes Lopez lacks such instincts.

The Braves had a 3.33 ERA in 815 1/3 innings with Lopez last season and a 2.94 ERA in 594 2/3 innings with backup Henry Blanco. This season, the numbers are reversed--at the start of the week, the team ERA with Lopez was 3.82 in 450i innings; with Blanco, it was 4.75 in 214 innings. The difference is partly attributable to the nearly 2-run rise in Maddux's ERA.

The issue will become even more touchy if the Braves need Lopez's resurgent bat when Maddux pitches in critical late-season games. Maddux began the week with the worst run support in the National League. The Braves should no longer allow him a personal catcher.

INSIDE DISH

The Blue Jays are under budget, enabling them to assume some or all of the prorated portion of LF Shannon Stewart's $6.2 million salary in a potential deal for a starting pitcher. Stewart, a skilled lead-off hitter, would be a good fit for the A's, Royals, Dodgers or Diamondbacks, though Luis plays left field for Arizona and Stewart's arm is weak for a right fielder. Then again, Diamondbacks right fielders rank last in the N.L. in on-base/slugging percentage (OPS).... A scout who recently observed RHP Ugueth Urbina says the Rangers' closer looks "real tired." The Red Sox have shown interest in Urbina and other relievers, but they ultimately could benefit more from adding a starter and moving RHP Byung-Hyun Kim to the bullpen. RHP Brandon Lyon is a keeper, and RHP Child Fox and LHP Casey Fossum could bolster the 'pen when they return from injuries.... The Mariners still look like the best team in the A.L., but a scout raises two valid concerns: 1) RHP Jeff Nelson, who is closing in place of injured RHP Kaz Sasaki, lacks an out pitch against lefthanded hitters, increasing the team's need for another reliever; 2) The offense is short at least one power bat and could benefit from an upgrade from Randy Winn in left field. Mariners left fielders are last in the A.L. in OPS, with Winn receiving the bulk of the playing time.... The Royals won't rule out trading CF Carlos Beltran for the right package, but the team's immediate goal is to add a second baseman and bullpen help without raising payroll. Carlos Febles provides inadequate offense at second. An upgrade at the position would enable IF Desi Relaford to return to a super-utility role and keep other players fresh.... Several Orioles veterans expect a massive roster purge in the first full offseason for the new management team of Jim Beattie and Mike Flanagan. SS Deivi Cruz and 3B Tony Batista aren't likely to be re-signed, and the team would love to shed 1B/DH David Segui and LF Marty Cordova, both of whom are signed through 2004.... The Pirates won't fire manager Lloyd McClendon before he fulfills his duties as an N.L. All-Star coach, but McClendon's profanity-laced blowup after a recent loss could signal the end is near. Even if McClendon lasts the season, it's doubtful he will return in 2004.... The Mets' catching suddenly appears to be in decent shape, making it all the more likely Mike Piazza will move to first base. Scouts say Vance Wilson and Jason Phillips are better than Piazza defensively; and Phillips could be traded once top prospect Justin Huber is ready for the majors. Huber recently was promoted to Class AA.... The Angels are in a selling mode and were shopping DH Brad Fullmer before he was lost for the season with a knee injury. However, the team apparently does not want to weaken the A.L.'s top-ranked bullpen.... Look for the Astros to pursue a veteran infielder such as Shane Halter, Mark Loretta or Eric Young if 2B Jeff Kent recovers slowly from tendinitis in his left wrist. The Astros' bigger problem is pitching; manager Jimy Williams is tearing through the bullpen. Relievers Billy Wagner, Octavio Dotel and Brad Lidge are on pace for more than 80 appearances, Pete Munro and Ricky Stone more than 60.

SPEED READS

* Rangers general manager John Hart has only himself to blame for Juan Gonzalez's refusal to approve a trade to the Expos. Hart should have resisted giving Gonzalez a complete no-trade clause, even if it meant losing him to another club as a free agent before last season. Too often, teams put themselves in a box by granting no-trade protection.

* The Mets' best offseason move was refusing to give Edgardo Alfonzo big money. Alfonzo, replaced in the lineup last week by Pedro Feliz, is the season's biggest free-agent bust, and the Giants are stuck with him for three more years. The Red Sox and Padres also misjudged Alfonzo and caught a break when he spurned their offers.

* The surge of the injury-depleted Diamondbacks is inspiring, but manager Bob Brenly is overworking his bullpen. Oscar Villarreal is on pace to set an N.L. rookie record for appearances, and closer Jose Valverde recently worked seven out of eight days. Brenly needs to strike a better balance to protect Arizona's future.

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