I'm heading for home, so I'll keep my opening remarks brief.
Derek Jeter returned to the Yankees lineup and he might already be gone again. Jeter went 1 for 4 as the DH in his first game back, but exited in the eighth inning with "tightness" in his quad. An MRI is scheduled.
Jay Jaffe notes that Jeter returned ahead of schedule and wonders why. While he has some joke answers in there, his main point is that Jeter at 80% is probably better than whatever else the Yankees have been throwing out there.
Freddie Freeman and Steve Delabar won the final two spots in the All-Star Game. I guess the public isn't as infatuated with Yasiel Puig as the media is. Either that, or Braves fans are better at stuffing the ballot than Dodgers fans.
Diamondbacks catcher Miguel Montero probably didn't vote for Puig as he told mlb.com that Puig is "creating a bad reputation around the league" and that "If you don't respect anyone, you aren't going to earn respect."
David Schoenfield thinks that Puig's arrogance is not a bad thing.
Jaffe, again, thinks that while Freeman is a worthy all-star, MLB is missing a marketing opportunity by not having Puig in the All-Star Game.
Tyler Kepner notes that Citi Field, the site of this year's All-Star Game, is lacking in signature memories that make a park special. While it's a great ballpark, it doesn't engender the feelings that Shea Stadium did because the memories aren't there yet. He's hoping that the ASG begins to change that.
Howard Megdal explains how Carlos Gomez to change his approach and rededicate himself to the game turned him from a bust to an All-Star. He says his hitting coach in Milwaukee helped him make that change, some guy named Dale Sveum.
Bill Baer says that the careers of Gomez and Chris Davis are a cautionary tale about giving up on top prospects too early.
Tyler Maas wonders if Gomez can end the Brewers Gold Glove Award drought. No Brewer has won one since Robin Yount in 1982, the longest such drought.
It's a little insulting to the Athletics that CBS Sports is running a "Where Are They Now?" piece on Ray Fosse, since he's been broadcasting for Oakland for the past 28 years. But it's still an excellent piece about his collision with Pete Rose in the 1970 All-Star Game. He remembers it differently than Rose does, but he insists he's not bitter and that he's had a wonderful life, despite the daily pain he's still in from the collision.
Tim Brown thinks that the Athletics getting only one All-Star, and it being Bartolo Colon, is fitting for a team that's always an underdog.
Chris Davis denies ever having used steroids, although he understands why people ask. He also maintains that Roger Maris still holds the single-season home-run record.
If Davis doesn't then maybe Miguel Cabrera will break that record, as he's the first player in history to have 30 HR and 90 RBI at the All-Star break. Still three homers behind Davis though.
The Mets and Twins should remember the tale of the Royals and Joakim Soria as they're deciding to hang on to their current closers.
Speaking of the Royals, Baseball Prospectus examines the changes that George Brett has made in Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas.
David Ortiz is now the all-time DH hit king. Jaffe, again, examines Ortiz's chances of getting into Cooperstown.
The gif of Rajai Davis swinging and missing has been making the rounds. Dude, even Corey Patterson wouldn't swing at that pitch.
Giants pitcher Chad Gaudin was charged with lewdness after he groped a woman in a Las Vegas hospital last January.
You've probably already heard this, but Anna Benson, estranged wife of former MLB pitcher Kris Benson, threatened him with a gun while wearing a bulletproof and smashed his computer with a baton. There's a link to Kris's 911 call in that article.
The Giants have hit rock bottom.
In better Giants news, Buster Posey leads all MLB players in jersey sales. No Cubs on the list.
Yu Darvish got good news at a medical exam.
Matt Harvey is skipping his start on Saturday to limit his innings.
Off-season heart surgery has made a big difference for Kenley Jansen this season.
The Atlantic notes that the Pirates have wisely invested their revenue-sharing money on amateur talent, which is why they've finally gotten over .500. Being the Atlantic, they put this all as a finance metaphor, because they're too serious to cover sports.
Jon Heyman wonders what the Phillies are going to do at the trade deadline.
I've put off the Biogenesis stuff long enough. Ken Rosenthal is uncomfortable with MLB's investigation, but he thinks not investigating would be worse.
Wendy Thurm wonders if Bud Selig is planning on using the "nuclear option" and suspending Alex Rodriguez and Ryan Braun not for PED use, which could be overturned by an arbitrator, but rather for "just cause for conduct that is materially detrimental or materially prejudicial to the best interests of Baseball" which is what they would normally suspend gamblers or the like under. A suspension under "just cause" can only be appealed to the commissioner himself.
Finally, the New York Times looks at people who still score baseball games by hand. And they didn't mention either myself or Al.
And tomorrow will be a better day than today, Buster.