All-star roster has 2 Indians, 1 Tiger

7/7/2008
ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK - Detroit's Carlos Guillen and Cleveland's Cliff Lee and Grady Sizemore will suit up for the American League squad on July 15 when New York hosts the 79th Major League Baseball All-Star Game.

The Boston Red Sox and the Chicago Cubs have stolen the limelight: Each team will send seven players to the midseason classic at Yankee Stadium.

Said New York Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez: "It's going to be weird having them [Red Sox players] in our locker room."

The Tampa Bay Rays, with the best record in the majors, did not have a single player elected to start. Pitcher Scott Kazmir and catcher Dioner Navarro were added to the AL squad.

"Picking the all-star team, it's normally based on individual performance," Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "You can look at our group, individually we don't necessarily stand out, and that's OK. As a team, we totally stand out."

The Yankees will be well represented too on a night showcasing Hall of Famers and a famed ballpark in its final year. Rodriguez will be joined by Yankees captain Derek Jeter and closer Mariano Rivera.

There was only one change in the last week of fan voting for starters - Milwaukee outfielder Ryan Braun overtook Ken Griffey Jr. Griffey finished fourth and was left off the team.

Rodriguez was the top overall vote-getter for the second straight year at 3,934,518 and became a 12-time All-Star, as did Ramirez. Philadelphia second baseman Chase Utley led the NL voting with 3,889,602.

The 1958 Yankees hold the record with nine players in an All-Star game.

NEW YORK - Johnny Damon went on the disabled list for the first time in his major league career yesterday after 13 1/2 seasons and 1,927 regular-season games.

The New York Yankees outfielder sprained and bruised his left shoulder when he crashed into the left-field fence trying for a leaping catch against Boston on Friday.