This is an aerial view of McCovey Cove.

I was standing right there between those two gentlemen during NL and AL batting practice. And no, I did not catch a single ball. The kids who were shagging the balls on the field ignored my glove as well. But the guy in the red shirt above caught several home runs during the Derby, including a coveted Gold Ball (which means that $17,000 was donated to charity because a player hit a home run with it).

My view of the field. Perfect.

Bonds. Young enough to take batting practice, but too old to do what he does best. In his own backyard. For the fans. For a team that probably signed him for this very reason.

Aaron Rowand (Phillies), Russell Martin (Dodgers), Ryan Howard (Phillies), Carlos Lee (Astros), Miguel Cabrera (Marlins), and Derrek Lee (Cubs).

Carlos Beltran and Jose Reyes of the NY Mets.

Kenny Mayne was getting ready to report from the bleachers for ESPN.

Creepy mascots on parade.

I spent the day in the sun at AT&T Park in San Francisco, watching the Futures Game and Celebrity Softball Game. The weather was perfect and I ate too much. It was a good day.

The first game was a tad dull, as the World Team defeated the US Team in a landslide and Future A’s star Michael Madsen didn’t even get to pitch. Then they made the field smaller  for softball, which resulted in many home runs from celebrities like Desperate Housewives‘ James Denton.

I’m not a huge fan of the show, but Denton was one of the only celebs to sign autographs for the fans before the game. He is actually part owner of the Orange County Flyers Professional Baseball Team in Fullerton. And he plays guitar in Band From TV with Hugh Laurie (House!), where all proceeds go to charity. So now I’m on Team Denton.

Tomorrow night I will return, to attend the Home Run Derby. I imagine that McCovey Cove will be a zoo of kayaks and rafts, much more chaotic than today (see photo above). I have a great front seat in the left field bleachers, and am very excited about the possibility of catching a home run ball. Should one fall into my glove, fantastic. I’m not sure that I’m capable of actually securing a screaming fastball on a projectile directly at my head. I set the TiVO to ESPN just in case I do catch one. Or one knocks me silly.

The following two blogs lead you to an extraterrestrial DaVinci Code-like device in front of a bleak future cityscape. On one, you click on the symbols that pop up from the glowing orb, mimicking the order in which they appear. That delivers you a blurry video diary, presumably from a character in the movie. On the other, you move the symbols around the circumference and over the top of the orb with your mouse for the next clue (click on the far right star in the sky for a peek at the code’s alphabet). I haven’t ‘solved’ either site yet, but I’ll get to them eventually.

http://www.ethanhaaswasright.com

http://ethanhaaswaswrong.blogspot.com

I will be going to the Futures Game and All-Star Legends/Celebrity Softball Game on Sunday, which should be quite entertaining. Alyssa Milano, Dane Cook, Rob Schneider, Jerry Rice, and even Kevin Dillon (Drama!) will be playing.

Now I have to decide if I am geeky enough to go to the FanFest beforehand.

Dan Haren will be the sole A’s representative in Tuesday night’s All-Star Game, and he has more than earned a starting spot among the best pitchers in both leagues. I’m rooting for the American League all the way.