ALL STAR EXPERIENCE, DAY 1: SUNDAY SOFTBALL & CELEBS
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.
And now, for the name-dropping/C-level star sightings of the day…outside of the ballpark I ran into Dodgers GM Ned Colletti (true Giants fans would insert a hiss and boo here) and ex-player/ex-ESPN Baseball Tonight host Harold Reynolds. The B-level folks were on the field (Alyssa Milano, Rob Schneider, Jeff Garlin, etc.). Drama (Kevin Dillon) was a no-show.
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.
Even though there are no A’s participating in the Home Run Derby, I will be sporting my new Dan Haren All Star shirt. Because I can.
Stay tuned for a post-Home Run Derby blog late tomorrow night or Tuesday!