{"id":66169,"date":"2025-07-15T00:26:10","date_gmt":"2025-07-15T00:26:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/66169\/"},"modified":"2025-07-15T00:26:10","modified_gmt":"2025-07-15T00:26:10","slug":"for-chicagos-all-stars-a-chance-to-show-they-belong","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/66169\/","title":{"rendered":"For Chicago’s All-Stars, a chance to show they belong"},"content":{"rendered":"

ATLANTA \u2014 An assignment to cover the All-Star Game is a privilege I\u2019ve happily accepted since my first one at Wrigley Field in 1990.<\/p>\n

They\u2019ve all blended together after a few years, from the 15-inning affair at Yankee Stadium in 2008 to the 2016 game at Petco Park in San Diego, where seven Cubs players were invited to participate.<\/p>\n

The one that sticks out took place in 1995 in Arlington, Texas, in a ballpark that was deemed obsolete a couple decades later because it lacked an essential part of modern life, air conditioning.<\/p>\n

That All-Star week was made memorable by the scorching Texas heat; a BBWAA meeting at which my Chicago Tribune colleague, Hall of Fame writer Jerome Holtzman, asked the BBWAA president to put it on the record that a fellow New York writer was a \u201cno-good (S.O.B.)\u201d \u2014 and because the player I was assigned to cover, White Sox slugger Frank Thomas, ditched the media by leaving during the game to fly home.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s now acceptable for All-Stars to depart soon after leaving the game, one of many changes that has made the event less fun to cover than back in the day. All-Star week still thrives despite the best efforts of MLB, which on Monday allowed ESPN clown Pat McAfee to host its media day news conference and emcee the Home Run Derby, an obvious attempt at capturing the \u201cbro culture\u201d that usually tunes out the game.<\/p>\n

But this year\u2019s Midsummer Classic is fascinating for many reasons, including the introduction of Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong<\/a> on the big stage, the starting matchup between Paul Skenes and Tarik Skubal, the mashing of catcher Cal Raleigh and the continued dominance of Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani, the best players of their era.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, after consultations with the office, I was asked not to work this week to save my brain cells for the second half. \u201cRelax and enjoy the festivities,\u201d I was told. \u201cWe need your brain, or what\u2019s left of it, to be refreshed and ready for the Cubs stretch run and the Sox trade watch. Just go have fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCan I still make fun of Manfred?\u201d I texted.<\/p>\n

\u201cSave it for later,\u201d came the reply.<\/p>\n

\"KyleKyle Tucker of the Chicago Cubs greets Hunter Brown of the Houston Astros and Yusei Kikuchi of the Los Angeles Angels during All-Star Workout Day at Truist Park on July 14, 2025 in Atlanta. (Kevin C. Cox\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

There are 16 replacements for the All-Stars selected by fans, players and the leagues for this year\u2019s game, which makes it seem like the game itself is no longer a big deal. I empathized with Cubs starter Matthew Boyd and the many other All-Stars who wanted to participate but won\u2019t play for health or other reasons<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s \u201cteam first,\u201d even if this could be a once-in-a-lifetime chance for some.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t say it was a hard decision,\u201d Boyd said Monday on media day. \u201cIt\u2019s one of those things that it\u2019s just a smart decision. I want to play. It doesn\u2019t mean I don\u2019t want to play. I want to pitch in this game so badly. It\u2019s one thing like, hey, you\u2019ve got to be smart with. The goal is to pitch through October, and I\u2019ve already thrown more innings than I have the last two years combined.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a time to be smart, and because of that, I do get to enjoy this experience still, and I\u2019ll be soaking it all in.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hopefully the 34-year-old Boyd<\/a> can get back to the All-Star Game, but nothing in life is promised. Cubs outfielder Kyle Tucker<\/a> remembered his first one in 2022 at Dodger Stadium when he played for the Houston Astros.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a cool experience and everything,\u201d he said. \u201cYou never know if you\u2019re going to have this opportunity to be here again. You just try and have some fun with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Tucker understood Boyd\u2019s reasoning, pointing to his eight-inning masterpiece against the New York Yankees on Saturday.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt least he can fully have fun and not worry about getting ready and prepared,\u201d Tucker said. \u201cI\u2019m sure he\u2019s having a blast right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

It might have been the same story for White Sox starter Shane Smith<\/a>. On Friday at Sox Park, manager Will Venable told the media the team would have discussions about whether Smith would be able to pitch in the All-Star Game. The Sox are trying to limit his workload this second half to keep him healthy. But Smith is the only representative for the Sox, and there was no obvious replacement if he was told not to pitch.<\/p>\n

Those discussions apparently didn\u2019t last too long.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m ready to throw,\u201d Smith said Monday. \u201cWhatever that looks like. Whether it\u2019s an inning or an out. Give me the ball. I\u2019m gonna go.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"ChicagoChicago White Sox pitcher Shane Smith signs autographs before the MLB baseball All-Star Home Run Derby on Monday, July 14, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo\/Brynn Anderson)<\/p>\n

For a Rule 5 draft pick who wasn\u2019t even sure he would make the team in spring training, Smith is trying to take in this journey, from pitching for the Milwaukee Brewers Double-A team in Biloxi, Miss., one year ago to being chosen by the Sox in December to participating in an All-Star Game as a rookie.<\/p>\n

\u201cThings change over time. It\u2019s kind of what you do with that change,\u201d Smith said. \u201cYou\u2019ve just got to keep at it as it comes. Rule 5 happened and then spring training and the next thing you know you\u2019re 18 starts in and you\u2019re in Atlanta.\u201d<\/p>\n

Life goes by fast, and you have to enjoy the ride while it lasts.<\/p>\n

Crow-Armstrong was already up with the Cubs last year at this time. But at the All-Star break he was hitting .203 with three home runs and 17 RBIs, just trying to prove he belonged in the big leagues.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t remember what I was doing last break,\u201d Crow-Armstrong said Monday. \u201cI think I was just staying in Chicago. At that time I was just focusing on picking up the pace in terms of how I was playing. It\u2019s always nice to think about what you could do a little bit better, but I wasn\u2019t quite here (as an All-Star) in my brain.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now he\u2019s the starting National League center fielder with a chance to be a rare 40-40 player in steals and home runs. It\u2019s almost like entering an alternate universe in the same body.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d be lying if I said I didn\u2019t know what my stats are, but I don\u2019t translate that into, \u2018I want to hit 40 homers and (steal) 40 bags,\u2019 or whatever the mark is,\u201d Crow-Armstrong said. \u201cIf I\u2019m playing well, that usually translates into a better chance for the Cubbies to win ballgames.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got a lot of guys that could be worrying about these benchmarks but don\u2019t. We\u2019re a good club that only worries about winning every day. \u2026 What\u2019s cooler is winning the World Series and playing in October. The 40-40 and any other accolades, it all comes second to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

The All-Star Game has changed over the decades. To some fans, it\u2019s just not what it used to be, and I can\u2019t argue with them.<\/p>\n

But don\u2019t tell that to players who\u2019ve survived some tough times to make it here in Atlanta for the first time.<\/p>\n

The struggles were worth it. Now it\u2019s time to relax and have some fun.<\/p>\n

Originally Published: July 14, 2025 at 6:59 PM CDT<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ATLANTA \u2014 An assignment to cover the All-Star Game is a privilege I\u2019ve happily accepted since my first…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":66170,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5124],"tags":[3090,960,1271,5386,1818,5605,5436,22381,1822,12944,1277,20419,5390],"class_list":{"0":"post-66169","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-chicago","8":"tag-aaron-judge","9":"tag-chicago","10":"tag-chicago-cubs","11":"tag-il","12":"tag-illinois","13":"tag-kyle-tucker","14":"tag-matthew-boyd","15":"tag-mlb-all-star-game","16":"tag-mlb-baseball","17":"tag-pat-mcafee","18":"tag-pete-crow-armstrong","19":"tag-shane-smith","20":"tag-white-sox"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114854414820121385","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66169","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=66169"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66169\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/66170"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=66169"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=66169"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=66169"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}