>>Fielder Wins Home Run Derby
(Kansas City, MO) -- Detroit Tigers slugger Prince Fielder won the 2012 Home Run Derby at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City Monday night. Fielder beat Jose Bautista of the Toronto Blue Jays in the final round, 12-7, to capture his second Home Run Derby title. Fielder, who also won the event in 2009 as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers, hit a total 28 homers in this year's contest. Bautista finished with 20. Fielder joins Ken Griffey Jr. as the only players to win two Derbies and is the only player to win it as a member of both the American and National League. Last year's champion, American League captain and New York Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano failed to hit a single homer in the opening round. NL captain and Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp hit only one out in round one.
>>KC Hosts 83rd MLB All-Star Game Tuesday Night
(Kansas City, MO) -- Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City will be the site of the 83rd MLB All-Star Game Tuesday night. San Francisco's Matt Cain will be on the mound for the National League. Cain narrowly beat R.A. Dickey of the New York Mets for the starting nod. Once again, the winner of the All-Star Game will give its league homefield advantage in the World Series. The National League has won the last two All-Star games after snapping a 13-game winless streak in 2010. First-pitch is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. Eastern.
>>La Russa Picks Cain As NL Starter
(Kansas City, MO) -- Former Cardinals manager Tony La Russa announced that Giants pitcher Matt Cain will start tonight's All-Star Game for the National League. La Russa also revealed his starting lineup for the contest. Carlos Gonzalez will be the designated hitter and lead off followed by Giants center fielder Melky Cabrera and Milwaukee left fielder Ryan Braun. Reds' Joey Votto will bat clean-up and play first base followed by Cards right fielder Carlos Beltran and Giants catcher Buster Posey. San Francisco third baseman Pablo Sandoval will hit seventh followed by Braves second baseman Dan Uggla and St. Louis shortstop Rafael Furcal will hit ninth.
>>Verlander To Start For AL Tonight
(Kansas City, MO) -- Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander will take the mound for the American League in the first All-Star Game start of his career tonight in Kansas City. AL manager Ron Washington named Verlander his starter yesterday, while the National League will counter with San Francisco Giants pitcher Matt Cain. Verlander is 9-and-5 this season with a 2.58 ERA and Cain is 9-and-3 with a 2.62 ERA with a perfect Game to his credit. Verlander will be joined by Detroit first baseman Prince Fielder as a starter, while third baseman Miguel Cabrera is a reserve in the 83rd edition of the Midsummer Classic at Kauffman Stadium.
>>Cubs Sign Top-Pick Almora
(Chicago, IL) -- The Chicago Cubs have reportedly agreed to a deal with first-round pick Albert Almora. The "Chicago Tribune" reports the sixth-overall selection agreed to a $3.9-million-dollar bonus. The 18-year-old outfielder from Mater Academy batted .603 with six homers and 34 RBI and also had 24 steals last season.
>>White Sox' Youkilis Wins AL Weekly Honor
(New York, NY) -- Chicago White Sox third baseman Kevin Youkilis [[ you-KILL-is ]] has been named the top player in the American League for the last week of the first half. Youkilis hit .478 with three home runs, 10 RBI and seven runs scored over six games in just his second full week with the White Sox. Since being traded to Chicago on June 25th after spending his first eight seasons with the Boston Red Sox, the 33-year-old is batting .347 with three homers, 14 RBI and nine runs scored over 13 games. It is the second career weekly award for Youkilis.
>> Phil Humber To Make Rehab Start
Chicago White Sox pitcher Phil Humber will make a rehab start for the AA Birmingham Barons.
Humber, who threw a perfect game against the Seattle Mariners on April 21, starts Wednesday night against the Tennessee Smokies.
He was placed on the 15-day disabled list on June 22 with a right elbow strain. Humber made two previous rehab starts with the Class AAA Charlotte Knights, going 0-1 with a 5.68 earned run average in six-plus innings.
The 29-year-old Humber is 3-4 with a 6.01 ERA with the White Sox.
>>Brock Given Robinson Legacy Award
(Kansas City, MO) -- St. Louis Cardinals legend Lou Brock was given the 2012 Jackie Robinson Legacy Award for Lifetime Achievement on Monday. Brock was presented with the award by the president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, Bob Kendrick, in Kansas City. The six-time All-Star was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985. In 19 seasons with the Cardinals and Cubs, Brock batted .293 with 3,023 hits and 938 stolen bases. Brock retired as baseball's single-season and all-time leader in stolen bases. His records were later broken by Rickey Henderson.
One of the Cardinals all time favorites stole the spotlight at the All Star Fan Fest in Kansas City. Hall of Famer Lou Brock, who stole 938 bases in his career, made it to the big leagues with the help of a Kansas Citian. Buck O'Neil, the Kansas City Monarch's Negro League legend, had become Major League Baseball's first black coach. In 1962, as a Chicago Cubs scout, he signed and was roommates with Brock. Brock was traded to the Cardinals in 1964 and helped lead St. Louis to the World Series that year and twice more over the next five years. Brock's .391 World Series batting average remains the ninth best in baseball history.
>>Report: Yankees Tell Jackson To Stay Away From Team
(Bronx, NY) -- ESPN reports the New York Yankees have told special adviser and Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson to stay away from team events. The move came after Jackson told "Sports Illustrated" that Alex Rodriguez's admitted use of performance-enhancing drugs, quote, "does cloud some of his records." Jackson has since apologized to A-Rod for the remarks. Rodriguez admitted in 2009 that he used PEDs for a three-year stretch from 2001-03.
