Airwaves: Stars will be present even before the All-Star Game

There is no bigger sporting event this week than the 80th annual Major League Baseball All-Star Game. Fox has the honors with the broadcast and all the pregame activities starting at 5 p.m. PDT from Busch Stadium in St. Louis.

 There are a few additional parts of this game that should be very uplifting and interesting from a TV viewing standpoint.

To begin with, as we mentioned a few weeks back, President Barack Obama will toss out the first ball. Now, this guy is fairly athletic, so I will be shocked if the ball does not make it to home plate and isn’t close to being a strike. Good political move by him and his advisors to take part in this game. Although baseball can get boring at times, we all gear up our interest levels for the All-Star Game and the World Series.

Secondly, in a video prior to the game, all five living presidents will take part in a special video ceremony honoring 30 people who have given back to their respective communities. Each will represent the 30 teams and cities that have Major league Baseball.

This program, called “All-Stars Among Us,” will be the first time ever all the living former and present residents of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. have ever been at the same sporting event. This should be really cool and needless to say historical.

I wonder how my friend Jimmy Carter (with whom I once spoke at length one about the state of Arkansas football), Bill Clinton, George Bush Sr., George Bush Jr. and Obama get along out of the public eye. My best guess there is no love lost among any of them.

Lastly, the game itself. Joe Buck will call the game, with Tim McCarver as the analyst. Chris Rose will be the sideline guy. For Buck, this will be an emotional evening. His late father, Jack, was an institution in St. Louis, and I believe Joe, who grew up in the area, has kept his permanent residence there. What a personal thrill this must be!

McCarver will do his usual great job. Every time I write something positive about this member of the old catchers’ fraternity (of which I am a charter member), I get nasty e-mails about him. E-mail all you want, but I love the guy on the air for his honesty and opinions.

Jackson’s death affects one and all

This is a sports-related media column. We all know that based on what is written and where it is placed in the pages of The Examiner. However, it behooves me to mention the death of Michael Jackson and the ceremony that took place Tuesday at Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Jackson was the Michael Jordan and the Tiger Woods of music. When you heard this guy sing, your feet would automatically start to move. Now, I do not believe I have danced since my senior prom in high school (and only then because I had spent $50 on the rental of a tux). However, whenever I hear the “Thriller” album or a soundtrack, I can’t help but move.

I don’t agree with some of the things he did and the offstage perception he created, but this was a very talented man. His music will live forever, but unfortunately, we don’t. The outpouring of sympathy around the world and the who’s who of the entertainment world that showed up at his funeral service was overwhelming.

I was in New York City this past week when the services took place in smogsville. Never in my life have I not seen the back page of the Daily News without a sports-related picture and headlines on it. There is always something about the Yankees, Mets, Giants or Jets. Not this past Wednesday! It was all about Jacko. The headlines on one of their articles said it all: “The Day The Music Cried.”

- Nice touch during the Comcast SportsNet Bay Area presentation of the Giants game on Tuesday versus the Marlins, when Duane Kuiper and Mike Krukow broadcast the game from the Loft at McCovey Cove. This area in the right-field wall gave them and viewers the game from a very different perspective. In addition, it was a much needed change of pace and vantage point for the broadcast team itself.

- That same night, Comcast SportsNet carried an interview with San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. Dave Benz did the interview, and the only comment I can make is, man — the mayor is one slick dude.

Who said it

Tim McCarver
“Why all the adulation for a guy who has served a 50-game suspension?” asked the former backstop after Manny Ramirez homered in his first at bat last week. Tim, I agree — but the public loves to watch a fallen hero and see if he can fight back to his level of play.

Dara Torres
“It hurts some days to walk up and down the stairs. I need my everyday life back,” said the 42-year-old three-time silver medalist from last year’s Olympic Games when asked about how her surgically repaired knee was healing. Torres was very impressive in the games and left a lasting impression on this person. Well, Dara, if you need someone to fly to Florida and help you rehab, just give me a call. I think I might be in love!

One to watch

Baseball’s showcase The 80th major-league All-Star Game will be broadcast live from St. Louis at 5 p.m. Tuesday. Fox will be sure to highlight the achievements of Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols, who will be warmly received by his hometown fans. Something tells me this might set an all time All-Star Game viewing record.