Tonight is the 81^st MLB All-Star Game at Angel Stadium in Anaheim.  While much has been written and talked about the “Midsummer Classic,” here are ten things that we at Sports Climax think that you should know – and that the mainstream media won’t tell you.

1. Fox is televising the game, with Joe Buck and Tim McCarver calling their record twelfth consecutive game together.  This is probably eleven games too many.  Prepare yourself for more wise-cracking, unfunny jokes and over-analysis from the pair.
2. Your alternative is ESPN Radio, with Jon Sciambi and Dave Campbell on the call.  Might be a better option, as long as you can tolerate Campbell’s droning stories and periodic bitterness about his playing career.
3. Since Fox is the king of shameless cross-promotion during sporting events, expect its show “Glee” to be the main beneficiary.  After all, cast member Amber Riley will be singing the National Anthem.
4. Hopefully pregame analyst Eric Karros will sport a hairdo as astounding as the poofy one he had during the 2009 season and World Series.
5. Good news – Jim Gray won’t be there to ask Derek Jeter softball questions about his next contract.  
6. “This Time It Counts” – don’t buy it.  In the previous seven All-Star games (all won by the American League)  that have determined who gets home field for the World Series, the AL has won four fall classics, the NL three.  Yet another brainchild of the “used car salesman.”
7. NL starting pitcher Ubaldo Jiménez is really, really good.  Pay attention to him – if the Rockies don’t make the playoffs, this might be your last chance to see him pitch live in 2010.
8. But you won’t see the Nationals’ rookie phenom Stephen Strasburg on the mound tonight.  Get over it – he probably could use the rest anyway.
9. Don’t expect the Angels’ “Rally Monkey” to show up.  Word has it that team owner Artie Moreno locked him up to a deal in which he works exclusively for the halos.
10. In the likely event that a home run is hit during the game, expect a plethora of references and comparisons to Bo Jackson’s home run in the 1989 All-Star Game (which was the last one played in Anaheim).  Keep in mind that Bo hit it off Rick Reuschel, and there are no glorified wiffle ball-type hurlers on either side tonight.

Here’s hoping these tips enhance your viewing experience tonight, and that the game doesn’t end in a tie.  We don’t want Bud to take a page from soccer and have Home Run Derby determine the winner in the future.

Used with permission of the author.

Chris Lardieri covers the Los Angeles Dodgers for Examiner.com and has written about Major League Baseball for Inside Edge, a scouting company that provides content to ESPN Insider and Yahoo Sports. He previously wrote for 1766, the Rutgers Alumni Magazine, and popular blog, ‘The Outer Loop’.  Be sure to follow Chris on Twitter for more MLB and sports observations.

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