The Long Awaited MLB All-Star Game Post From Citi Field

New York - I made it back from the All-Star Game on schedule, but due to an inconsiderate friend's wedding, I am just now giving my report.

Before I get into the All-Star festivities, how about JD coming through on Monday and getting Matt Garza?! As you probably can figure out from my previous post, I am absolutely thrilled. Hopefully, the Rangers are now turning their attention to acquiring an outfield bat (Hunter Pence or Alex Rios), especially with the Ryan Braun suspension coming down from MLB today (Nelson Cruz might be in trouble).

Now, onto the All-Star experience: The game itself, a 3-0 American League victory, was absolutely outstanding, particularly Joe Nathan picking up the save in a game with an under-representation of Rangers (still livid Adrian Beltre wasn't there).

Mariano Rivera takes the field for his final All-Star appearance

Mariano Rivera's eighth-inning performance sent chills through the entire crowd. As a Virginia Tech football fan, I was doubly excited to hear "Enter Sandman" blasting though the Citi Field sound system as he made his way onto the field for his final All-Star appearance. The predominantly pro-Met crowd gave him the only favorable response a Yankee would receive all week. One of these Yankees was Bernie Williams, who during the Legends and Celebrities Softball Game, provided the best quote of the weekend. In response to a chorus of boos during his introduction, Bernie grabbed the microphone and explained he "has a lot of great memories in this part of the town from 2000." Of course, this is referring to the 2000 World Series triumph of the Yankees over the Mets.

Another notable moment from the softball game was a Kevin James headfirst dive into second to leg out a double. He ultimately shared MVP honors with Josh Wege, an amputee wounded in Afghanistan (Wounded Warrior representative), who homered and played an outstanding left field. As for the Home Run Derby ... Cespedes - 'nuff said.

I thoroughly enjoyed observing the team representation among fans, especially short conversations with the five other Rangers fans I bumped into. The ranking of representation, based on my observation, was as follows:

1. Mets (no one else came close, not even the Yankees)
2. Yankees
3. Red Sox
4. Phillies
5. Pirates
6. Cardinals
7. Everyone else

As disappointing as it is for me to write this, not a whole lot of the people I came across knew much at all about the Rangers. Aside from the previously mentioned Rangers fans and two Oakland fans, everyone else asked me, "How are you guys doing this year?" or "What do you think of Josh Hamilton?" In fact, most of the Mets fans I conversed with were not aware the Rangers are contenders. All the more reason to win the whole damn thing this year.

Overall, the experience was fantastic. Citi Field is absolutely beautiful and successfully pays tribute to Ebbets Field. In general, the other fans were great to talk to, despite their lack of Rangers knowledge. If you have never been to an All-Star Game, I highly recommend it.

About the author: Drew Love is a high school buddy of Eric’s from Plano West and a fellow hardcore Texas Rangers fan (he has season tickets). He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Marketing and Management from Texas Tech University, and is currently pursuing a Master’s of Theological Studies from Southern Methodist University.