I could sit here and write about Keith Foulke, but it would be much the same as my last week. Boston.com will tell you about Foulke's losing effort.

Something has got to be done with Foulke. But what? A "D.L." stint? If nothing else his confidence needs fixing.

The good news: chances are good we won't see him tonight - close game or not.

Without Foulke Red Sox would have won Monday's game. 'Nuff said.

Let's move on to something a little more pleasant - the 76th All Star Game to be held Tuesday, July 12, 2005 in Detroit, Mich.

After hearing a radio talk show Monday morning on the WJAB (the name is being withheld to protect the not-so-innocent and no it is not Shoe and Fix), I got all worked up. Let me just say that a person who admits to not knowing the All Star selections and advocates Rafael Palmeiro being added to the list, shouldn't have a sports talk show. The host(s) also agreed with the fans pitching choices. These three people do not have a clue about baseball. Fans do not select pitching. Wow.

When do I get my show? Little known fact: I have a radio voice (or at least I think I do).

Anyway, on to some more meaningful All Star notes:

There seems to be some debate surrounding the game: How should it be managed? What significance, if any, should be placed on the event?

As you may know each team needs a representative on the team; each player must play some at some point during the game; the winner gets home-field advantage for the World Series. This last fact really puts the A.L. at an advantage when playing at Detroit - the DH factor.

The All Star game is a chance for Major League Baseball to showcase its talent. Each team should have a representative. The fans deserve as much. I'm glad I'm not a Royals or Tampa Bay fan, but if I were I'd love to see one of my players make the team.

What usually happens is the weaker teams' reps end up filling the pitching rotation, creating a revolving door on the mound. That's why you'll see reliever Justin Duchscherer represent Oakland instead of Eric Chavez.

Cleveland's Bob Wickman is an interesting choice. Yes, he leads the league in saves, but if you need to get a pitcher from Cleveland why not Cliff Lee? He's been red-hot lately and has 9 wins. Again, I'd much rather see some of their offensive guys. Grady Sizemore, Coco Crisp and Travis Hafner are all playing well. I see All Star games in their future.

I do not believe that Danys Baez is the right guy from the Devil Rays either. He is an okay reliever, but Floridians will tell you their best players are Aubrey Huff and Carl Crawford.

Since we are on the subject of pitching...There is no way Kenny Rogers should make one pitch during the All Star Game. I don't care how many wins or how low his ERA is. He's only being allowed while waiting for his appeal to be heard. It is ridiculous. Why can't the MLB front offices make a ruling now? They have have a whole week.

Kenny, do the right thing - say you are going to rest your broken pinky and will not be able to attend.

Now, that Rogers has been selected to join the team he will be awarded $50,000. Which he will use to pay his Major League imposed fine for shoving a camera man. Reflector.com has the story. Hmm. Makes me think the fine wasn't stiff enough. I do agree with the 20-game suspension, which for a pitcher ends up being at most five starts.

I understand why Terry Francona needed to pick these guys: 1) He needs to have representatives from all teams. 2) He needs guys that get warmed up quickly out of the pen. Having the rule of everybody plays, the revolving door on the mound will be spinning constantly.

I do not believe it necessary that every player needs to appear in the game. Especially now that the game "means" something. If I were a manager playing to win, how am I to predict whether I'll need a pitcher for the 10th or 11th inning?

On the N.L. side of the plate we see some other question marks. How could Jose Guillen be off the list? The guy is leading his first-place Nationals in homers, ribbies, runs, hits and games played. And I'll add slugging percentage. It's really a shame.

The representative from the Rockies, Brian Fuentes, is someone I think the Red Sox should look at. He is no doubt the choice from Colorado regardless of Todd Helton's stature. Anyone who plays the majority of his games at Coors Field and has a 2.54 ERA, is a star. He also has 10 saves in 12 tries with 42K's in 39 innings. I truly hope Red Sox scouts take a look when he makes his appearance.

The National League shortstop position is weak. When the N.L. lost Edgar Renteria they also lost a perrenial All Star. David Eckstein gets the nod. L.A.'s Cesar Izturis and Felipe Lopez of the Reds will back him up. I like watching Eckstein play; he makes every little guy feel like a million bucks. But an All Star? Nope.

The new format for the Home Run Derby plain stinks. Eight players from eight different countries. I know that baseball wants to reach out to the fans globally, but it risks making some major mistakes. Now, we'll never see Manny and Ortiz go at it, just because they are from the same region.

It's still not too late to get one more guy on the roster the American League roster (Torri Hunter, Scott Podsednik, Hideki Matsui or Carl Crawford). Go here to vote for anyone not named Derek Jeter.

See MLB.com's interactive roster pages for more information about the game.

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