All-Stars on deck for TBS

Station to announce AL, NL teams Sunday

If you're a Major League baseball fan and not tethered to the gas grill Sunday afternoon, tune to TBS at 2 p.m. for the announcement of the American League and National League All-Star teams. The game will be at Yankee Stadium July 15. Ernie Johnson will host and Cal Ripken will be an analyst. They will be joined by Dennis Eckersley and Harold Reynolds, who recently joined the TBS studio team.

Nine elected starters for the AL and eight for the NL, which were determined by the fan balloting, will be revealed. The AL will have 22 reserves and pitchers while the NL will have 23, which were determined by the "Player Ballot," and the All-Star managers.

Eckersley, who is effective on NESN's Red Sox pregame broadcasts, will no doubt add intelligence and candor to the show.

"I guess my style is perfect for TBS because it's sort of free form," said Eckersley. "I try to be as honest as I can, but at the same time, having played, I know how difficult it is to play so there's a fine line [between] being honest and being careful. I don't want to go too far but at the same time, I try to have energy more than anything else. But that comes easy because I have such a passion for it."

The biggest surprise of the season, said Eckersley, has been the success of the Tampa Bay Rays, who just swept the Red Sox in a three-game series.

"Being in that tough division and being in first place, I kept thinking, 'Are they going to last?' Well, they've made it halfway here, so . . .," said Eckersley, a six-time All-Star and Hall of Famer. "The pitching staff is better than I thought and they're energetic. I think the Twins are a surprise. I think the Oakland A's are a surprise. They're supposed to be rebuilding.

"Then you look at the other side. St. Louis is a surprise because they're kind of decimated with their starting rotation. Another team would have to be Florida. It's good for baseball, especially Tampa."

One of the expected starters for the AL squad is Sox outfielder Manny Ramírez, who made headlines for an off-the-field incident in Houston Saturday in which he pushed down traveling secretary Jack McCormick. Eckersley didn't shy from the subject.

"Manny, for the longest time, he didn't really talk too much for a number of years for several reasons," said Eckersley. "He's been very accessible over the last year. People have gotten a chance to really see Manny for what he is. This guy's a Hall of Famer. He's different. Some of the things that he did were funny. This recent incident doesn't really [show] him in a very good light. He has addressed it but I think he needs to do more than that. Manny being Manny is one thing, but this recent thing doesn't look good at all. Hopefully, he can do something and get this behind him."

Ripken said it is hard to judge the situation having not been there.

"From afar, sitting back now, when they say Manny being Manny, it's almost like a cute little slogan," said Ripken. "A lot of people laugh with it. It almost seems to give Manny permission to do quirky things. I think we love it when he opens up a little bit and we find out about his personality. I know him pretty well, I know he's a good-hearted guy. But I'm a little concerned that with the Manny being Manny, it gives him permission to do other things. I'm a little concerned but I'm not someone who wants to blow out of proportion things that happen in the clubhouse."

Reynolds said he fully expects Ramírez to learn from his mistakes.

"One thing about Manny, being around him, I think he's the type of guy who takes instruction well," said Reynolds. "If you sit down and talk with him as a manager or management, he gets it. He'll make adjustments."

Following the selection show, TBS will broadcast the Cubs-Cardinals matchup at 3 p.m. Chip Caray will handle play-by-play and Buck Martinez will serve as analyst.

Sutton on Schilling

Former pitcher Don Sutton recently joined Martinez and Mike Patrick on "Baseball This Morning" on XM Satellite Radio. One subject was whether Red Sox hurler Curt Schilling, who is rehabilitating from right shoulder surgery, should be inducted into the Hall of Fame. "Curt Schilling has done a lot of things that equal or exceed the accomplishments of people already there," said Sutton. "I think if he had a few more wins, he'd be a lead-pipe cinch. I think, eventually, he will be in the Hall of Fame, but he is at the mercy of the interpretation of the writers. There are a number of guys with better than 270 wins that aren't in, or had to wait four, five, or six years to get in. That's the background for which I'm thinking. Do I think he's earned the right to be there? In my mind, if I were voting, I'd give him a vote, but I don't think he's a first-rounder."