Cubs Barely Figure in All-Star Festivities

With only one All-Star participant, Ted Lilly, it was sort of a foregone conclusion that the Cubs‘ presence during this week’s festivities in St. Louis would be negligible if not downright non-existent.  But, thanks to Cardinals fans, the Cubs did get one memorable highlight:  Lilly being booed during the intros, and appearing rather flattered by it.  Cubs fans might just as well have shut the game off after that oddly pleasing moment, since Lilly didn’t even get to appear in the contest.

Actually, the whole two day All-Star event seemed set up to at least mildly irritate the Cubs faithful.  First you had Brewer Prince Fielder winning the Home Run Derby, then you had noted White Sox fan Barack Obama throwing out the first pitch – to hated Cardinal superstar Albert Pujols.  The whole All-Star game was, in fact, an orgy of Cardinal love:  tributes to Stan Musial, Lou Brock, et al; unabashed Cardinal fan Joe Buck doing the announcing; even a completely gratuitous replay of Ryan Theriot being picked off first by Yadier Molina.

Oh, and the endless repetition of that by-now-tiresome old sports commentator stand-by:  “St. Louis is the best baseball town in America.”  Okay, we got it.