All-Star Game Sorely Lacking in Panda

Another year, another pretty crummy All-Star Game. Of course, I'll be watching again next year, because a lame baseball game is better than no baseball at all. Some observations:

- Tim Lincecum didn't have quite the Carl Hubbell/Pedro Martinez-type outing we were anticipating, but his two innings at least weren't disastrous. He was clearly very amped up, as he missed consistently up high to the first few hitters. The AL seemed to be jumping on the first good fastball they saw, which may be the best strategy againt Timmy. He also suffered from some poor defense, as David Wright made a bad throw on a potential double play, and then Albert Pujols booted a grounder that allowed the first run to score. Tim's only strikeout came against Roy Halladay, but to be fair, he threw a pretty nasty curveball. Can MLB go ahead and just make the DH permanent in the All-Star Game? All in all, nothing spectacular, but I don't think this is the last time we'll see Timmy on the mound in one of these games.
- Barack Obama's appearance was more enjoyable than most of the game itself. I give him credit for repping his team instead of just doing the politically correct thing. Here's a fun video showing him mingling with the players before the game. I'd like to see the conversation between him and Lincecum. In another nice story, Willie Mays accompanied the POTUS on Air Force One. The "All Stars Among Us" tribute was a nice touch as well. They should do that every year.
- As for the game itself, they really wasn't a whole lot that stood out. Among the pitchers, I was most impressed by Zack Greinke, who strucked out two in a perfect inning. Carl Crawford, who took a home run away from Brad Hawpe, was probably the most deserving MVP candidate, as no one really stood out on offense.
- I have a feeling Pablo Sandoval would have done something great in this game. But I'll settle for him sticking it to the Phillies in the NLDS.