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Exactly one year ago, Buster Posey went from sure thing to question mark. It wasn’t because of anything he failed to do, it wasn’t because he hadn’t fulfilled every expectation for his greatness. If anything, it was a matter of professional hazard: He was a catcher protecting home plate, and when Scott Cousins took his shot at scoring, Posey was there, trying to make a play. Instants later, Posey went from the best young catcher in baseball to a young man in agony at home plate.

Giants fans were understandably devastated. Posey was the best thing to happen to catcher offense since Mike Piazza. His rookie-season performance -- hitting .305/.357/.505 with 18 home runs, gunning down 29 percent of stolen-base attempts and winning the National League Rookie of the Year award -- created a heightened expectation of what was to come. He was the new bright light on a defending champion; a first-rounder who hadn’t just lived up to his promise, he’d taken the Giants to the promised land. And then, one play at the plate later, Posey was dealing with a case of career, interrupted.

Now, one year later, we can say that interruption, however avoidable, however unfortunate, has cost Posey little in terms of what he’s able to do. One year later, and he’s hitting like the same kid catcher who provided so much joy in 2010: .297/.364/.473, not very different from the .297/.366/.479 line that ESPN Insider’s Dan Szymborski projected for him via ZiPS before the season. Posey is fourth in OPS+ and OBP among regular receivers, sixth in slugging, seventh in homers. Quibblers might note that Posey is throwing out just 22 percent of stolen-base attempts, but when people are testing you scarcely more often (0.77 attempts per nine innings) than they do Yadier Molina (0.69), that’s a sign of respect of what Posey is to this day: A big-league catcher.

Losing sight of Posey’s comeback might be easy, especially after the Dodgers’ torrid start. The Giants have had more than their share of problems beyond that: Brian Wilson’s broken beyond repair this season and Pablo Sandoval’s out with a broken hand for a few more weeks yet. Tim Lincecum has delivered just one quality start in 10 this season, and took another beating at the hands of the Fish Friday night. The long-standing Aubrey Huff versus Brandon Belt debate over who should be playing first base has been fairly pointless with both men’s bats missing in action.

But in the big picture, Posey is just the leading example of how much is going right for the Giants already. He joins Melky Cabrera’s crazy-good start, and Posey’s handling a pitching staff that, outside of Lincecum’s woes, may very well be the league’s best. In the two wild-card-team era, that’s something any skipper could work and win with.

You can consider me an interested party as an observer to Posey’s misfortune because, this time last year, I’d selected Posey in ESPN’s franchise player draft. I’d picked Posey before he suffered the injury, but the horror of this play at the plate came before we went to press. In an act of generosity, I was asked if I wanted to change my pick from Posey, taking anyone left on the board. I thought about it … and I said no.

I said no because I believed, or because I wanted to believe, not just in Posey’s promise of what could be, of what was supposed to be, but because I wanted to believe that he’d be back, that he would be every bit the player he’d already been and was always meant to be. I believed because I’m a fan, and in the way that every fan wants to see players play, I wanted to see Posey play again. Call it faith if you want, faith in a player, faith in the miracle of modern orthopedics, but I believed Posey would be back.

It wasn’t simple fandom on my part, and I don’t think any of us kid ourselves over the amount of work that went into his getting back on the field. Frankly, as a Northern Californian and an A’s fan in the late ’70s, I grew up hating the Giants, resenting the affection they received from a fawning press still buzzing off a contact high from Willie Mays, where Charley Finley’s franchise received -- and deserved -- derision. No, if I was a fan of anything, it was Posey’s game, a fan of what baseball deserves, of what he deserves.

So, seeing Posey take the field in Florida to face the Marlins on this unhappy anniversary, you can consider me guilty of a contact high of my own, one that comes from getting to say that this is one of those happy non-news stories: That Buster Posey remains the player he’s supposed to be. And whether you root for the Giants or against them, that’s a beautiful thing, all by itself.

PHOTO OF THE DAY
Christina Kahrl covers baseball for ESPN.com. You can follow her on Twitter.

Monday’s Baseball Today podcast was taped with the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays playing a morning game in the background, but the big story in Beantown wasn’t the game, as Mark Simon and I discussed.

1. What was Bobby Valentine thinking calling out Kevin Youkilis? You know, I still can’t figure it out, but it doesn’t bode well for the future. Plus, we analyze the Jacoby Ellsbury injury and Cody Ross filling in. Can the Red Sox overcome?

2. It’s Power Rankings day! Are the Red Sox in the top 10? Are the Phillies? And where will Mark jump the streaking Los Angeles Dodgers?

3. How can the San Francisco Giants lose an All-Star closer and still be contenders? We explain, but we believe.

4. Mark gets us going with the first Leaderboard of the Week segment discussing an unlikely power source pacing the league in well-hit average.

5. Our emailers want to talk about the best announcers, Miguel Cabrera and the chalk line, and intentional walks!

So download and listen to Monday’s excellent Baseball Today podcast, and get ready for another fine show on Tuesday!

The news that the San Francisco Giants could lose Brian Wilson for the balance of the season sounds grim. It isn’t as if there weren’t warning signs coming into the season: Declining velocity and an increasing reliance on his slider made it clear he wasn’t the same pitcher whose late-game endurance and power helped propel the Giants to a 2010 World Series win.

We’ll have to see what the second or third opinions the Giants are seeking will reveal. But in the meantime, what will the Giants do with their late-game leads?

If manager Bruce Bochy follows up with his initial comment that he’ll go with a bullpen by committee, it should mean save opportunities will go to righties Santiago Casilla and Sergio Romo, with lefties Javier Lopez and Jeremy Affeldt possibly in the mix as well. Bochy and the Giants have been here before, of course, if just for a month last season. That was when Wilson broke down in August with a strained elbow, and made it back in time for only the last 10 days of the season. Casilla notched most of the save opportunities in Wilson’s absence, although since Romo was also on the disabled list that August, you can’t automatically chalk this up to simple preference for Casilla.

Will we really see a closer-by-committee in action? In Bochy’s long experience as a major league manager, he hasn’t exactly had much chance or demonstrated any willingness to experiment with his team’s save opportunities in this way. Bochy has a well-established track record of relying heavily on one designated closer, but that’s largely a function of opportunity. During his 12 years managing the Padres, Bochy almost always had Trevor Hoffman to close for him.

That was true in every one of Bochy’s seasons skippering the Padres save one: 2003, when Hoffman was out with shoulder surgery for most of the year. And that time around, Bochy really did compensate for the lack of a closer with a bullpen by committee, at least initially. For two months, journeymen Brandon Villafuerte, Jay Witasick, Jaret Wright, Matt Herges and Jesse Orosco all notched saves, including the last two of Orosco’s long career. But even on a team going nowhere (the Pads would lose 98 games), nobody liked this solution much. Rather than stick with it, the Padres signed Rod Beck in June, and got 20 saves from the Shooter over the next three months.

That wasn’t the only time Bochy has had to change gears with his closer in-season, though. In 2007, Bochy’s first year managing the Giants, he once again wound up in a “manager’s choice” scenario. Two months into that season, the Giants dealt Armando Benitez in the wake of a lot of public recriminations over Benitez’s performance. In the absence of anyone even remotely resembling an established closer, Bochy might have gone with a committee. He didn’t, making utility pitcher Brad Hennessey his stopper. Hennessey had all of one career save beforehand, but he notched 19 more before getting replaced by Wilson toward the end of the season. Wilson went on to fame, a ring and Taco Bell commercials; Hennessey never got another save in the major leagues.

So, in both of these situations, Bochy basically reverted to convention, whether that was identifying a designated temporary closer in the case of Hennessey in 2007, or having one brought in as Beck was in 2003.

What does that mean going forward? Last season, during Wilson’s monthlong absence, Bochy split save opportunities between Casilla and Ramon Ramirez. He wound up favoring Casilla, but as I said, Romo was hurt and out of the running for part of that time. We’ll see how much more than polite, for-public-consumption consideration for his top relievers Bochy’s comments about a committee wind up being. But if you want to bet on what’s going to happen in the next couple of weeks if Wilson really is out for the year, bet on Bochy picking one pitcher to close.

Christina Kahrl covers baseball for ESPN.com. You can follow her on Twitter.

First base: Time to ditch The Beard? Giants closer Brian Wilson struggled in a 32-pitch ninth inning, allowing three hits and walking in a run. He also twisted his ankle during one pitch on his final batter faced, although stayed in to record his first save. After throwing 24 pitches in Wednesday's blowout loss, Wilson will be unavailable on Friday. Remember, after his monster 2010 when he was a key figure in the Giants' World Series run, Wilson wasn't that good in 2011, in part as he pitched through some elbow issues. His strikeouts were down and his walks were up. He saved 36 of 41 games, but his peripherals were terrible. Something to watch ... along with Tim Lincecum and Buster Posey's shingles.

Second base: Fenway is a dump (says Luke Scott). Ahh, Luke Scott, he's so lovable and cuddly. The Rays play the Red Sox this weekend and Scott isn't looking forward to the cramped confines of the ol' ballpark. "As a baseball player, going there to work, it's a dump," Scott told MLB.com. Scott does have a point, saying it's hard for players to get their work in, that visiting players have to share a weight room with the Red Sox, and so on. Still, should make for a fun pregame introduction during Friday's home opener.

Third base: Ground Marlin. Jose Reyes is off to a slow start for the 2-5 Marlins, hitting .233 with no walks and as many caught stealings (2) as stolen bases. ESPN Stats & Information reports on something to watch: He got off to a hot start in 2011 because he was getting hits and groundballs from the left side of the plate. He hit .354 (35-for-99) in the first half on grounders batting left-handed ... but just .203 (12-for-59) in the second half. Early on, he's 1-for-9 in 2012.

Home plate: Tweet of the day.

#RealTalk... Not playing & being in this training room is for the birds... I'm going CRAZY right now!!!! #NoBueno

— Brandon Phillips (@DatDudeBP) April 12, 2012

As a little follow-up to Wednesday's post on Ryan Madson being a risky signing, I wanted to add a few more comments. It's important to note that the Phillies, with an aging roster, have a more urgent need to win now. Thus, if they believe Madson to be an integral key to their chances of winning the World Series, they should be more willing to take on the long-term risk for an immediate return. And it may be a necessary evil to overpay to secure Madson's services.

The question then becomes: Do they need Madson? The two parts to that question: (A) Is there an obvious internal solution if Madson leaves? (B) Do you need a great closer to win the World Series?

For the first part, the answer is probably no, although Antonio Bastardo was dominant in a set-up role for most of last season before tiring down the stretch and Michael Stutes showed potential as a solid middle guy. Either could probably do a passable job as the closer, but maybe not enough to make Charlie Manuel comfortable (although don't forget the Phillies reached the World Series in 2009 despite Brad Lidge going 0-7 with an ERA over 7.00).

For the second part, I want to begin with a somewhat arbitrary list of the best closers over the past 15 seasons -- those who did it year after year, the kind of closer you'd be theoritically comfortable giving a long-term contract of around $40 million:

1. Mariano Rivera: Four World Series titles (plus one as a set-up guy).
2. Trevor Hoffman: Reached one World Series (lost).
3. Billy Wagner: Never reached World Series.
4. Joe Nathan: Never reached World Series.
5. Francisco Rodriguez: Won one World Series (as a set-up guy).
6. Jonathan Papelbon: Won one World Series.
7. Francisco Cordero: Never reached World Series (in fact, has never appeared in a postseason game).
8. Robb Nen: Reached two World Series, won one.
9. Troy Percival: Won one World Series (only year in postseason).
10. Armando Benitez: Reached one World Series (lost).

Leaving Rivera aside for a moment due to his one-of-a-kind status (and keep in mind he blew potential series-closing saves against the Indians in 1997, the Diamondbacks in 2001 and the Red Sox in 2004), here's the postseason record of the other nine guys: 40 saves, 25 blown saves. Even removing Benitez (a couple of his blown saves came as a set-up guy), you get 36 saves and 19 blown saves. In other words -- even the best closers have failed a third of the time in the postseason. There's no guarantee Madson would be any different from this group.

Now ... that doesn't mean you don't need or want a good closer to win a World Series. If we combine the regular-season statistics of the past 10 World Series champion closers, we get a 2.12 ERA with 261 saves and 25 blown saves. In the postseason, the 10 relievers went a combined 4-1, with a 1.26 ERA and 49 saves in 56 opportunities. This group of relievers were terrific during the regular season and pretty dominant in the postseason.

BUT ... the list includes two rookies, a midseason trade acquisition, a 24th-round draft pick and two converted minor league catchers. Closers can come from anywhere and World Series closers tend to be guys on a hot streak as much as a proven commodity. Here's the list of those 10:

2011 Cardinals: Jason Motte. Converted minor-league catcher. Became the team's third closer of the season in late August. Stats: 5-2, 2.25 ERA, 9 saves.

2010 Giants: Brian Wilson. A 24th-round draft pick who spent two years in middle relief and held on to his closer's job despite a 4.62 ERA in his first year in the position in 2008. Stats: 3-3, 1.81 ERA, 48 saves.

2009 Yankees: Mariano Rivera. The greatest closer of all time. Stats: 3-3, 1.76 ERA, 44 saves.

2008 Phillies: Brad Lidge. Acquired from Astros for prospect Michael Bourn. Stats: 2-0, 1.95 ERA, 41 saves.

2007 Red Sox: Jonathan Papelbon. Fourth-round pick, became the team's closer his first full season. Stats: 1-3, 1.85 ERA, 37 saves.

2006 Cardinals: Adam Wainwright. A rookie reliever pressed into closing games when veteran Jason Isringhausen became unavailable due to injury. Stats: 2-1, 3.12 ERA, 3 saves.

2005 White Sox: Bobby Jenks. Another rookie, he had six saves during the regular season after Dustin Hermanson was injured. Stats: 1-1, 2.75 ERA, 6 saves.

2004 Red Sox: Keith Foulke. A free-agent signing in 2004 after saving 43 games with the A's in 2003. Stats: 5-3, 2.17 ERA, 32 saves.

2003 Marlins: Ugueth Urbina. A midseason trade acquistion from the Rangers for a prospect named ... Adrian Gonzalez. Stats: 3-0, 1.41 ERA, 6 saves (with Marlins).

2002 Angels: Troy Percival. Veteran closer had converted from catcher in the minor leagues. Stats: 4-1, 1.92 ERA, 40 saves.

Does this mean the Phillies shouldn't sign Madson or the Red Sox shouldn't sign Papelbon? Not necessarily; I think the question is more: Is the money that would be spent for a good closer worth it? You need a good closer to win a World Series, but there's no guarantee your good closer will actually push you to a World Series title, if that makes sense. It's a little bit of a luck thing to a certain extent -- hope you get lucky and that a rookie steps up at the right time (Wainwright, Jenks) or that your good middle reliever elevates his game in October (Motte) or that your GM can make a deal if necessary (Urbina). Sometimes it's merely hoping that a guy who is consistent has the season of his life (Lidge).

Me? If money is an issue, I'd try and spend the $40 million in other places.

Follow David Schoenfield on Twitter @dschoenfield.

Baseball issues positive and negative were certainly on display for Keith Law and me as we enjoyed Thursday’s Baseball Today podcast. Here are some of the topics:

1. It was a Giant win in Atlanta, but can the defending champs overcome the bullpen injuries? Speaking of the Braves, their rotation depth is discussed.

2. Look, not every outing for the great Stephen Strasburg will be dominating, but KLaw tries to put expectations in check.

3. The Kansas City Royals have decided on their right fielder for the next few seasons, but is Jeff Francoeur the right choice?

4. The Cardinals may or may not be contenders still, but their catcher and former center fielder are topics for the emailers.

5. It’s a somewhat limited Thursday schedule, but it’s full of aces. So naturally we turned our attention to a young pitcher with ace upside and his innings limit.

Plus: Excellent emails, rooting for Dustin McGowan, the strange case of Mike Jacobs, more RBIs and runs talk -- we can’t get enough! -- and a ton more on a packed Thursday Baseball Today. Download now!

The creators of Twitter intended for their product to revolutionize communication. News could be consumed seconds after it broke; the article was cast aside in favor of the headline. Twitter would be a stream of pure information doubling as both a news source and a social network.

The creators of Twitter, however, did not intend for their product to serve as a potent connection between fans and the athletes they alternately adore and despise.

Fans are constantly trying to connect with athletes. We are curious to discover the man behind the .270 batting average. For a long time, the fan had only two methods of connection: She might ask for an autograph at a game, or she might hope for a chance encounter outside of the ballpark. The former entails a clipped, impersonal exchange while the latter is very unlikely to happen. By no means do athletes intentionally shy away from contact with fans; it’s just that contact with fans can be really impractical. [A Sports Illustrated article claimed that Joe Mauer responded to every fan letter he received, but I can’t imagine that he actually did.]

Professional athletes frequently have places to be and things to do that preclude them from reaching out to their faithful. The remedy, as Jason Mraz astutely points out, is a dangerous liaison. If somehow, someway, athletes could publicly convey semi-personal information in a quick and easy manner, the fan’s appetite for connection might be satiated.

Enter Twitter, and the connection is made. Using this technology, we can reply to and pass judgment on David Aardsma’s updates. We can find out where Jason Heyward’s political affiliations lie. We discover marital problems, anecdotes and religious convictions. All David Price has to do to satisfy the Rays’ faithful is type in anything along the lines of, “So I was just asked since I'm left handed do I drive with my left foot....???” The comment isn’t especially funny in itself, but it gains something from being attached to David Price’s name.

In a way, athlete’s tweets are no different from the “Celebrities: they’re just like us” section of any gossip magazine. We could logically assume that Nick Swisher drinks Starbucks coffee, but the Twitter-delivered confirmation makes us all giddy for some reason. Nick Swisher drinks Starbucks coffee? So do I! That’s exciting!

But Twitter doesn’t just connect fans to their favorite players. It fosters a phenomenon that can be loosely termed “irrational affection.” Ryan Rowland-Smith pitched incredibly poorly for the Mariners in 2010, but the fan base adored him for his earnest tweets and unyielding optimism. As someone who covers baseball without interacting directly with the men who play the game, I am frequently tempted to rant about the players who don’t do their jobs particularly well. But I could never bring myself to badmouth the Aussie, despite his sky-high ERA. More recently, A’s righty Brandon McCarthy has shown his personality to be a lovely mixture of clever and cynical through his amusing tweets; I find myself rooting for him despite my full-fledged allegiance to the Mariners. From a purely logical standpoint, this doesn’t make sense. Why would anyone favor a mediocre player (in the case of Rowland-Smith) over a good player? Why would droll 140-character updates from a member of my team’s division rivals make me like him?

Twitter has given fans a vehicle to root for players as human beings rather than as characterless objects, numerical fractions of a team. It’s easier to relate to an athlete when you know he guzzles Red Bull en masse. Twitter might not truly connect fans and their heroes in an intellectually meaningful way, but it’s a big first step. And, feasibly, there might not be a bigger step possible.

I think Brian Wilson put it best when he tweeted, “The Tux. Made of reproduced underwater sea lion-platypus hybrid DNA. Just keeping it classy! #fearthespandex”. That might not have anything to do with the rest of this article, but it makes me happy that Brian Wilson is a bizarre, fascinating human being as well as a great closer. That is the power of Twitter.

Taylor Halperin contributes to Pro Ball NW, the Mariners' corner of the SweetSpot network.

Despite everything that is so wrong about it, I still like the All-Star Game. Maybe it’s the fan in me that still remembers the 1987 game, when Seattle’s Mark Langston came on and pitched two perfect innings with three strikeouts, causing Vin Scully to exclaim something like, “This kid is something else!”

Every fan of every team has a memory like that. Maybe it’s Hank Blalock ruining Eric Gagne's perfect season in 2003 with his pinch-hit, go-ahead two-run homer in the eighth inning. Or George Sherrill's 2 1/3 scoreless innings for the AL in the 15-inning marathon in 2008. Or Carl Crawford's defense in 2009 that snared him MVP honors.

Is it a glorified exhibition game? Or a game that is supposed to matter? It’s both, of course, and while that isn’t a clear answer, it’s what we have.

I do know this: I’m going to do a running diary of the game.

Pregame introductions

Random notes from the most underrated part of the All-Star broadcast -- the opportunity to see who is the Royals representative this year.

• Nice ovations for White Sox Paul Konerko, from Scottsdale, and Carlos Quentin, who began his career with the Diamondbacks. And you thought Diamondbacks fans don’t know their baseball.
• Cliff Lee manages to not smile during pregame warmups. This is just slightly less shocking than Derek Jeter sending out a Tweet that says, “Actually, I just wanted to spend a few days in Atlantic City.”
• The Dodgers are so irrelevant, the fans can’t even muster up the energy to boo a division rival. The Giants players get booed loudly, however, although not as loudly as the Yankees players.
• Tyler Clippard? Who let my accountant into the All-star Game?!?
• I’m happy for AL starter Jered Weaver, who has been underrated throughout his career, had a great season last year that went largely unrecognized and has arguably outpitched Justin Verlander this year only to see Verlander get much of the attention.

First inning

Asdrubal Cabrera goes down on strikes. Jeter could have done that and it would have been more controversial!

Fox shows Brian Wilson introducing some of the NL lineup. For Carlos Beltran, he mentions trade rumors involving the Giants and the Mets right fielder. “Come on over,” Wilson says. I think he just got fined $100,000 for tampering.

Second inning

Jose Bautista swings at the first pitch and pops out to shallow center field. Josh Hamilton grounds softly to third base. Joe Buck goes back to Bautista and points out that Bautista was with five organizations in June of 2004. Adrian Beltre flies to deep right on a 2-2 pitch. Roy Halladay's half innings don’t last as long as the commercial breaks.

Red Sox Nation just had a collective heart attack when Buck announced Josh Beckett was supposed to enter in the bottom of the second inning but tweaked his knee warming up. AL skipper Ron Washington is forced to bring in Yankees reliever David Robertson.

My question: Why couldn’t Weaver go two innings? Back in the day, All-Star starters were MEN and pitched THREE innings. I blame the parents.

With one out, Lance Berkman singles sharply up the middle. I’m enjoying Berkman’s bounce-back season. (“Comeback” doesn’t seem quite like the right word.) Berkman’s been a terrific player for a long time, never quite recognized as a superstar by the mainstream media, even though he was on that level. He seems to be getting more attention this year than ever before. Funny how baseball works sometimes.

Tim McCarver just tried to compare Robertson to Mariano Rivera.

Matt Holliday takes a 3-2 fastball down the middle and Berkman slides off the bag on a stolen base attempt for a double play. You know there isn’t much offense anymore in baseball when Berkman is running in an All-Star Game. He had zero steals on the season. Robertson has one of the best K rates in the majors, so either Bruce Bochy just made one of the worst decisions in All-Star history or Berkman decided to go on his own. I’m 99 percent sure Berkman is probably to blame.

Third inning

After Lee cruises through a 1-2-3 third, Michael Pineda comes on. Not sure it’s a good sign for the AL that its second and third pitchers used are guys who weren’t on the roster. (Not that Robertson and Pineda are slouches. By the way … I wonder if Rafael Soriano is watching the game.) As a Mariners fan, this is where you hope your guy isn’t the one to blow it. For most of the country, I’m sure it’s the time they’re seeing the big rookie pitch. He’s calm and cool, and blows away Scott Rolen and Rickie Weeks with nasty sliders. As Vin Scully might say, “This kid is something else!”

Fourth inning

Hunter Pence and Justin Upton enter. Glad to see Holliday and Berkman made it through three innings. Maybe Bochy is a little ticked at that botched hit-and-run.

Adrian Gonzalez breaks up the NL’s perfect game with a two-out home run to right-center. That equals the number of runs Lee allowed all of June. After Prince Fielder misplays Bautista’s pop-up into a single, Hamilton singles to center. Bochy goes to the pen to bring in Nationals reliever Clippard to face Beltre. This could be one of the key at-bats of the game. So Buck decides he needs to thank Brad Pitt for narrating the opening of the broadcast.

Beltre lines a sharp single to left, Pence rifles a perfect throw to nail Bautista easily at the plate. Pence, by the way, has never played left field in the majors. Cheer proudly, Astros fans. I’d make a joke how that could be the highlight of their season, but I don’t think that’s really a joke.

C.J. Wilson enters for the AL. I think Washington should try and get two innings out of one of these starters. His watered-down pitching isn’t as deep on paper as the NL staff and the more pitchers he uses the more likely one of them will blow up.

Beltran reaches on an infield hit to Cabrera and Matt Kemp lines a single to left to put two on with no outs for Fielder and Brian McCann. Wilson is tough on lefties, so he’s still a good bet to escape the jam. Yes, that’s a prediction.

Well, I was wrong. Prince blasts a home run off the top of the wall in left-center. I think his free-agent contract this winter just went up another $5 million. Wilson had allowed two home runs to left-hander in 253 at-bats over the past two years. Credit for Prince for a terrific at-bat. No offense to Wilson, who is a good pitcher, but the “Sunday rule” needs to go. No Verlander, no CC Sabathia, no Felix Hernandez, no James Shields for the AL. But the game counts!

Fifth inning

Angels rookie Jordan Walden gives up a run on Andre Ethier's RBI single. NL takes a 4-1 lead. It’s going to be tough for the AL to come back in this one. Since Bochy was actually trying to, you know, win the game, he used Halladay and Lee for 11 outs. He has Clayton Kershaw and then Jair Jurrjens for the fifth and sixth innings and then he’ll be able to mix and match his relievers over the final three innings as needed to get the best matchups. Big strategic edge in this one to Bochy, although to be fair he had more horses to work with than Washington.

Sixth inning

Jurrjens sails through the top of the sixth. In the bottom of the frame, Yadier Molina hits a two-out double off his former battery mate, Chris Perez. Now that’s the All-Star matchup fans were waiting to see.

Seventh inning

Bochy still has Jonny Venters, Craig Kimbrel, Heath Bell, Joel Hanrahan and Wilson available to him, with starters Tim Lincecum, Kevin Correia and Ryan Vogelsong available if the game goes extra innings. It will be interesting to see if Bochy saves his own guy Wilson for the ninth, considering his struggles of late -- he’s allowed runs in four of his past six appearances.

Bochy ends up leaving Jurrjens in for a second inning, with Braves teammate Kimbrel warming up. Love Bochy’s handling of his staff in this game. After Kevin Youkilis singles with two outs, Konerko is announced as the pinch-hitter for David Ortiz. Bochy goes to the pen to bring in Kimbrel. Of course, it would actually make more sense to leave in Ortiz to face Jurrjens or Kimbrel, both righties. But of course, Washington is more concerned with getting everybody in the game instead of winning. At least it’s just a glorified exhibition game.

Commerical airs for the “Moneyball” movie out in September. I can’t wait to see who plays Jeremy Giambi.

Kimbrel walks Konerko on a 3-2 slider. You’re up three runs. You throw 98. Hmm. Kendrick up as the tying run. Good thing Robinson Cano isn’t in the game anymore. Kendrick fouls off a couple two-strike pitches before bouncing out to second.

Here’s what I hate about the way managers manage the All-Star Game these days. They have the starters and then the backup at each position. The starters get their two at-bats and then in come the backups. I’d leave the starters in longer, giving you more pinch-hitting options in the late innings. Yes, that may actually mean some of the players may not get into the game. Gonzalez and Bautista should get at least three at-bats -- if not more. They’re the best hitters in the American League.

Brandon League is pitching and I'm getting bored. I look up the slowest player to ever steal a base in an All-Star Game. You won't believe this: It may be Berkman! He stole a base in 2002. He may not actually be the slowest; he does have 82 career steals after all. It could be Robert Fick, who stole a base in 2002 as well. And, yes, I just wanted to get Robert Fick into this writeup.

Eighth inning

I’m not sure if this string of AL pitchers is the least exciting group in All-Star history. In 1996, the AL used just five guys, but they were Charles Nagy, Chuck Finley, Roger Pavlik, Troy Percival and Roberto Hernandez. As a kid, I attended the 1979 contest in Seattle. The AL started Nolan Ryan, but then used Bob Stanley, Mark Clear, Jim Kern and Ron Guidry (for one out). By the way, the only other pitchers on that AL squad were Tommy John, Dave Lemanczyk, Sid Monge and Don Stanhouse. Wow, that has to be the worst All-Star pitching staff ever assembled.

Ninth inning

Pirates reliever Joel Hanrahan in to close it out for the NL. He’s 26-for-26 this season. Not bad for a guy once released by the Dodgers. Of course, Gagne was perfect in 2003! You never know! OK, I’m trying to act excited. Michael Young strikes out. Starlin Castro just bounces a throw in the dirt, allowing Quentin to reach base. Yes, that sums up the Cubs season pretty well. Matt Joyce singles to right on a 3-1 pitch, the NL throws the ball around like a bunch of Little Leaguers ... and Bochy goes to the mound! In comes The Beard!

Did I mention Wilson has allowed runs in four of his past six appearances? Yes I did! AL needs one runner to bring the tying to the plate. Of course, Michael Cuddyer then swings at the first pitch and flies to right field. Two outs. Konerko takes a strikes, misses a slider away, works the count to 2-2, fouls off a pitch and then grounds out to Castro, who makes the throw this time.

Yay, Cubs. Yay, Fielder, the obvious MVP. Yay, National League. Home-field advantage is yours. Let's hope we actually get a seven-game World Series this year.

And Clippard gets the win. Without retiring a batter. Put that one in the record books of the weird.

As always, plenty to talk about in the wonderful world of baseball. Topics ranged from Adrian Gonzalez to Jair Jurrjens to Josh Tomlin to Jose Bautista to Brandon Belt to baseball's best closers. The question came up in relation to Atlanta rookie closer Craig Kimbrel. I suggested he might be a top-3 closer already ... and I'll stick to that. Here are my top five closers right now:

1. Mariano Rivera, Yankees: Had a couple hiccups, but still has a WHIP under 1.00 and hasn't allowed a home run.

2. Jonathan Papelbon, Red Sox: He struggled with location last season, but he seems back on his game with a 21/2 SO/BB ratio in 16 2/3 innings.

3. Craig Kimbrel, Braves: With 34 K's in 20 2/3 innings, his strikeout rate leads closers (even better than Carlos Marmol). The control isn't precise (10 walks), but he's dominating right now.

4. Drew Storen, Nationals: He looks like the real deal with a 0.71 WHIP, 1 HR in 23 innings and a 19/5 SO/BB ratio.

5. Neftali Feliz, Rangers: Injured earlier and a little rusty coming back, but should be fine once he gets in gear.

Worth considering: Brian Wilson, Giants (not as dominant this year, but worked very heavily last season); Heath Bell, Padres (benefits from home park); Joakim Soria, Royals (hasn't been as overpowering so far); Marmol, Cubs (unhittable, but still wild); Ryan Madson, Phillies (looking good so far).

Top five reasons why Thursday's Baseball Today podcast , hosted by myself and the energetic Mark Simon, is a can't-miss:

1. The played some of a baseball game in Arlington, Texas, Wednesday, but it didn't count. But stuff did happen! Which players should be happy ... and sad?

2. Not a bad season debut for Chicago White Sox right-hander Jake Peavy. We discuss some of the players we're rooting for, including Peavy.

3. Which current pitcher would be the best at darts? OK, I'm serious. Simon's got the answer.

4. Eric Hosmer wasn't the only impressive Kansas City Royals player at Yankee Stadium Wednesday, and the Yankees did something they had never done in their history in that game.

5. Who are the best hitters on fastballs of varying speeds ... some interesting names top the list.

Also: Excellent emails, discussing sample sizes and closers getting wins; Simon says Bill Gallo impacted his youth; we discuss shortstop defense, a very famous Yankee turns 86 and the immortal Kenny Greer, all on Thursday's Baseball Today!

The Minnesota Twins and Boston Red Sox battled for 11 innings on Monday night, and in the end, Carl Crawford’s double high off the Green Monster plated Jose Iglesias with the winning run in a 2-1 victory.

Twins manager Ron Gardenhire, apparently waiting to take the lead before using closer Matt Capps, and not wanting to use Joe Nathan on back-to-back days, was left with somebody named Jim Hoey on the mound. With one out, Hoey walked Jed Lowrie -- not necessarily a surprise since Hoey walked 34 in 52 2/3 innings in the minors last season. Iglesias came in as a pinch-runner and Crawford hit a 3-2 pitch off the wall.

We’re going to see a lot of games like that this season: low-scoring affairs decided in the late innings. With scoring down, games will be tight, and with close games, late-inning bullpen work may be more important than ever. And if you’re relying on Jim Hoey in tie games, chances are you may be 12-21.

Let’s do a quick overview of the state of 'pens around baseball.

Three best bullpens on contenders

1. San Francisco Giants: The unheralded secret weapon of last year’s champs, the bullpen has picked up where it left off, with Javier Lopez, Sergio Romo, Ramon Ramirez and Guillermo Mota throwing lights-out. Closer Brian Wilson blew his first save chance but has since converted 11 in a row, despite a little wildness. The team has lefty-righty balance, with lefties Jeremy Affeldt and Dan Runzler adding solid depth.

2. Florida Marlins: Several arms were added to the Marlins' 'pen after last season’s shaky performance and so far they have a 2.59 relief ERA, second only to San Diego’s. I believe in this group, although stellar setup man Clay Hensley was just placed on the DL with a bruised rib. Closer Leo Nunez appeared in 17 of the team’s first 32 games, so watch his usage carefully.

3. New York Yankees: Yes, Mariano Rivera had that little burp, but he’s back on track. Setup man Rafael Soriano has struggled, but I project he’ll turn it around. Joba Chamberlain is throwing better than he has in years, and underrated David Robertson has one of the nastiest curves you’ll see. The 'pen has allowed just five home runs in 95 innings. The big question is whether Boone Logan will prove to be a reliable lefty in the absence of Pedro Feliciano.

Bullpen doing it with smoke and mirrors right now

Tampa Bay Rays: The Rays have a 2.69 bullpen ERA, third-best in the majors, and have allowed opponents a .203 batting average. They’ve allowed just 61 hits in 87 innings despite a poor 51/34 strikeout/walk ratio. Some of that is attributable to their defense, but the low strikeout rate means that .203 average will be difficult to maintain. And maybe you believe in Kyle Farnsworth more than I do.

Three bullpens I’m worried about

1. Texas Rangers: The Rangers will be fine at closer once Neftali Feliz returns, but the rest of the ‘pen looks shaky, as it has allowed 16 home runs in just 94 innings and has a poor 66/43 strikeout/walk ratio. Forty-somethings Darren Oliver and Arthur Rhodes are looking more their age and have surrendered three home runs apiece, and Darren O'Day is on the 60-day DL with a torn labrum in his hip.

2. Detroit Tigers: The team’s best reliever has been Al Alburquerque, and with a name like that, he'd better be good, because we want him to last a long time. Closer Jose Valverde is always a tightrope, but the rest of the setup crew, including high-priced free agent Joaquin Benoit, has looked inconsistent.

3. Milwaukee Brewers: Brewers relievers already have nine defeats. They have a few good arms in closer John Axford and Zach Braddock and Brandon Kintzler, but control issues have been a problem so far and lack of depth could be an issue.

Two awesome bullpens if you only need two guys

1. Atlanta Braves: Craig Kimbrel and Jonny Venters are dominant (and Eric O'Flaherty provides a nice third guy). We’ll have to see whether Venters holds up after pitching 79 games and 83 innings last year, but so far he’s been even better than he was in 2010, with a 0.70 WHIP.

2. Boston Red Sox: Daniel Bard’s raw numbers are great (well, except that 0-3 record, which is not exactly a non-important notation). Jonathan Papelbon is back with an 18/2 strikeout/walk ratio. But new acquisitions Bobby Jenks and Dan Wheeler have been disastrous, leaving a gaping hole after the top two.

Bullpen that may actually be OK

St. Louis Cardinals: The Cards are tied with the Brewers with nine bullpen losses, three by deposed closer Ryan Franklin. And while the team may not have a set closer (Fernando Salas has the role for now), there are some good arms here. Jason Motte, Mitchell Boggs and rookie Eduardo Sanchez all average more than 93 mph with their fastballs, and Salas throws strikes. Mix in LOOGYs Trever Miller and Brian Tallet, and I think Tony La Russa will figure out roles that turn this into one of the better 'pens in the NL.

PHOTO OF THE DAY

Our friends at The Platoon Advantage waxed poetic the other day about Royals reliever Tim Collins, prompting them to come up with the all-time all-tall team and the all-time all-short team. It's not just a list of the tallest (or shortest) players, because they went position-by-position. For example, who is the best tall shortstop or second baseman ever? Read on!

• The Platoon Advantage: All-time tall team
• The Platoon Advantage: All-time tiny team

Other links to check out

• It's About the Money takes a look at 2011 payrolls. The Yankees (shocker!) are No. 1, followed by the Phillies (the new bully on the block), Red Sox, Angels (surprising) and White Sox (just ahead of the Cubs). These payrolls are from USA Today, which calculates based only on Opening Day rosters, so the Mets' figure ($118.8 million) doesn't include the $12 million for Oliver Perez or the $6.25 million for Luis Castillo. The Rays are next-to-last; no wonder they're 0-5!
• Gordon Edes writes on another Red Sox loss. Will fans boo when the Red Sox return home?
• Don't miss Jim Caple's fun look at rejected MLB promotions.
• Eric Karabell checks out Wednesday's action, including Brian Wilson's 2011 debut, in Box Score Bits.
• Joe Torre on Mike & Mike discussing his new role for MLB, instant replay and the Red Sox.
• Tim Kurkjian also on Mike & Mike talking about the Red Sox and other baseball stuff.
• Buster Olney sends in a video on Michael Pineda and what he means for the Mariners.

Follow David Schoenfield on Twitter at @dschoenfield. Follow the SweetSpot blog at @espn_sweet_spot.

OK, it's time to settle one of the most important debates of the 2011 season: Who has the best hair?

Beards seem to be the in thing, as I haven't seen this many beards since Glenn Hubbard, Bruce Sutter and Gene Garber played for the '85 Braves. I've yet to see another player attempt the Brian Wilson dye job, however. I've selected several of the expected candidates (scroll down for all the photos before voting in the poll). Let me know who I've missed in the comments section and we'll revisit the topic with a future post.

The candidates:

Bronson Arroyo, Reds: In the past, Arroyo has worn cornrows, gone short, sported a goatee, and grown long, wavy locks. This season he has a straight mullet that makes him look like he should be lacing up his skates for the 1985 Edmonton Oilers.

John Axford and Casey McGehee: I'm giving these teammates a dual entry nod, kind of like a Kentucky Derby trainer having two horses. Axford wears the 1890s-style mustache and soul patch while McGee has gone with the mountain man beard/shaved head combo.

Manny Ramirez: He didn't cut the dreadlocks over the winter. All that hair must cut down on his bat speed. No wonder he's not as good as he used to be.

Jayson Werth: He's back with the beard and long flowing locks.

Brian Wilson: Can he be dethroned? Maybe you're tired of the beard schtick? Should Tim Lincecum have been in the poll? Does Joba Chamberlain have potential?

And now a look through the Senior Circuit injury wire.

Chris Coghlan and Mike Stanton, Marlins: Coghlan is suffering from right shoulder tendinitis but is expected to start on Opening Day and will monitor his throwing carefully. Stanton missed much of spring with a quadriceps strain but returned last Friday and hit two home runs.

Mets: Where to begin? Jason Bay could now begin on the DL with a rib-cage discomfort, after missing two games recently with back stiffness. The Mets appear committed to Carlos Beltran as their Opening Day right fielder. He played a minor league game over the weekend and went 0-for-5 with three strikeouts and had a double and triple hit over his head. Backup catcher Ronny Paulino could be headed to the DL with stomach issues. Johan Santana hopes to pitch sometime this season.

Chase Utley, Phillies: You've been following this one. Nobody knows when he'll be ready ... if it all, although he said Monday a goal is to return before the All-Star break.

Brad Lidge, Phillies: Lidge will undergo an MRI today to see if there is structural damage in his shoulder. He'll start on the DL, with Ryan Madson taking over as closer.

Placido Polanco, Phillies: He missed two weeks with a hyperextended elbow but is back and apparently OK.

Adam LaRoche, Nationals: He has a slight tear in his rotator cuff but will rehab and play through it.

Johnny Cueto and Homer Bailey, Reds: Cueto has shoulder inflammation and Bailey has shoulder impingement and both begin the season on the DL (along with backup outfielder Fred Lewis, who has a strained oblique). Cueto has resumed playing catch and Bailey is expected to miss two starts. Mike Leake and Sam LeCure join the rotation, although the Reds don't need a fifth starter the first turn through the rotation.

Clint Barmes and Jason Castro, Astros: Castro is out for the season after tearing up his knee (and now catcher J.R. Towles has a balky back). Barmes is out 4-6 weeks and the Astros just acquired Joe Inglett to help with infield depth.

Zack Greinke and Shaun Marcum, Brewers:: Marcum missed a start with a stiff right shoulder but threw four pain-free innings on Monday. Greinke just started playing catch after suffering a fractured rib playing basketball. A late April return appears to be the goal.

Corey Hart, Brewers: Hart is aiming for a mid-April return from a strained rib-cage muscle. The Brewers just acquired Nyjer Morgan for outfield depth.

Chris Snyder, Pirates: The catcher's bad back will likely land him on the DL, leaving the Pirates with Ryan Doumit and Jason Jaramillo behind the plate.

Adam Wainwright, Cardinals: He's out for the season following Tommy John surgery, with Kyle McClellan taking his spot in the rotation.

J.J. Putz, Diamondbacks: A stiff back has limited Putz in Cactus League action, but he's still hoping to be Arizona's closer come Opening Day.

Ian Stewart, Rockies: He's missed time with a right knee sprain and left Monday's game with a tight hamstring, but said he isn't concerned. The Rockies traded for Josh Fields as insurance and have Ty Wigginton and Jose Lopez on the roster.

Jon Garland, Casey Blake and Dioner Navarro, Dodgers: Garland suffered a strained oblique early in spring training and just getting back to building up his arm strength. He'll need a couple weeks. Blake has back inflammation and will begin the season on the DL. Jamey Carroll is around to fill in (or Juan Uribe will shift to third with Carroll playing second). Backup catcher Navarro is also expected to start on the DL with a strained oblique.

Mat Latos, Padres: Latos has bursitis in his right shoulder and heads to the DL. Keep tabs on this one as the Padres will undoubtedly be cautious with the young ace.

Brian Wilson and Cody Ross, Giants: Wilson has a strained oblique and likely to begin on the DL, but could be activated as soon as April 5. Bruce Bochy hasn't announced his backup closer plans. Playoff hero Ross is on the DL with a calf strain and could miss three weeks. Nate Schierholtz could take his place or rookie Brandon Belt could play first base with Aubrey Huff moving to the outfield.

Follow David Schoenfield on Twitter at @dschoenfield. Follow the SweetSpot blog at @espn_sweet_spot.

Finally, our NL West preseason All-Stars. Vote, debate, argue, call me names, call me a genius. But have fun while doing. Don't miss our other divisions: NL East, NL Central, AL East, AL Central and AL West.

Catcher -- Buster Posey, Giants. Had a monster July (.417, 1.195 OPS), tailed off in August and hit .233 in September but with eight home runs. I expect him to settle in as an All-Star for the next 10 seasons or so with a chance to win an MVP Award if that Pujols guy ever slows down.

First base -- Brandon Belt, Giants. Going out on a limb here, but I think Belt ends up with 500 PAs by the end of the season, with Aubrey Huff moving to the outfield. Todd Helton? Brad Hawpe? James Loney? Belt will outproduce those guys if he plays. Russell Branyan could have a nice year in the desert, but he's likely to be platooned and is a big injury risk.

Second base -- Kelly Johnson, Diamondbacks. People view Johnson's 2010 as a fluke, but it wasn't that much better than his 2007 and '08 seasons in Atlanta once you adjust for park context. He won't hit 26 home runs again, but I give him the slight edge over the good-field, mediocre bat duo of Orlando Hudson and Freddy Sanchez.

Third base -- Pablo Sandoval, Giants. Sandoval, Ian Stewart and Chase Headley had similar results last year. Headley is the best defensive player of the trio, Stewart struggles against lefties, and Kung Fu was a big huge disappointment. But I feel our man will bounce back. Baseball Prospectus projects a .307/.358/.491 line.

Shortstop -- Troy Tulowitzki, Rockies. A popular MVP candidate with good reason. He finished fifth in the voting a year ago despite missing 40 games, and won his first Gold Glove. Sure, the home park inflates his numbers a bit, but he still hit .291/.358/.504 on the road, Ruthian numbers for a shortstop these days.

Left field -- Carlos Gonzalez, Rockies. Anybody want Jay Gibbons here? Much was made of Gonzalez's big home/road split in 2010 (.380/.425/.737 versus .289/.322/.453), but this group is so weak that even that .289/.322/.453 line might rank No. 1.

Center field -- Chris Young, Diamondbacks. Andres Torres was the No. 1 guy here last year, with a surprising year at the plate and superb defense. This is a fun position. You can make the case the division title could rest in the hands of which center field has the best season: Torres, Matt Kemp or Dexter Fowler. (Not to completely discount the Padres or Diamondbacks, but I guess I just did.) Even if Kemp rebounds at the plate, his shaky defense means Young is the guy I'll take.

Right field -- Justin Upton, Diamondbacks. Andre Ethier is a terrific hitter (at least against righties) but not in Upton's league as a defender. It's easy to forget that Upton will spend most of the 2011 season at 23. I expect a season akin to his 2009 ... and maybe better.

Right-handed starter -- Ubaldo Jimenez, Rockies. He wasn't as effective in the second half after going 10-1 with only seven runs allowed over his first 11 starts, but this is still a guy who allowed a .311 slugging percentage despite pitching half his games in Coors Field. On the road, he held hitters to a .184/.286/.278 line. And that's why I have to apologize to Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain and Mat Latos.

Left-handed starter -- Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers. The gloves came off a bit last season as he topped 200 innings for the first time. His strikeout did decline a bit in the second half, but he maintained his overall effectiveness as his walk rate also improved. Nasty stuff, fun to watch, and a Cy Young contender.

Closer -- Brian Wilson, Giants. He might miss Opening Day, but he should be fine to put up another big season. The only pause is his workload: 80 games and more than 86 innings between the regular season and playoffs.