Beat That, NFL

I just watched the very moving opening ceremony at the All-Star game, and the only word I can think of is, "magic."

Did you hear the ovation for Josh Hamilton, who could have lost himself in the NYC hordes two days ago? Did your skin tingle when you saw Willie Mays, Bob Feller, Whitey Ford and the other 70+ Hall of Famers? How about that lump in your throat when Yogi teared up amid the adulation.

The moment that got me above the others was actually two -- when Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter took their places in the pantheon of greats on the field in the House That Ruth Built. Among all the active players arrayed on the field, only those two are sure to have their busts enshrined beside the very men next to whom they stood. (I suspect Manny will do so as well, and Albert will too, but not at DH.)

It's beyond cliche to note that the Mid-Summer Classic has no equal in sport. No other All-Star game matters.

More to the point, there is no sport like baseball. When was the last time a football game weakened your knees? Do the traditions of the NBA make your heart skip a beat? Can you name the last Stanley Cup winner? Do you reminisce about the golf event that your dad took you to?

Jim Bouton said, "you spend a good piece of your life gripping a baseball and in the end it turns out that it was the other way around all the time."