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Roger Mooney

Roger Mooney covers the Tampa Bay Rays for The Tampa Tribune, TBO.com and News Channel 8. He has covered the Rays since their first season in 1998, including 11 years for the Bradenton Herald. Roger has also covered Florida, South Florida and Florida State football, the Bucs and the Lightning.

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Crawford, Longo and Price headed to All-Star Game

Posted Jul 4, 2010 by Roger Mooney

Updated Jul 4, 2010 at 01:44 PM

David Price makes his first All-Star team in his first full year in the major leagues

ROGER MOONEY
MINNEAPOLIS Evan Longoria is heading home for the All-Star Game, and Carl Crawford and David Price are going with him.

Longoria and Crawford were voted to the American League starting squad which will face the National League on July 13 at Angel Stadium in Anaheim. Price, who leads the American League in wins (11) and ERA (2.42) was selected by the players.

“It was a good thing to hear. It started my day off right,” Price said. “It’s not just me. I’m representing the Rays. I couldn’t have done it without these guys.”

This is the fourth All-Star Game for Crawford, the MVP of last year’s All-Star Game in St. Louis, and the first time he was voted in by the fans.

“That means a whole lot,” Crawford said. “That means the fans are watching. They vote for who they want to see and that means they want to see you play. I’m just glad I can have the kind of game the fans want to see.”

Longoria, who grew up in nearby Long Beach, was voted as the American League’s starting third baseman for the second consecutive year. A finger injury prevented him from playing last year.

This is his third straight All-Star Game. Longoria made the 2008 squad as a rookie when he finished first in The Final Vote.

The Rays have never had a starter in the All-Star Game. Jose Canseco was voted as the DH in 1999 but missed that game because of back surgery.

Providing Crawford and Longoria remain healthy, the Rays will have two starters – three if Price is selected as the starting pitcher.

“That would be awesome,” he said. “Only two people get to start this game every year. It would be a great honor to start that. I’m grateful just to go.”

Rays closer Rafael Soriano, who has converted 20 of 21 save opportunities, did not make the squad.

“I also believe Soriano definitely should be on this team,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said. “I know it’s not easy to choose an all-star team, I’ve gone through it. But this guy is really 100 percent. He has one blown save according to the category, and that’s because I brought him in the eighth inning with runners on first and third and nobody out and that’s how he gets a blown save, which I think is totally just unfair. It should not even be considered a blown save. So, other than that, he’s 110 percent. Without him we’re not eve3n close to being where we are right now. And furthermore, I think his body of work is as good or better than any closer in the American League this year, so that’s the one I’d like to see be rectified and he make the team.”

Soriano could make the team should a spot open up on the pitching staff.

Jeff Niemann, who has a 2.80 ERA, had an outside shot of making the team but his 6-2 record cost him a spot on the team.

This is the third consecutive year the Rays have had multiple All-Stars.

Longoria, Dioner Navarro and Scott Kazmir played in the 2008 game at Yankee Stadium.

Longoria, Crawford, Ben Zobrist, Jason Bartlett and Carlos Peña were members of the 2009 team, as were Rays manager Joe Maddon and the entire coaching staff, their reward for winning the 2008 American League pennant.

Crawford, who robbed Brad Hawpe of a home run in last year’s game to earn MVP honors, was asked what he would do for an encore.

“I don’t know. We’ll see,” he said. “When you’re starter you don’t got much time, so whatever I plan on doing I better do it quick.”