The 2012 All-Star experience means different things to the four members of the Chicago White Sox who earned the honor to be here, but they share the satisfaction of representing a first-place ballclub on a high-profile stage.

Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig was given a grand tour of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum on Monday afternoon. The Commissioner took it all in with a look of wonder as Bob Kendrick, museum president and caretaker, delivered rare nuggets and pearls of wisdom.

A new age of Pirates baseball appears to have arrived, and the symbols of the ballclub's renaissance were on display on the eve of Tuesday's All-Star Game. Sitting at adjacent tables, center fielder Andrew McCutchen and closer Joel Hanrahan smiled as they discussed the season that is developing along the Allegheny River.

The Angels are well represented amid the All-Star Game festivities, with Jered Weaver, C.J. Wilson and Mark Trumbo in attendance. But it was rookie senation Mike Trout who soaked up the vast majority of the attention during Monday's media session.

Not since the Royals won the 1985 World Series have the folks around Kansas City been so excited about a baseball bash. But that was 27 years ago. Time for another big event. Welcome to the 2012 All-Star Game, a huge rodeo for the place that some residents fondly call Cowtown.

Few pitchers are generating more trade buzz this season than Felix Hernandez, the Mariners' lone All-Star in Kansas City. But the ace right-hander wants to remain in Seattle to help the franchise turn the corner.

Yu Darvish left Japan with something to prove. In his final news conference in front of his fans last winter, Darvish said he wanted to pitch in the Major Leagues so he could show Japanese players are as good as anybody in the world. On Monday, he joined many of the best players in the world at the Major League Baseball All-Star Game.

In a wide-ranging discussion before fans at All-Star FanFest on Monday, Commissioner Bud Selig said that at its core, Major League Baseball's popularity is predicated on the fact that “people love the game, love the sport and love what it's doing.”

Separated in age by nearly a decade and having advanced down contrasting career paths, Fernando Rodney and David Price were embracing the same experience on Monday.

Tony La Russa has filled out what is likely to be his final lineup card, and as anyone who's followed La Russa's career could have guessed, it contains a couple of interesting twists, namely Matt Cain as the starting pitcher and Carlos Gonzalez leading off.

Originally a Draft pick of the Royals, American League All-Star manager Ron Washington is in charge of a loaded lineup and hopes his return to Kansas City results in an AL victory and, hopefully, home-field advantage for the Rangers in the World Series.

What we watched Sunday at Kaufman Stadium at the great, fun event known as the Futures Game gave us more reasons to believe the sport is steaming forward with a cast of talent.

Justin Verlander of the Tigers and Matt Cain of the Giants will be the starting pitchers in Tuesday night's All-Star Game in Kansas City.

Heeding their manager's call for a merciless attack, the U.S. Team broke out the big sticks on Sunday. The U.S., helmed by Royals legend George Brett, dropped a relentless offensive assault on a string of World Team pitchers on the way to a 17-5 rout in the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game at Kauffman Stadium.

After struggling most of the first half, Brian McCann is starting to heat up at the plate. The Braves catcher entered Sunday's first-half finale against the Phillies with a homer and at least two RBIs in three straight games.

The Marlins called Giancarlo Stanton's knee surgery a success. Now, it's the recovery process the team will be closely watching.

The Toronto Blue Jays RBI youth baseball team this weekend became the first international club to participate in the the Jr. RBI Classic.