The only All-Star Game I ever attended was 1993’s in Baltimore, when the urinals were still new in Camden Yards. It was the game when Randy Johnson buzzed John Kruk’s head, in perhaps the lone case of documented mullet-envy. President Clinton attended the game, so snipers were stationed along the roof of the stadium. Tickets to the game were considered collectors items, so I was able to slip my unclipped ticket back through the bars of the stadium gates, to some drunken stranger who’d brazenly requested this of me. Inside the stadium, he returned the ticket, then disappeared into the crowd, and I recall thinking I’d performed my good deed for the year. During the game, I remember some ass clown sitting behind us, in one of the reserved boxes, accidentally dumping a beer on my brother-in-law’s shoulder. And I remember Mike Mussina, a young right-hander for the Baltimore Orioles, warming up in the bullpen late in the game, all for naught, because Toronto’ manager Cito Gaston never brought the hometown hero into the game, and that pissed off the Ball-more fans to no end.

Lately I’m reminded of the 1993 All-Star Game, because I wonder if Red Sox’ manager Terry Francona would pick Mike Mussina (now 15 years removed from his hometown shutout) as the starting pitcher in next month’s All-Star Game in the Bronx.

At this stage of the season, most observers seem to assume that Cleveland’s Cliff Lee is going to start the game for the American League; it doesn’t appear to be in question, though it should be. Lee became the AL’s first 10-game winner yesterday, but really, he did most of his great work in April and May, when half the league is still asleep and guys named Cliff are able to sneak up on people. Granted, Lee has compiled some impressive numbers to date: 10-1 record, 2.52 ERA, 1.073 WHIP. But over his last five starts, he has a 6.04 ERA and has allowed 52 baserunners in 28.1 innings. The thing is, the Indians have gone 4-1 in those starts, so it makes it look like ole Cliff is just chugging along with his Cy Young season. In truth, he peaked about a month ago. Mike Mussina, on the other hand, has been red hot following a dismal start.

In his first four starts of the season, Mussina was 1-3 with a 5.75 ERA, 3.1 K/9 and 5 home runs allowed. In his last 10 starts, he’s 8-1 with a 3.11 ERA, 5.7 K/9 and 5 home runs allowed. Is there a hotter pitcher in the American League right now? No. Is there an American League pitcher who deserves to start ahead of him in the All-Star Game? Probably not. Granted, the game’s not for a month, but All-Star selections are all about buzz and momentum, and while Cliff Lee has it right now (after beating up on Dontrelle and the Sisters of the Blind last night), Mike Mussina is right there. As a Sox fan, it pains me to say this, but no Red Sox starter is in the discussion right now, though that could change.

Dice-K is 8-0 with a 2.53 ERA, but he’s hurt. On top of that, his walks-to-strikeout ratio is godawful, and even Francona would admit that his record and ERA are largely the product of luck. Josh Beckett, meanwhile, has been underwhelming all season. Sure, he’s among the league leaders in strikeouts, and he certainly gets a boost from his 2007 postseason, but Francona wouldn’t try and sell him as the best AL starter in the first half of 2008, even if he does pitch for his own team.

Outside the aforementioned candidates, Francona could choose from among two Angels pitchers (Joe Saunders and Ervin Santana) or Toronto’s Roy Halladay, any one of whom could vault to the head of the field with impressive outings over the next four our five starts. It all depends on who has the most glamorous stats.

God knows Francona isn’t going to sit around examining stats like WHIP, run support, or walks-to-strikeout ratio, since that kind of crap doesn’t sell to the average fan. He’s going to weigh the old reliables: won-loss record, ERA, and strikeouts. Then he’s going to balance that against the fact that he’d rather die than name a Yankee the starting pitcher in the All-Star game. I mean, right? After all, this is no time to be magnanimous, Tito. Forget the high road, the Yankees are on their knees; don’t throw them an olive branch. Instead, throw them Cliff Lee, i.e., the pick you can justify, who will satisfy Sox fans and Tribe fans (but piss off Yankee fans to no end).

Don’t worry, Yankee Universe, I’m sure your boy Mussina will make the team. And I’m sure he’ll see action at some point. After all, there’s no way the American League manager would warm up the hometown hero but never put him into the game…

Cam Martin is a Sox fan who lives in Yankee country (Fairfield County, CT). He also writes for Bugs&Cranks and Rotohog. E-mail: cdavidmartin@yahoo.com