AL'S BIG DAY: Al Rosen was on a fishing trip in Idaho's Snake River recently when the former Indians

AL'S BIG DAY: Al Rosen was on a fishing trip in Idaho's Snake River recently when the former Indians star learned fame had caught up with him again.
"My guide said, 'Hey, I hear you've got a bobblehead,"' Rosen said. "And I said, 'Where in the world did you hear that?' He said he already saw them on e-bay. So I've got to send him one."
Rosen, the AL's MVP in 1953, was honored Sunday by the Indians, who commemorated the 50th anniversary of his big season by giving away 20,000 bobblehead dolls of Rosen to fans 50 and over.
Rosen also threw out the ceremonial first pitch and the Indians and White Sox wore replica uniforms from that era.
"What an honor, to get the call here," Rosen said. "It's hard to explain, but I was very emotional when I got the call. Everybody wants to be recognized, and to come back and have somebody say they are going to have a retro day in your honor, it was very emotional."
Rosen had a league-leading 43 homers and 145 RBIs while batting .336 in 1953. He missed winning the Triple Crown by one base hit.
A four-time All-Star, the 79-year-old likes the new format baseball will use in this year's mid-summer classic, where the winning league gets home-field advantage in the World Series.
"I feel very strongly that it is a game that is to be won," he said. "If certain players don't get in, that's the way it is. In fact, 30 players each getting in an inning or half an inning, that's not what the fan pays for.
"A fan going to an All-Star game pays a lot of money and usually travels pretty far and they want to see a real game, with the very best. You can see all the other players on TV just about anytime. There are enough games on TV these days that you see everybody. I think this idea will work."
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THROWBACK JERSEYS: The Indians pulled off their retro look Sunday.
The replica 1953 ivory-colored tops with script red "Indians," blue socks and blue "C" caps encircling a smiling Chief Wahoo logo looked sharp on the players.
"I like the unis," Indians manager Eric Wedge said. "I like the caps, too."
Bench coach Buddy Bell was asked if the Indians should bring back Cleveland's 1975 uniforms, which consisted of bright red tops and red pants.
One-time burly Indians first baseman Boog Powell described himself as the "world's largest bloodclot" while wearing them.
"They were going to do that," said Bell, who played for the Indians from 1972-78. "We don't need the pants, though."
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POWER NAP: Travis Hafner made good use of the time between games of Saturday's day-night doubleheader. He had no choice.
Hafner got just one hour's sleep Friday night after learning he was being recalled by the Indians.
"I'm glad I didn't have to hit in the first game, I'm not sure I would have been able to see," Hafner said.
The first baseman wisely took a 1 1/2-hour nap before Saturday night's game and responded by going 2-for-3 with three RBIs as the Indians won 4-2.
Hafner caught up on his sleep Saturday night.
"Got about 11 hours," he said.
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BASELINES: Cleveland's 94 games before the All-Star game are its most since playing 98 before the break in 1973. ... OF Jody Gerut batted leadoff for the third time this season on Sunday. He has hit everywhere in the order but ninth. ... The Indians went over the 1 million mark in attendance for the 18th straight season.