NOTEBOOK

NOTEBOOK
Baseball All-Star Game
Fernandomania returns: Fernando Valenzuela grew more and more agitated watching Teddy Higuera take those huge, exaggerated swings. Unwittingly, Higuera had stoked the competitive fires of one of the All-Star game's most dominant performers. "I really, really wanted to win in those games," Valenzuela recalled Sunday. "I asked [Higuera], 'Hey, you want to go?' " With that, Valenzuela fired a screwball past Higuera to tie an All-Star game record with five consecutive strikeouts. It was 1986 at the Astrodome, the last of six straight All-Star appearances for Valenzuela. Valenzuela, now 43, returned to Houston this weekend as one of the managers Sunday in the All-Star Futures game. His team of minor leaguers from around the world lost to the U.S. team 4-3. Valenzuela was once one of the game's most popular players, becoming the first pitcher to win both the Rookie of the Year and the Cy Young Award in the same season -- 1981. A native of Mexico, the left-hander created "Fernandomania" with his immediate success and affable personality. He led the Los Angeles Dodgers to the 1981 World Series title, galvanized the interest of millions of Latinos and finished his 17-year career with a record of 173-153 and 3.54 ERA. These days, Valenzuela works as a commentator on Spanish-language broadcasts of the Dodgers.
Houston's big day: The Astros had a big day in Houston despite losing to the Dodgers in Los Angeles and dropping to .500 for the first time since April 11. The loss assured them of their first double-digit deficit in the standings at the break in 11 seasons. Regardless, the crowd at Minute Maid Park burst into cheers when it was announced that center fielder Carlos Beltran was added to the NL All-Star roster Sunday to fill the opening created when Ken Griffey Jr. was hurt Saturday night.
Sticky fingers: Rollie Fingers surprisingly took the spotlight in the All-Star Legends and Celebrity softball game Sunday with a two-run homer and diving grab of a flyball that 57-year-olds usually don't make. Fingers, whose Hall of Fame career ended 19 years ago, was the standout of the NL's 15-8 win, a game that featured baseball Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith, hometown favorites Clyde Drexler and Mike Scott, and reality TV and pop star Nick Lachey. It's safe to say most of the 34,556 fans at Minute Maid Park probably didn't know much about Fingers, who played most of his 17-year career with Oakland and Milwaukee in the AL before the days of interleague play. Still, the crowd saved its loudest cheers during the game for Fingers -- especially after he stretched out for a flyball, caught it and rolled over to end the first inning. He scrambled up off the turf, holding up the ball to loud applause.
Associated Press