MLB All Star Game

Voting for the 2015 MLB All-Star Game concluded Thursday night, but the league doesn't reveal its final tally until Sunday.  And given the hullabaloo surrounding the potential results of this year's fan vote with the American League ballot, there should be more interest than usual in a typically academic unveiling.

The San Diego Padres officially announced they will serve as the hosts for the 2016 Major League Baseball All-Star Game at Petco Park.

They confirmed the hosting duties on social media:

Team president Mike Dee commented on the decision:

Adam Wainwright clearly never took a lesson in integrity from the Derek Jeter school of baseball.

In interviews following his All-Star game start, Wainwright told reporters that he put his first-inning, 1-0 pitch to Jeter on a tee:

Part of the fun of the Major League Baseball All-Star Game is watching managers get to play fantasy baseball with their starting lineups.

This is the only time where you'll see the best the sport has to offer playing together on the same teams. These are the kinds of batting orders you could only hope to create in video games, and that's only when you turn off the trade logic.

The MLB All-Star Game is used to highlight the best players in baseball near the halfway point of the regular season. Derek Jeter is not one of these players, but he still is worthy of his spot in the starting lineup for the American League.

It can be difficult to break down Tuesday's MLB All-Star Game in a strategic manner. After all, these are teams molded by fans and feature talented players all lumped together, not carefully pieced together by a general manager.

Players may play unusual roles. They hit from new spots in the lineup. Starters become relievers. Closers become setup men. Up is down, left is right...you get the point.

But clear strengths do become apparent when you study the rosters closely. This year is no different.  

The excitement surrounding the 20th annual MLB Home Run Derby has baseball fans of every team anticipating which of the contestants will steal the show this year.

The 2014 Home Run Derby takes place July 14 at Target Field in Minnesota.

Most fans will be looking forward to the 2014 MLB All-Star Game, but on Sunday, July 13, another exciting tradition will be rekindled during the MLB All-Star Legends and Celebrity Softball Game.

Some of the biggest names in baseball history will join forces with some of the top personalities from other sports and from the world of entertainment in a celebrity softball game. With the event taking place in Minnesota, there is a local feel to the stars participating.

Baseball is a sport steeped in tradition, and the 2014 edition of the MLB All-Star Game has the unenviable honor of trying to live up to the high standards of the annual event.

Fortunately for hardcore and casual fans alike, the rosters for both the American and National Leagues are stacked with elite hitters and dominant pitchers. The game should be a fierce battle with home-field advantage in the World Series on the line.

All-Star Week isn't only for Major League Baseball veterans.

The 2014 Futures Game kicks off Sunday's action at Target Field with many of the world's most talented up-and-coming players set to take center stage.