Pettitte placed on All-Star Roster, Nick Swisher Final Vote leader, Amare signs with Knicks

Andy Pettitte replaces Clay Buchholtz on All-Star Roster

From Riveraveblues:
"Via Bryan Hoch, Andy Pettitte has replaced Clay Buchholz on the AL All Star Game roster because the latter has been placed on the disabled list with a hamstring issue. Joe Girardi had no say on this move since Buchholz was elected to the game by the player’s vote. The next highest vote getter simply took his spot, and it happened to be Pettitte. Girardi will have to name a replacement for CC Sabathia, who is scheduled to pitch on Sunday and is therefor ineligible to play in the game.

Pettitte makes seven Yankee All Stars, the most of any team. This will be his third trip to the mid-summer classic, and his first since 2001. Hard to believe that Pettitte has more top five finishes in the Cy Young voting than All Star Game appearances."

Swisher and Votto in the lead for Final Vote

From MLB:
"NEW YORK, July 5, 2010 -- Nick Swisher of the New York Yankees and Joey Votto of the Cincinnati Reds topped the early returns from the more than 10 million votes registered in the opening 24 hours of the 2010 All-Star Game Final Vote Sponsored by Sprint.

Swisher led a tightly-contested race for the American League's final roster spot, followed closely by Kevin Youkilis of the Boston Red Sox; Michael Young of the Texas Rangers; Paul Konerko of the Chicago White Sox; and Delmon Young of the Minnesota Twins.

On the National League ballot, Votto grabbed the top spot out-of-the-gate over the other four candidates, narrowly ahead of Ryan Zimmerman of the Washington Nationals; Billy Wagner of the Atlanta Braves; Carlos Gonzalez of the Colorado Rockies; and Heath Bell of the San Diego Padres.

The ninth annual All-Star Game Final Vote ballot commenced exclusively on MLB.com and the individual Club sites at 1 p.m. (EDT) yesterday and will continue until balloting concludes at 4 p.m. (EDT) on Thursday, July 8."

Amare Stoudemire signs with Knicks

From NBA:
"The New York Knicks finally got a return on their two years of self-induced misery on Monday, finishing up the final touches on a five-year contract for Phoenix Suns free agent forward Amar'e Stoudemire that is expected to be worth around $100 million. A source indicates a formal announcement from Stoudemire should be forthcoming within the hour at Madison Square Garden."I feel great about being a pioneer and showing my leadership," he said at Madison Square Garden, where signs throughout the entrances showed the player pictured in a Knicks uniform and reading "Welcome, Amare Stoudemire."

The deal can't be signed until Thursday, after the salary cap for next season has been set.

Stoudemire and the Knicks quickly found each other last week, each in need of a soft landing place. The 27-year-old Stoudemire was looking for a team that still believed he could be a dominant player in the next few years, despite concerns about his knees and his eyes following serious injuries to each. And the Knicks, who'd sold their fans for the last two years that they'd be a major player in free agency this summer, able to lure the likes of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, were desperate for a splashy acquisition that would give fans hope and add to their depleted roster."

Your links for the day. Had an awesome, yet tiring day. That's for tonight unless anything major happens.