Nick Swisher, All-Star

On a lighter note, our voting paid off!

Nick Swisher is now an All-Star!

The Yankee outfielder Swisher, along with Cincinnati Reds' first baseman Joey Votto were the winners of the All-Star Game Final Vote and will join the AL and NL teams with the 34th final roster spot. Swisher gather 9.8 million votes, narrowly beating out Red Sox first baseman Kevin Youkilis while Votto 13.7 million votes in a landslide victory over Ryan Zimmerman, third baseman for the Washington Nationals.

While both players did their part on the field, it was Swisher who campaigned through the internet, sending constant updates to his 1.2 million twitter followers. Both actions paid off.

"I did my part to earn an All-Star berth. It means a lot to me," Votto said. "I've always wanted to be an All-Star one day. Today I was finally selected."

"I would say I'm relieved," Votto said. "I'm really glad this whole thing is over with. It was kind of taxing on me. I'm excited and I really, really appreciate the fans and their support."

"Things like that that make you feel so good," Swisher said. "People were telling me, everywhere I went. I'm just excited and couldn't be happier for all the support."

"It's been great, man," Swisher said. "All my teammates are happy for me, and that's the greatest thing, especially coming on a fan vote like that. It just goes to show you how important our fans are. They're the reason we are who we are. I can't thank them enough."

"It's just been a blessing to be over here, especially coming off 2008," Swisher said. "My life has just completely turned around, and every day is a good day for me. I love what I do, and to have this opportunity to go represent your team in the All-Star Game, it's a dream come true."

Swisher this season is hitting .307 with 14 home runs and 48 RBI.
Votto this season is hitting .314 with 22 home runs and 60 RBI.

It's the first All-Star selection for both players.

With Swisher, the Yankees now have eight players in the All-Star Game. Swisher joins Derek Jeter, Robinson Cano, Alex Rodriguez, CC Sabathia, Andy Pettitte, Phil Hughes and Mariano Rivera as the Yankees' All-Star representatives. Crazy.

Swisher falls to second place in Final Vote behind Red Sox's Youkilis

If you really want to know, the Cincinnati Reds fans and Red Sox fans have come together to vote for first baseman Joey Votto and first baseman Kevin Youkilis together. Since Youkilis is from Cincy, the Reds fans have agreed to vote for him in the AL if Red Sox fans vote for Votto. Nonetheless, I think the title is pretty self-explanatory.

VOTE SWISHER! VOTE SWISHER! VOTE SWISHER!

STUFF THE FREAKIN' BALLOT BOXES!

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.