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The 14th and final All-Star Game of Derek Jeter's career is tonight at 8pm on FOX. Much like last year's All-Star Game celebrated the retiring Mariano Rivera, this one will be interesting to check out if not only to see what MLB will do to honor Jeter. (Beyond this awesome commercial from Michael Jordan that will play during the breaks, of course.)
However, Pinstripe Alley is giving you extra reason to pay attention to the action, as we will be doing a book giveaway based off of predictions about what will happen during the game! The book is quite a good one--How the Yankees Explain New York by Chris Donnelly, the same author who wrote the brilliant retelling of the 1995 ALDS, Baseball's Greatest Series: Yankees, Mariners, and the 1995 Matchup That Changed History.
Donnelly's new book doesn't only go into the Yankees' history--it delves into the vast history of New York City as well, finding parallels between the City's past and the Yankees' as well. For instance, Donnelly explained some interesting comparisons between George Steinbrenner's hectic ownership and the corrupt leader of Tammany Hall during the mid-19th century, William Tweed. (Both men were, of course, known as "Boss.") It goes into how the Yankees have reacted to events throughout the City's history, most famously during the tragedies of 9/11.
There are also lengthy discussions of amusing stories about Yankees who really enjoyed the lavishes of the city, like Mickey Mantle and David Wells, and several classic "rags to riches" type stories of Yankees who came from seemingly nowhere to reach national fame, whether it was for a lifetime (Joe DiMaggio) or just a brief, thrilling moment (Bucky Dent). These notes are just a small sampling of the many tales Donnelly tells during the book, and I found it to be quite an enjoyable, well-paced read. Even if you don't win the contest, I highly recommend buying it, as it is both inexpensive (about $10 on Amazon) and of high quality.
Without further ado, the predictions contest:
All-Star Game Predictions
| 1. | Will Derek Jeter get a hit? |
| 2. | Name the result of at least one Derek Jeter plate appearance. |
| 3. | Total number of strikeouts by Dellin Betances? |
| 4. | Name one player you think will hit a home run tonight. |
| 5. | Which inning will feature the decisive go-ahead run? |
| 6. | How many combined runs will be scored by the teams? |
| 7. | Who is the All-Star Game MVP? |
| 8. | Which team wins the All-Star Game? |
Since there are so many player possibilities, guessing questions 4 and 7 will be worth double if you get it right. I will calculate the winner of the predictions after the game.
Go Jeter, go Dellin, go American League, go baseball.
Update
PSA Book Giveaway Results
| 1. | Will Derek Jeter get a hit? | Yes |
| 2. | Name the result of at least one Derek Jeter plate appearance. | Double/Single |
| 3. | Total number of strikeouts by Dellin Betances? | 0 |
| 4. | Name one player you think will hit a home run tonight. | Miguel Cabrera |
| 5. | Which inning will feature the decisive go-ahead run? | 5th |
| 6. | How many combined runs will be scored by the teams? | 8 |
| 7. | Who is the All-Star Game MVP? | Mike Trout |
| 8. | Which team wins the All-Star Game? | AL |
The winner of the predictions contest is PSA member andrewmin, who earned a leading six points by guessing that Jeter would get a hit, that the teams would combine for eight runs, that Trout would be MVP, and that the AL would win. He wins the How the Yankees Explain New York, so congrats to him! Thanks to everyone for participating!