The starting pitchers are Cleveland's Cliff Lee and Milwaukee's Ben Sheets. The Yankees had Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez elected to the starting lineup. Mariano Rivera is on the team. First pitch is scheduled for whenever FOX wants 8:39 p.m. ET. The field and clubhouses open to reporters at 4 p.m. If Monday's workout was any indication, it will be an absolute zoo. Stay tuned.

The weather is beautiful. No All-Star Game has ever been canceled, but the 1969 game was rescheduled. Two games were called off due to rain: the 1952 contest in Shibe Park (after five innings) and the 1961 battle at Fenway Park (after nine innings and with the score tied).

4:43 p.m.: The clubhouses opened at 4, and to say the dynamic is different than it is before a Yankees game is an understatement. Lockers are arranged by position, making the corner of Francisco Rodriguez, Jonathan Papelbon, Joakim Soria and Mariano Rivera an imposing one. Jason Varitek said he thought "making the right-hand turn" -- walking to the home clubhouse instead of the visiting -- would be weird for everyone in the AL. No player could go more than 90 seconds without being interrupted to sign a ball. A lot of these players collect each other's memorabilia, and Evan Longoria appeared to be going around the room asking for everyone's signature. Lee even departed from the starting pitcher's tradition of not talking to the media to demonstrate some grips.

The National League side was much more cramped. David Wright said he hadn't done anything except sleep since he last spoke to reporters, so they couldn't possibly have anything to ask him. He still fielded questions about Willie Randolph's sitting in the owner's box during the game.

At around 4:30, Manny Ramirez tried to kick the writers out for a meeting, but he was 10 minutes early. Everyone got the boot at 4:40.

5:41 p.m.: With the AL side off-limits for the time being, the NL clubhouse became a lot more popular. Hat exchanging -- the players seem to get a bunch of free ones from New Era -- is in vogue. Hanley Ramirez was so excited to get one from Wright that he put it on right away. Corey Hart was also among the treasure hunters. "Any time you're at an event like this you want to pick up as much cool stuff as possible," he said. He also said he thought his teammates would have held off on the celebratory beer shower they gave him if they knew his daughter was going to be on his lap.

On the field, the AL hitters were taking their cuts. Ichiro Suzuki caught some flak from Manny Ramirez after his cuts. Not surprisingly, Jeter got a hand from the fans in attendance when he got in the cage. The public gates opened at 5.

6:44 p.m.: If there is a such thing as the forgotten All-Star, George Sherill may be that man. The Orioles closer is on a team stocked with elite relief talent. His locker was even away from the rest of the bullpen, but that was apparently at Ichiro's request. When asked if he missed any of his Seattle teammates -- he was traded from the Mariners to the Orioles in the Erik Bedard deal -- Sherill motioned toward Ichiro and said,"This guy." Ichiro then gave a sly smile. On Suzuki's other side was Carlos Guillen, another former Mariner. When asked if he wanted it that way, Ichiro smiled and said, "Yes."

Sherrill said his family wouldn't be coming up to New York but that it would come up from Tennessee to Baltimore in August. He wanted to maximize his mother's vacation time. "Normally, I'd be relaxing," Sherrill said, "but it's an honor to be here."

Players also had to get into their full uniforms for team photos in the outfield. When they got back into the clubhouse, they took the tops off again since the game wouldn't start for another two hours.

Add James Lipton to Josh Hamilton's growing list of fans. He was in the stands and said hello before Hamilton spent about 15 minutes signing autographs before heading back to the clubhouse.

7:31 p.m.: Bronx Cheer has relocated to the auxillary press area in the left-field upper deck. They are showing the FOX taped coverage of the red carpet parade that took place earlier in the day. There is a slight breeze but only a few clouds in the sky. Humidity is low as well. San Francisco's Tim Lincecum won't get to enjoy the weather; he is in a hospital with the always-mysterious "flu-like symptoms" after getting dehydrated earlier in Midtown.

7:57 p.m.: They've shown Bon Jovi's Central Park concert and a video tribute to Yankee Stadium. Then FOX's Joe Buck came over the loudspeaker at 7:58 to begin the player introductions. Bob Sheppard isn't here; he would presumably be doing the introductions if he were.

8:02 p.m.: In a classy move, Buck asked for an ovation for Sheppard. Buck then plows through the NL. Cubs manager Lou Piniella and outfielder Alfonso Soriano got the loudest cheers. Wright got booed.

8:07 p.m.: Yanks manager Joe Girardi got cheered loudly. Mariano Rivera got the biggest ovation of them all. All of the Red Sox got booed, but Papelbon caught the loudest of them. No one booed Buck when he pronounced Justin Duchscherer's name "Duck-sher-er" instead of "Duke-sher-er."

8:15 p.m.: Normally, seeing the players line up on the field is the best part of the All-Star Game, but tonight, baseball has added a twist. They have paraded out a ton of Hall of Famers, introduced them and then introduced the starters and have the All-Stars stand with the Hall of Famers at their position. Outstanding.

8:33 p.m.: George Steinbrenner is alive, and he brought the balls for the ceremonial first pitches to the mound. The Yankees Hall of Famers in attendance -- Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford, Reggie Jackson and Goose Gossage -- all threw out first pitches. Steinbrenner appeared to be crying.

8:40 p.m.: Picturing a better pregame ceremony would be difficult if not impossible. Getting that many Hall of Famers into Yankee Stadium was a great move.

8:52 p.m.: Lee took no prisoners in the top of the first, getting Ramirez and Chase Utley to strike out and Lance Berkman to fly out. They forgot to introduce the coaching staffs and trainers, so they did that between innings.

9:01 p.m.: Jeter reached on a generous base-hit call in the bottom of the first. Then he stole second before Hamilton struck out and Rodriguez popped out. Many players out there are wearing light shoes. That includes Rodriguez, Dustin Pedroia and Albert Pujols.

9:06 p.m.: Great performance by Lee. He struck out three in two innings and allowed only a single by Chipper Jones. Sheets came out for a second inning as well.

9:21 p.m.: Scoreless through two innings. The Yankees had a tribute for Bobby Murcer. They then introduced Sarah Jessica Parker, who got booed along with Bud Selig. Sheryl Crow, who sang the national anthem, was also introduced. Parker pronounced it "Seh-lig." This was all for a cancer fundraising effort.

9:32 p.m.: Scoreless in the third. Everyone knows Jeter got Sheppard to record: "Now batting for the Yankees ... " But at this game, the recording says, "Now batting for the American League ... " Did Jeter also ask for that in anticipation that he would be an All-Star and that Sheppard wouldn't be healthy enough to announce it? The recording didn't help, and Jeter hit into a double play.

9:40 p.m.: Ichiro showed off his arm by gunning down Pujols trying to stretch a single. Of course, the tag wasn't made in time, but "the throw beat him." Not too much offense through 3 1/2 innings. Only the bottom of the second has seen a team have more than one runner on base. Chicago's Carlos Zambrano is next on the mound for the NL. Joe Saunders pitched the third and Roy Halladay the fourth, by the way.

9:52 p.m.: Ervin Santana in for the AL. Zambrano went two strong for the NL, even picking off Milton Bradley (that's embarrassing!). Santana served one up to Matt Holliday, who gave the NL a 1-0 lead. The NL hasn't won one of these since 1996. Rodriguez left the game for Joe Crede with one out in the fifth. That's a strange time to leave the game.

10:09 p.m.: The American League got two people on against Dan Haren. Ichiro struck out, and Jeter bounced back to the mound. Good pitching is beating good hitting. This game is moving way faster than many Yankees games.

10:20 p.m.: The NL pushed across a run against Duchscherer. They are playing sound effects for the NL! What happened to This Time It Counts? Then Jeter left the game for Michael Young. The only Yankee left is Rivera.

10:30 p.m.: NL manager Clint Hurdle is going two innings each with of his pitchers, and it has worked so far. Zambrano is in line for the win if this score holds.

10:48 p.m.: Varitek is denied an at-bat after playing two innings of defense. In an an effort to get a run in, AL (and Varitek's) manager Terry Francona, sent up Dioner Navarro. Navarro didn't come through, but J.D. Drew poked one out to right to tie the game, 2-2. Edinson Volquez became the odd man out among the NL's dominators. Meanwhile, Girardi was catching Francisco Rodriguez in the bullpen.

11:01 p.m. Papelbon entered the game and heard it from the crowd. He got "Mariano" and "Overrated." Then he gave up a run on a sacrifice fly, though it was unearned since Miguel Tejada, the man who scored, got to third on a throwing error by Dioner Navarro. 3-2, NL.

11:12 p.m.: Questionable All-Star Brian Wilson of the Giants got the first two outs of the 11th, then yielded to Billy Wagner of the Mets. The NL is four outs away from ending its streak.

11:20 p.m.: Not so fast. Sizemore singled off Wagner, stole second when no one paid any attention to him and then scored on an automatic double by Evan Longoria. 3-3. Even though there cannot be a save, Francisco Rodriguez, not Rivera, came into pitch.

11:28 p.m.: Metallica is cued. Rivera entered with one on and one out. Francona didn't want to have this game expire without the Yankees closer getting in the game. Ryan Ludwick became the first man to face him. He brought the wrong (red) helmet.

11:32 p.m.: Ludwick struck out as part of a strike-em-out-throw-em-out double play. To the bottom of the ninth!

11:40 p.m.: The All-Canadian battery of Ryan Dempster and Russell Martin disposed of the AL in the ninth. And Oh Canada! wasn't even performed live. And it was booed.

11:54 p.m.: After making people sweat, Rivera will not be the loser of this All-Star Game. He allowed back-to-back singles to Martin and Miguel Tejada in the 10th, but then got a double-play grounder from Dan Uggla. If the AL can score, Rivera would get the win.

11:58 p.m.: Uggla is, as Bob Costas would say, "getting fitted for goat horns." First, the double play. Then back-to-back errors give the AL first and third and no one out in the bottom of the 10th.

12:04 a.m.: Aaron Cook saved Uggla by getting three ground outs after loading the bases with an intentional walk. This game will have an 11th inning. Tejada needed to make a difficult play to get Justin Morneau for the third out.

12:12 a.m.: Not to rain on FOX's parade here, but how many people on the East Coast are watching this game right now? And how many of those people will be getting to work on time later this morning? Soria works a scoreless top of the 10th. It's only 11:12 p.m. in Kansas City.

12:24 a.m.: Three times this game an ump has blown a call because the throw has beaten him. Pujols got burned earlier. In the bottom of the 11th, Ian Kinsler was "caught stealing" but was never tagged. Then, on a one-out single by Young, Navarro was "gunned down" by Nate McLouth in center. Only both times they were not tagged, much less tagged in time. To the 12th!

12:38 a.m.: Now it's Sherrill's time to work out of a jam. He came in and struck out Adrian Gonzalez to keep the game tied. And Guillen starts the bottom of the inning with a double.

12:45 a.m.: Another jam escaped. Cook works out of runner-on-third, one-out. Maybe 13 will be the lucky inning. This game won't be over until after 1.

12:56 a.m.: Diary favorite Sherrill does his job by working around a leadoff single by Wright. This long ago became the longest All-Star Game by time in history.

1:05 a.m.: Despite Uggla's best efforts, this game will go to the 14th. He made his third error in the bottom of the 13th, but Carlos Marmol worked out of trouble. The only guy left in the AL 'pen is Scott Kazmir, so Sherrill is in this for a while. The NL has Brad Lidge and Brandon Webb.

1:10 a.m.: Each manager is close to having to throw out a division rival's pitcher that had a heavy workload recently. Kazmir threw 104 pitches Sunday. Webb threw 108. Webb came into the game with it still tied entering the bottom of the 14th.

1:18 a.m.: Webb didn't fool around in the 14th, striking out two. Kazmir will now pitch for the AL. He has got to have only two innings in him at most. What's also amazing is that FOX still has to take the same length of commercial breaks.

1:26 a.m.: This could get interesting. Lidge became the last man in for the NL. Tampa Bay would be rightfully miffed if Kazmir has to throw another inning. Selig is probably rooting for an AL run here. This game is now tied for the longest game in terms of innings. Both records had been held by the 1967 game.

1:37 a.m.: "Time of the game: four hours, 50 minutes." Young knocked in Morneau on a sacrifice fly to end the longest game in All-Star history. Lidge took the loss, and who knows if baseball is the winner?