Low & Outside: AL Notes

Baseball assembled a who's who of Hall of Famers for the 1999 All-Star Game in Boston. And the occasion provided one of the more emotional moments in baseball lore when Red Sox great Ted Williams was carted onto the field.

This year, more than 40 members of the Hall of Fame will participate in a ceremony before the All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium, according to MLB.com. The list includes Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Yogi Berra, Frank Robinson, Cal Ripken Jr., Whitey Ford and Bob Feller.

This is the final season for 85-year-old Yankee Stadium, and baseball plans to honor the House that Ruth Built with the largest gathering of Hall of Famers since the 1999 midseason classic.

Before that game, baseball rolled out the red carpet as it announced the nominees for the All-Century Team. Surprisingly, the banned Pete Rose and "Shoeless" Joe Jackson were on the list, although both were not in attendance (Rose was not invited; Jackson was long dead).

Nevertheless, just as the ceremony appeared to be winding down, Williams emerged from center field in a golf cart. He was motored to the pitcher's mound to throw out the first pitch, but was mobbed by both current and past all-stars. It was a great moment, needless to say, but loses a bit of luster in retrospect.

The Splendid Splinter shook hands with Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa and asked McGwire if he ever smelled the bat burning. It was codespeak for great hitters. However, looking back, the only thing smelly about McGwire was the 70 home runs he hit the season before.

The loquacious Ozzie Guillen is a sportswriter's best friend, but after the inflammatory comments he made Sunday, the White Sox' manager might not have many friends left on his own team. Guillen went on a rant after the Sox lost to Tampa Bay, questioning the team's hitting while implicating two men - general manager Ken Williams and hitting coach Greg Walker. Williams objected to Guillen's tirade, but Walker took the high road yesterday.

"There's some things I'd like to say, but I'm not going to say them," Walker said, according to the Associated Press. "I'm going to keep my mouth shut" and earn the money owner Jerry Reinsdorf "is paying me. And if anybody doesn't like it, tough."

Low & Outside doesn't like it. Who doesn't like a clubhouse feud? Unfortunately for us, Walker had to be mature and a professional.

Yankees catcher Jorge Posada was activated from the disabled list but not in the starting lineup last night. . . . Rays slugger Carlos Peña was placed on the disabled list because of a broken left index finger.