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Navarro Not Focused On All-Star Berth

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 6, 2008

ST. PETERSBURG - ST. PETERSBURG - The official announcement of this year's All-Star rosters will come at 2 p.m. today, but Dioner Navarro insisted Saturday he'll have other things on his mind at the time.

"All I know is we've got a game to play at 1:40 and we've got to win," Navarro said. "That's all I'm worried about."

By the time today's game is finished, he might also have to start worrying about finding tickets and hotel rooms for family and friends in New York next week. Navarro has presented a strong case to make the American League team, with offensive numbers among the best at his position and much-improved defensive play.

But he hasn't even pondered the possibility of playing in the final All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium? Well, maybe just a little bit.

"I've thought about it," he admitted. "It'd be nice. It would be even nicer if we go all the way to the playoffs and the World Series and then take a cruise for like a month with my family."

Either way, Navarro surely will be on AL manager Terry Francona's short list, along with perhaps Scott Kazmir, as the Rays hope to garner multiple All-Stars for only the second time in their history. One AL roster prognostication, by Ken Rosenthal of Foxsports.com, had four Rays making the 32-player squad: Navarro, Kazmir, Evan Longoria and B.J. Upton.

Rays manager Joe Maddon also has lobbied for relievers Dan Wheeler and J.P. Howell to be considered.

But Maddon, who discussed his team's possible candidates with Francona on Wednesday, said he doesn't expect the Rays to land more than two players on the team, if that many.

"What I'd like to see is more than one guy make it, but it may not happen - it may just be one guy," said Maddon. "And again, that speaks to the kind of first half we've had. We've had a tremendous team first half, and individually maybe not as glorified, but I much prefer the way we've done it this first half."

As the team with the best record in baseball, the Rays have a stronger case than ever to exceed the requisite one representative at the Midsummer Classic, but the lack of eye-popping individual numbers could make it tough to put multiple players on the team.

"If you could take a team to the All-Star Game, you'd take us," Maddon said. "But you take individuals."

ITCHING TO GO: RHP Al Reyes isn't expected to come off the disabled list until after the All-Star break, but the Rays liked what they saw from the veteran in a simulated game Saturday afternoon.

Reyes threw about 30 pitches to Rocco Baldelli and Willy Aybar and got positive reviews from his manager.

"Good velocity, nice movement, good changeup," Maddon said. "He was pulling off of his slider just a little bit, but I thought he looked pretty good."

Reyes, who has been sidelined for nearly a month with his second bout of shoulder tendinitis this season, probably will get some work in minor-league games before being activated.

"I can't wait," Reyes said. "I don't like sitting - it gets boring. The team's winning and Troy Percival went down and I'm down, too - I feel bad. I just want to get healthy and back in the bullpen."

MILLION MARK: Saturday night's crowd of 30,418 pushed the Rays' home attendance for the season to 1,016,251 in 48 dates - 14 games earlier than they topped one million last year.

The only time the Rays have reached a million faster was the inaugural 1998 season, when they did it in their 34th home game.

Saturday's win improved Tampa Bay's record to 13-1 this year when playing before home crowds of at least 30,000.

Marc Lancaster

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