All-Star Notebook | George Sherrill finds success with the Orioles

NEW YORK — While Eric Bedard resides on the disabled list, George Sherrill is at Yankee Stadium adding insult to injury.

The former Mariners setup man, one-fifth of what so far has been an ill-fated trade with Baltimore for Bedard, was selected to his first All-Star team.

He reached the break with 28 saves, tied with Boston All-Star Jonathan Papelbon for second in the American League behind the Angels' Francisco Rodriguez, whose 38 saves are the most ever at the break.

"We've had a lot of two- and three-run leads," Sherrill said. "That's helped me get my feet wet and get acclimated to the position."

Sherrill has a 4.08 earned-run average and six blown saves, but it's impossible to say that his first stint as a full-time closer has been anything but a rousing success.

So much so, in fact, that the Orioles might be temped to try to maximize his return by trading Sherrill before the July 31 deadline.

"It's out of my control," he said. "I really don't want to be on the move again. I like Baltimore. I've gotten adjusted there. It's a great clubhouse. I'd like to stay in Baltimore and win in Baltimore, but if that's not the case, it's not the case."

Sherrill said he's stunned by the collapse of the Mariners, who reached the break with a 37-58 record (compared to 45-48 for the Orioles).

"It's terrible," he said. "They've got a lot of talent; it's just a tough situation. They've got a big payroll and a lot of pressure to win. That makes it tough."

But it's not Sherrill's problem anymore.

And the offseason trade, in which Adam Jones was the centerpiece but Sherrill became the All-Star, couldn't have worked out better, he said.

"It's a good club, and a good clubhouse," he said. "It's fun to close games out."

Sizing up the atmosphere

Cleveland's Grady Sizemore is in his third All-Star Game, but this one stands out because it will be the final one played at Yankee Stadium.

"It's an exciting environment," said the graduate of Everett's Cascade High School. "It's tough to play on the road anywhere, but it's definitely a different atmosphere at Yankee Stadium. The crowd is really into it."

The bleacher dwellers at Yankee Stadium are notorious for their heckling, and Sizemore has taken his share of abuse from his berth in center field. But surprisingly, it's not the worst place for taunting. As far as Sizemore can tell, anyway.

"It's almost too loud to really decipher what people are saying at Yankee Stadium," Sizemore said. "Other places are not as packed, and you can hear everything they're saying."

The famously reticent and modest Sizemore was asked how he expected his game to develop in the coming years.

"I don't know — the sky's the limit," he said, before adding quickly, "That's a joke."

The latest A-Rod news

The Yankees' Alex Rodriguez, not surprisingly, drew a large media contingent Monday afternoon when the American League All-Stars were made available for interviews.

It seems A-Rod has been, uh, in the news lately. Something about Madonna.

"It's always been something with me," he said. "I've learned to kind of put whatever issues are on the front page in one small box over here. And baseball has been a great vehicle for me to keep my mind on what I love to do most: Play baseball.

"For four hours between those white lines, I get an opportunity to go out and speak with my actions."

The rest of the time, the New York tabloids do the talking. More like screaming, actually, with banner headlines of his supposed romancing of Madonna and separation from his wife, Cynthia.

"Look, everyone has distractions," he said. "Everyone goes through personal issues. Mine are on the front page of the papers. And I'm fine with that. It's a little bit of a gift and a curse. You have to deal with that. It's challenging at times. But I'll get through it.

"On the other hand, there's so much good that comes of that. I don't have a problem with that. I'm not blaming anyone. I'm not blaming the media. There's issues and they're hard and you have to move forward."