Courtesy New York Newsday

(July 16, 2008) 'Forgive me if I'm a little geeky today," Fox's Mark Grace said last night, early in the taped coverage of the All-Star red carpet parade.

You're forgiven, Mark.

But only because it was a special occasion, and no one expected Grace and his Fox friends to avoid some geekiness before and during the semi-official national bon voyage to the big ballpark in the Bronx.

It began locally on Ch. 5, with a pre-, pre-, pregame show, in which hosts Rosanna Scotto and Ernie Anastos out-geeked Grace. Scotto to Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez: "We love you guys!"
National coverage followed, and Fox made it clear from the start that the star would be the stadium.

The appropriately sappy opening featured historical highlights and a James Earl Jones narration that closed like this:

"It is those memories that can never be taken. They will live inside of us, in our minds, in our hearts, and in our souls."

Then it was on to the red carpet, where Grace admitted he would be nervous about meeting his baseball idols, then proved it with an awkward interview of Whitey Ford and Yogi Berra in which he informed them they were the battery in the 1960 All-Star Game in the Bronx.

Ford said he didn't remember that. "How did we make out?" he asked. (The NL won, 6-0.)

Fox mixed in other elements during the parade highlights.

They included a classy segment in which longtime Stadium employees, including Jeter and Berra , shared memories, an off-key rendition of "New York, New York" - again including Jeter and Berra - and a sacrilegious look at Terry Francona addressing his AL team . . . in the Yankees clubhouse!

Yuck.

As the game itself approached, Joe Buck paid tribute to the man who should have announced the lineups, Bob Sheppard, who is recovering from an illness at his Baldwin home.

Other than the annoying background music during the introductions, the historic pregame ceremonies were deftly staged by Major League Baseball, or was it Chevy?

The pregame show's sponsor had its name superimposed in the upper-right corner, even during Sheryl Crow's singing of the national anthem . . . which was purely tacky or purely American, or both.

Chevy hardly was the only sponsor to have its name annoyingly featured, never more so than when the Taco Bell AL lineup pre-empted Jeter being announced and walking to the plate for his first at-bat.

(Later, Fox missed A-Rod being pulled in the middle of an inning because it was busy with an Aquafina promo.)

Buck and Tim McCarver focused on the game, not the stadium, once the festivities were over.

Berra's visit to the Fox booth in the third inning was disjointed, but that wasn't necessarily anyone's fault, and it wasn't the point. The fact that Berra was there was enough, given the occasion.

Speaking of beloved Yankees, shouldn't there have been a moment of silence for Bobby Murcer, who died three days before the game? There was a video tribute to him after the second inning, but Fox did not show it.

The most remarkable thing about the game was its early pace, rapid even for an All-Star Game. After the top of the fourth, Buck cracked: "We started this game 6½ minutes ago. Wow."

When Milton Bradley was picked off first in the bottom of the inning, McCarver disgustedly muttered, "Unbelievable."

It was clear for weeks that the attraction of Yankee Stadium would provide a needed boost to All-Star hype. Tickets went for record prices, and Fox sold ads for far above '07 rates.

Monday's Home Run Derby provided a nice kick-start for the main event.

ESPN said the show averaged 6.18 million households, surpassing the previous record for the event of 5.72 million in 1999.

Last night figured to draw another big TV crowd. Love the Yankees or hate them, it was time to say goodbye to their yard.