Baseball gets it right, and not just for one night

The Boss appeared to be shedding a tear behind those sunglasses, something no one ever thought they would see at Yankee Stadium. George Steinbrenner getting soft in his old age seemed almost as alien as New York fans cheering for Jonathan Papelbon to get out of a jam in the eighth inning.

Most of them weren’t, of course, even if it meant the National League getting the home-field advantage in the World Series. But the way the Yankees have been playing this year, that didn’t matter much anyway to the crowd wearing pinstripes.

What did matter was that Yankee Stadium got a fitting midseason farewell from the nation 85 years after it opened -- and less than a year before it is replaced by a new $1.3-billion palace next door.

The 49 Hall of Famers on hand to celebrate what will likely be the last major event held there didn’t look bad, either, and baseball resisted getting too sentimental in a classy pregame tribute to the stars of yesterday. The tone was just right, and even on television it was touching to watch Derek Jeter walk out and shake hands at shortstop with Ernie Banks.

Actually, baseball’s been doing a lot of things right this year, arguably the first time we can really believe testing for steroids and amphetamines is making a difference. Home runs may be down, but the players are cleaner, things are more believable, and the game’s image has improved dramatically.

Just the fact that 30 general managers have refused so far to succumb to the temptation of signing Barry Bonds says something about the new state of the game. In years past, someone would have taken a chance on the bloated slugger, but even the Yankees have been smart enough to lay off.

The absence of Bonds isn’t the only reason to celebrate the national pastime at midseason. As evidenced by the youthful All-Star rosters, there are some rising stars and, if you can’t find anything to like about Josh Hamilton’s junkie-to-superstar story, how about the quieter elevation of players like Hanley Ramirez, Ryan Braun and Russell Martin to the top echelon.

With revenue sharing doing the job it was designed to do, there’s competitive races everywhere to look forward to in the next few months. There are at least 18 teams that have some claim to being in contention, and that’s not even counting clubs like Toronto and Baltimore, which have losing records but aren’t completely out of it yet.

Down in Florida, Tampa Bay -- yes, Tampa Bay -- is battling for the lead in the American League East, while the Marlins have a lineup that makes pitchers tremble when they think about facing it. The Twins keep finding new ways to win, the Tigers are showing signs of life, and the Mets and Phillies are finally neck-and-neck.

Those in contention show no signs of complacency, and the Yankees haven’t even started any serious dealing yet. Just days after the Brewers went out and traded for CC Sabathia, the Cubs countered with Rich Harden, a trade that could help propel the Lovable Losers to their first World Series win in 100 years.

On top of it all, we got a very entertaining All-Star game that did nothing to dampen the enthusiasm for the rest of the season, even as it stretched on, inning after inning, and all but the die-hards in Yankee Stadium had gotten on the No. 4 train and headed for home.

By that time the American League pitching had worn perilously thin, so thin that Red Sox Manager Terry Francona was considering taking J.D. Drew up on his offer to pitch. It was either that, or bring in Whitey Ford for one last appearance, but by then Whitey probably was asleep.

Thankfully, Drew never had to pitch or there might have been more talk than usual in October about how the National League got the home-field advantage for the World Series. The only real downer now is that we have to contemplate the possibility of the Fall Classic opening in dreary Tropicana Field.

The best thing about the whole night, though, was that this game actually meant something. Take Bud Selig to task about the way he’s handled labor relations, steroids and almost everything else, but the decision to award home-field advantage in the World Series to the winning league made it more than just an exhibition.

That’s why you saw the AL All-Stars rushing out with hugs and high fives for Justin Morneau after he slid home with the winning run. That’s why Francona and Tigers Manager Jim Leyland embraced in glee in the dugout.

Aside from Papelbon and the NL All-Stars, it was a happy night for almost everyone. Baseball celebrated its past while showing off its future, and managed to do it well.

Even the Boss had to be smiling about that.