Winn preserves memories of All-Star debut

MILWAUKEE -- The experience was what Randy Winn imagines his wedding night will be like this year.

A blur of moments, a lifetime of memories.

Winn's first All-Star Game was something he will not soon forget and could easily get used to.

"Yeah," he said. "It's been awesome."

Winn entered the game in the fourth as a substitute for Ichiro Suzuki in rightfield and doubled in the top of the fifth. He walked, stole second and scored in the seventh. He struck out with the go-ahead run on third in the eighth.

The night before, the Rays centerfielder sat on the third-base line with a camcorder in hand and watched Sammy Sosa and Jason Giambi slug it out in the Home Run Derby.

Winn, his fiancee and relatives later attended the All-Star Gala.

"They got a big kick out of that," he said.

And though he plays for a team with one of the worst records in the major leagues, some did recognize Winn at the hotel and as he boarded a bus to come to the stadium.

"It's nice to know that even though you come from a small market, people still appreciate you," he said.

30 GREATEST MOMENTS: Baseball announced its 30 greatest moments before the game, and fans can vote for their favorites until October.

Among the 30 was Carlton Fisk's homer in Game 6 of the 1975 World Series. The home run, seemingly wished fair down the third-base line by Fisk, gave the Red Sox a 7-6 lead and forced a Game 7 with the Reds.

"At the time you realize it's extra special and you know that because it wins the game, gets the headlines, it's in the World Series and allows us to play the next game," Fisk said. "You know it's extra special. To be now considered one of the top, there's a lot of moments in the 120 years of baseball."

Fans can vote at ballparks or at mlb.com from now until Game 4 of the World Series.

WORLD CUP: With teams carrying more foreign players, some would like the All-Star Game to become more of a tournament between countries like soccer's World Cup.

The United States, Canada, Venezuela, Panama, Japan, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and Korea were represented Tuesday.

"I believe in the World Cup," commissioner Bud Selig said. "We need to work something out."

YEAR IN REVIEW: Luis Gonzalez's ride into public consciousness took off with his victory in the Home Run Derby last July.

The events that followed -- 57 home runs, the winning hit in Game 7 of the World Series -- were the stuff of dreams.

"As a kid you live your whole life to play baseball and have a dream season like that," the Tampa native said. "I'm enjoying the moment as long as I can."

Organizers did not ask Gonzalez to defend his crown because his 16 homers are not among the league leaders.

"It didn't bother me, but I enjoyed doing it last year," he said.

WANTED TO BE THERE: When introduced before the game, pitcher Matt Morris flashed the palms of his hands to the camera. On the right palm, the initials DK. On the left palm, No.57.

Morris was chosen for the NL team but opted out partly to recover mentally after the death of Cardinals teammate Darryl Kile.

"It might have been best for me to stay home, just relax and kind of get baseball off my mind," Morris said. "But it's an honor to be here and it's something I don't want to forget."

ODDS AND ENDS: Yankees third baseman Robin Ventura took batting practice in a not exactly authentic replica Robin Yount powder-blue Brewers uniform. ... Hank Aaron was presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom at the White House but arrived in time for the pregame ceremony. ... Former New York mayor Rudolph Guiliani was introduced in the middle of the first. ... Aaron, Paul Molitor, Yount, Bob Uecker and Warren Spahn, all past players in Milwaukee, threw out ceremonial first pitches.