It is half way through the baseball season and while some players get a thee day break to heal, spend time with family or just hang out, the best in Major League Baseball will gather in St. Louis tomorrow night for the 2009 MLB All-Star game.   Home to the St. Louis Cardinals, the Major League Baseball Mid-Summer Classic gets under way.  For fans of the Cardinals and for those that live in the mid-west, it has been a few years since the all-stars gathered at Busch Stadium.  It was so long ago, according to the record books, I was learning how to walk and talk.  The last time the all star game was played at Busch Stadium Lyndon Johnson was president, USSR launched Luna 10, which would become the first space probe to orbit the moon and Woodstock was still three years away from happening.

Fox Sports, who owns the broadcasting rights, produced this commercial, highlighting the Arch in St. Louis as the background for branding the city of St. Louis.

Last year Josh Hamilton created a buzz during the home run contest by hitting just about everything out of the park.  It was the first time in a few years, I have to admit, that I paid attention to the game.

For those of you who care about the 2009 MLB All-Star game in St. Louis for facts other than it provides home field advantage during the world series, here are a few more tidbits:

** This is the third time int he last four years the game has been played in a national League Stadium.

** It has been a while since the National League won the All-Star game.  1996 to be exact, a 6-0 whitewash at Veterans Stadium.

** The Los Angeles Angles will host the 2011 game

** The Arizona Diamondbacks get their first opportunity with the 2011 game.

Here is a list of the all-stars selected to play this year.

As a resource, here is a link to to the rosters supplied by major league baseball and a hot link to each individual player.

In a related story to the all-star game, the New York Times on Monday published a story, All-Star Sponsors Strive to Look Truly Charitable. St. Louis, has been on a kick to make this year’s game truly different from past efforts.