Eckstein Has a Lot on His Mind

David and Rick Eckstein, Whitey’s boys, dressed beside each other in the National League clubhouse; David in his St. Louis Cardinal road grays, Rick in his Washington National grays.

They were trying to enjoy David’s first All-Star game. The league and Manager Tony La Russa were gracious enough to allow Rick, a minor league hitting instructor in the N.Y.-Penn League, to share the time.

Thing is, Whitey, their 60-year-old father, was in intensive care at a Florida hospital, where he had fluid removed from his lungs Monday and kidney dialysis machines were keeping him alive.

He was awake and alert Tuesday morning, when David last spoke to his mother, and the family was hoping to have a television brought into Whitey’s room so he could watch the game.

Whitey suffered through two similar episodes last winter, and kidney failure is familiar to the Ecksteins; David has a brother and two sisters who have had kidney transplants, as have various members of their extended family.

“We know,” David said, “that he can get through this.”

A family friend will donate a kidney to Whitey on Aug. 19. David and Rick are considered candidates for donations, but David, for one, is to be married next off-season, and the family believes it would be best that David save his kidney; one of his future children might require one.

So, the boys played -- David started at shortstop, and Rick served as the National League’s bullpen catcher. In the first inning, David went into the hole and robbed Johnny Damon of a hit. Over his left shoulder, Rick warmed up John Smoltz in the bullpen.

Presumably, they both wished their father was watching.

“It’s definitely on my mind,” Rick said. “We call home a lot and try to stay current. My mom said today he was fine, stable, alert.... I don’t know what the rules are in the hospital. I would hope they got him a television.

“But, we know what he’s feeling. ‘Do your job. I’ll be fine. Just go do your job.’ And this is more than fun. It’s hard to put into words. We’re around the best of the best. For me it’s special because I get to see David interacting with his peers.”

Just then, Jim Edmonds arrived at the locker near Eckstein’s, blinked and said, “Hey, it’s two Ecksteins for the price of one!”

David laughed.

“It’s been kind of a fast trip,” he said, “but a great experience.”

*

When Kenny Rogers was introduced before the game, the crowd booed him. He grinned thinly and touched the bill of his cap, and the public address announcer moved to the next player.

He pitched the seventh inning for the American League, and was lightly booed when he was announced. That might have been it, but Rogers gave up a two-run homer to the second batter he faced, Andruw Jones. So the crowd got him again as the ball cleared the left-field fence, and again when the inning ended.

Rogers was suspended for 20 games for shoving two cameramen before a recent game in Arlington, Texas, and his presence here was the cause of some debate. His punishment -- a $50,000 fine with the suspension -- is in abeyance until an appeal can be heard.

Commissioner Bud Selig cited baseball’s collective bargaining agreement, which allows players to participate in the All-Star game even if they are suspended.

Rogers called his two days in Detroit “probably not as relaxing as you’d like to have it.... [But] I think it was something I needed to do.”

*

True to his hopes, Cesar Izturis stood along the first base line, had his name announced with the reserves, stepped forward and tipped his cap. Recovering from a strained right hamstring, the first-time All-Star did not play.... Jeff Kent, who also has a sore hamstring, started, played the first inning in the field and struck out against Mark Buehrle in his only at-bat.... Bartolo Colon pitched a scoreless third inning.... Vladimir Guerrero started in right field and was one for three. He singled to lead off the sixth against Dontrelle Willis.... Garret Anderson was hitless in two at-bats after taking over left field for Manny Ramirez in the fourth inning.... Roger Clemens arrived from Texas just in time for the team picture. With him: two sons and a very small dog one of the boys carried into the clubhouse inside a baseball glove.... Miguel Tejada’s second-inning home run was the fourth consecutive by a Dominican-born player in All-Star games. In 2004, Ramirez, Alfonso Soriano and David Ortiz homered. Mark Teixeira ended the streak in the sixth inning.... Next year’s All-Star game is in Pittsburgh.