(By SFist Joe Kukura)

Major League Baseball played its 79th All-Star Game last night, a 15-inning, long hard slog eventually won by the American League, 4-3. Your hometown team players had a couple cameos and made a few notable contributions in the evening’s proceedings…

• Tim Lincecum was getting ruthlessly topped by Madonna suffering from flu-like symptoms and could not play.
• The first Giant or Athletic to enter the game was Oakland’s Justin Duchscherer, coming in to pitch the top of the sixth inning not until 10:14 p.m. EDT. He allowed a single to the Marlins’ Hanley Ramirez, prompting Tim McCarver to observe, “It’s pretty easy to say that was the worst pitch of the night.” Chase Utley singled and Lance Berkman sac-flied Ramirez home, putting the NL up 2-0 on Duchscherer’s watch. Duchschererererer did have one highlight moment, striking out Chipper Jones swinging at a high fastball.
• NL save leader Brian Wilson of the Giants was used sparingly at the bottom of the eighth. Given with a 2-1 lead, he got Carlos Quentin to pop out and struck out Carlos Guillen. Two quality outs – and then they yank him for Billy Wagner, who promptly gives up the lead to the first batter he faces. Served!
• About a third of both leagues’ All-Star rosters was former A’s.
• Sheryl Crow looked the bomb in that slutty little U.S.A. top; Sarah Jessica a little less so. But you stick Bud Selig in between them? Thanks a lot. Now I won’t be able to get it up again probably ‘til Dore Alley.