Manager on All-Star duty

You have to pardon Mike Brumley if he feels a little sheepish about his appearance this week at the Triple-A All-Star Game in Rhode Island. His Salt Lake team languishes in last place in the Pacific Coast League, yet the Stingers manager will be directing the league's players Wednesday night as they square off against their counterparts from the International League.

"It's kind of a bittersweet deal, you know, going to the game with the worst record in the league," he said. "Obviously it kind of makes you feel like someone else should be going, but it's going to be a fun experience."

It's not like the game is the seventh game of the World Series or even a contest against a bitter rival. It's a showcase for both leagues to let the players have a few days off and to enjoy themselves with their families and friends in a fairly relaxed setting. Nor will Brumley be alone in Pawtucket, R.I. Salt Lake catcher Wil Nieves and outfielder Adam Riggs will be joining him in the PCL clubhouse.

" I played in a couple of those games as a player," Brumley said, "so it's going to be a good experience going back to the Northeast, to Pawtucket. It's a good group of kids we're taking out there so it will be an enjoyable experience."

As enjoyable as it may be, it's also going to be a learning experience.

"I haven't seen anybody out of that IL," Brumley said, "and because of the way the PCL has been set up this year, there are some guys in the game that I haven't even seen. I haven't seen Omaha, I haven't seen Memphis and some of those kids coming out of Nashville. I know something about them. I've been reading their names in the stat sheets, but it will be tough not taking three days off — I probably need it — but it's a good thing for me to participate in."

One thing he won't be doing is coaching from third base. The Stingers manager said he stays in the game by giving batting signs and moving runners along the base paths. But in the All-Star contest, the manager remains in the dugout, for the most part, and his coaches do the work out on the field.

"It's a good time when you get in the clubhouse with all these guys you've been battling against all year," he said. "It will be good to see some of these top prospects you read about out of the other league and for our guys to go and enjoy the festivities and make it a good time. That's the key."