With one feel for the wall and jump, a defensive wizardry in left that Rays fans have become accustomed to, Carl Crawford might have finally made himself visible to the rest of baseball.  Even though we went to the World Series last year, and even though if you watch any games, I don’t know how you could honestly have voted for any other LF to win the Gold Glove, Carl Crawford has yet to win a Gold Glove.

It’s something that I know the Rays take personally, their lack of Gold Gloves.  They were upset last year when they had the leagues best defense, and were rewarded with a whoppping 0.     Last night may have changed that for the Rays, and at least for Carl Crawford specifically.

He was just 1-3 from the plate with a single but the catch that won him the MVP saved the game in the 7th inning.

“I’ve never seen him do that. The way he got to the position on the ball was great. And the catch, obviously, was fantastic,” said AL skipper Joe Maddon of the Rays.

“I’ve been talking to everybody all year about this. Carl, he has become a better baseball player since I first met him in 2006. He’s a better defender, a better thrower, a better baserunner, a better base stealer, and it’s all because of his work,” he added. “It’s because of him. His work ethic is that good.”

It had to have been one of the fastest games in All Star History at 2 hours and 31 minutes.  It also didn’t feature too much suspense until the 7th inning HR grab by CC.  Not a single batter finished with more than 1 hit.  Only Zach Greinke had more than 1K, and he had 2.

Congrats to CC from all my friends and the folks here at Rayhawk Review.