KFC just rolled out a new menu item to attract a younger crowd - CNN

New York (CNN Business) KFC is trying out a new type of chicken nugget in an effort to attract younger consumers.

Starting Monday, the chicken chain is offering Kentucky Fried Chicken Nuggets in restaurants in Charlotte, North Carolina, for a limited time. The nuggets are made with white meat and KFC's signature 11 herbs and spices, and they come in servings of eight, 12 or 36 pieces.

KFC already offers a few different types of chicken, including popcorn nuggets, on its menu. But it's betting nuggets will be a draw for the younger set.

"We're targeting younger customers, like Gen Z and Millennials, who are interested in boneless chicken options," said a KFC spokesperson.

KFC is testing out new chicken nuggets for a limited time.

Gen Z, which includes those currently between the ages of 18 and 24, is an important demographic for restaurants.

The untold story of Bryce Raynor's death in Tim Hortons grease trap

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – On the day he died, the second thing Bryce Raynor told his mother was that he wanted doughnuts for breakfast.

The first thing he said, after he burst into a toothy grin and gave his mother's neck a sleepy nuzzle, planting a gleefully wet kiss on her cheek, was that he really, really had to go potty.

He was just 3 years old, after all.

For Tenitia Cullum, Bryce's desire for a doughnut that morning felt like a bit of happy relief after a stressful start. She'd only just learned that her child care plans for the day had fallen through.

She gathered Bryce into her arms, kissed his smooth belly as he giggled, and promised him not only a bakery treat but also a bottle of cold apple juice – his favorite.

Tenitia had been working at the Tim Hortons on University Avenue for a little more than five months. Three days a week, when his mom headed to work, Bryce would go to day care. The other two days of her five-day workweek, however, Tenitia needed to find other arrangements.

This particular Monday in July was one of those days: Tenitia's aunt was lined up to keep watch over Bryce.

But not today. Something had come up, last minute. Tenitia was on her own.

And she had to be at work in an hour.

This was the second time this had happened. But it would be OK, Tenitia thought: She'd just do what she did last time and bring Bryce with her. That way, she wouldn't lose out on the shift, wouldn't let her co-workers down and wouldn't have to call in sick. Part-time work, after all, doesn't come with full-time benefits.

Already in her uniform of black polo and slacks, and sturdy black sneakers on her feet, Tenitia slipped a T-shirt emblazoned with "All Muscle" over her son's head, pulled him up in a pair of gray shorts and cinched the laces on his black-and-gray Nike sneakers.

Bryce brushed his teeth; Tenitia finished her morning cigarette. Their Uber arrived, and hand-in-hand they set off to get that breakfast doughnut. The ride to work that day cost more than $8, or three-quarters of an hour of work.

Less than two hours after mother and son arrived at Tim Hortons that day, Bryce would accidentally slip into a coffinlike 500-gallon underground water tank and drown.

Building a future

Tenitia, born in Rochester, grew up in North Carolina where she and beau Bryan Raynor celebrated the birth of their son, Bryce, in 2016.

But the love affair didn't pan out, the relationship tattered, and about a year ago, Tenitia and Bryce headed up to Rochester. They were seeking better opportunities and the embrace of extended family.

At first, Tenitia got a job at Five Guys. She made close to minimum wage, working as many hours as possible, but it was enough for mother and son to get a small apartment on Eighth Street.

Rent was $675 a month. Add in utilities, and Tenitia's housing costs ate nearly three out of every four paychecks. (Weekly take-home pay for a minimum-wage worker at 30 hours a week is a little less than $300.)

There wasn't room in the budget for a car. (NerdWallet estimates the monthly operating costs of a car to be about $300, excluding any car payments.) But the bus worked for most trips. And in a pinch, there was always Uber – although a round trip to and from work could cost Tenitia nearly $17, approximately as much as she earned during an hour and a half of work.

While there wasn't room in the budget for much else, really, they still made do together. For a few weeks late last year, the future looked dazzlingly brighter when Tenitia scored a full-time gig at Conduent, working as a call center representative. But she didn't fit with the work, or the work didn't fit with her, and either way there was a hasty, mutually agreed parting of ways.

Losing that job started a quick downward spiral; it's what happens when you live paycheck-to-paycheck and the paychecks stop coming.

As Tenitia struggled to find new work, she fell behind on her rent.

She lost the apartment on Eighth Street, and she and Bryce moved in with an aunt on Hazelwood Terrace.

In February, she landed a new job at Tim Hortons.

It was a relief.

Only a moment

As Tenitia started her shift around 9 a.m. July 15, she set Bryce up at a table near the restaurant's front counter. She gave him his doughnut and an apple juice. She left him her phone so he could watch YouTube. Ken, the store manager, reassigned her from working near the drive-through to the front beverage station so she could keep one eye on her son. Amid their other tasks, her fellow employees – a close-knit work family, really – stopped by Bryce's table whenever they had a few free seconds to talk and joke with him, making sure he had everything he needed.

The morning rush slowed a little before quarter to 11, and Bryce's patience was wearing thin – a 3-year-old can sit still for only so long. It seemed like a good time for a quick break. Taking out the trash would be a perfect distraction, Tenitia thought: Bryce could have a couple of minutes outside to break up the morning before sitting through the rest of Mom's workday.

Trash in one hand, Tenitia opened the restaurant's back door and Bryce bolted into the sunshine. He pumped his legs running and veered toward the side of the building, reveling in the moment's freedom.

Tenitia gently called him back and told him to stay on the grass by the door.

She turned her back for a just a second, so she could grab a few more trash bags and empty boxes.

But she stopped hearing the slap of his sneakers on the ground, or feeling his exuberant presence behind her.

When she turned back around, Bryce wasn't there.

Has anyone seen a little boy?

Any restaurant with a commercial kitchen has a grease trap, better known as a grease interceptor. It helps filter grease, fats and oils out of a restaurant's wastewater, preventing troublesome clogs in the sanitary sewer system. In small kitchens, these traps might be inside, located near the dishwasher or main sink. In bigger kitchens, they're often outside, as close to the building as possible.

At the Tim Hortons on University Avenue in Rochester, New York, the grease trap is about 10 feet straight outside the back door. It's in a little grassy patch hemmed in by the parking lot, an outdoor freezer, the building and the drive-through menu board.

There's no fence. There are no signs warning of what lies below.

That's not unusual.

Tenitia must have passed the green plastic cover on that thing a hundred times, never giving it a thought all the weeks that she worked there. The round cover in the grass was just something that was. She didn't even know what was under it.

Employees didn't deal with it much, if ever. Police records show it was last cleaned two days before Bryce died. The work was done by a technician from grease removal service, Baker Commodities Inc.

When Tenitia didn't see Bryce standing in the grass, she didn't panic. He must have slipped back around the side of the building, right? He'll be right there after I go around the corner, Tenitia thought.

He wasn't.

She hustled into the restaurant to see if he'd gone back inside.

He hadn't.

Fear mounting, she ran across a wide expanse of parking lot to the nearby KFC, burst into the dining room yelling, "Has anyone seen a little boy?"

They hadn't.

Within six minutes, her co-workers are on the phone with 911, reporting Bryce missing.

As police mustered their forces and a K-9 unit sped toward University Avenue for an area search, Tenitia and her co-workers checked the bathrooms again. They rustled through the bushes, stood in the parking lot and cried out his name. "Bryce, Bryce!"

Tenitia was near the front of the building when one of her co-workers out back had a terrible thought. She flipped the lid off the grease trap – it wasn't bolted in place –grabbed a broom and stirred at the viscous, fetid muck inside.

A little pair of gray shorts came into view.

A $44 fix, but no requirement

The Universal Kid Catcher is a round grid of bright yellow plastic. It's designed to fit inside the wide, round pipes called risers that lead from the top of a grease trap or septic tank to ground level.

It's a form of secondary protection that comes into play only if a lid is damaged or unsecured. With one of these in place, it is impossible for a child – or even a medium-size animal, for that matter – to inadvertently slip inside an underground tank.

But there are no laws that mandate their installation.

"I've been in this business for the better part of my life, and unfortunately this happens from time to time," said Patrick Gavin, president of Polylok Inc., the Connecticut-based company that produces the Universal Kid Catcher as well as other plastic injection molded products. "And every time there's a tragedy like this, the phone rings, and people talk about passing legislation and say, 'Why don't we have a kid catcher or some kind of mandatory secondary protection?' but the truth is, we're probably going to have to have another tragedy before something is done in line with secondary protection."

Universal Kid Catcher: This could have saved Bryce Raynor

For Gavin, advocating for the devices isn't about money – at least four or five other companies manufacture similar products that are just as effective – it's about saving lives.

"It wrenches my gut that this has to happen for people to talk about this," he said. "There are products that exist that can stop this. But until it's mandated and people are told they have to do this, if they're not going to spend the extra 10-15-20 dollars because states don't say they have to, why would they?"

To be sure, in the aftermath of Bryce's death, local leaders pledged to take safety more seriously: There's a glaring lack of state or local regulations that govern the security of grease traps. Monroe County Executive Cheryl Dinolfo proposed a new local law – Bryce's Law – that passed Sept. 10 by the county legislature and requires well-secured, sturdy lids and annual inspections by the health department. State Assembly members Harry Bronson and Jamie Romeo are drafting state legislation that would prohibit plastic lids on grease traps.

None of the proposals mandates secondary protection, however. There's no federal or state laws elsewhere that do, either.

A single second

There's an involuntary gasp reflex that happens when a person falls unexpectedly into water. A mere half cup of inhaled water can kill – less liquid than it takes to fill a standard juice box.

And it takes a child less than 20 seconds to drown.

Just minutes after their initial 911 call, Tim Hortons workers call again. This time, they report a child has drowned. A dispatcher tells officers the boy fell in the grease trap and is unconscious, not breathing.

The store manager has started CPR. A state trooper arrives with an automatic external defibrillator.

In police radio broadcasts from the scene, Tenitia's voice pierces through the background, ragged and urgent. "Oh God. Please help me," she beseeches. "Please help me."

Photos from that day show the grief seared into the faces of Tenitia's co-workers.

During a press conference from the scene, Rochester police investigator Francis Camp fights back his own tears.

"This is a horrible, unimaginable, unspeakable tragedy," he says. "This is the worst thing that you can encounter as a police officer."

Camp calls for city crews to come in and install a cast-iron manhole cover over the grease trap opening, not "some friggin' piece of plastic."

City plans show the trap was supposed to have a cast-iron manhole cover that mates with a cast-iron riser made by the Neenah Foundry out of Wisconsin. But on the day Bryce died, it is instead covered by a lightweight plastic lid. These lids can be safe, but only if bolted in place so they remain secure.

It is unclear what happened to the original lid. But the replacement lid, described in police reports as a 24-inch Polylok cover, model number 3008-RC, is designed to fit properly only on a matching riser made by the same company. Six stainless-steel screws are supposed to hold it in place. That day, there were no screws on the lid.

An unmonitored security camera at a nearby liquor store captured the last moments of Bryce's life.

He and his mom walk out of the building around 10:49 a.m. Bryce runs out toward the menu board. He stops and turns back to his mother.

Tenitia turns back toward the building to grab more garbage from the rear foyer.

One second later, Bryce walks over the lid.

It flips open and he slips through the 2-foot hole. The lid pivots back into place like the swinging top of a trash can, closing the hole and trapping him inside.

City plans don't show the exact dimensions of the trap, but online records show a 500-gallon grease trap is likely to be at least 5 feet deep.

Four seconds later, Tenitia steps out of the foyer and Bryce is gone.

Nine minutes later, employees pull him out of the trap.

The same manager who let Tenitia work the front counter that morning instead of the drive through lays Bryce out in the grass and begins performing CPR.

'That was my baby'

Tenitia sat in the audience at the Sept. 10 legislature meeting, watching lawmakers pass the resolution that bears her son's name.

If there's any comfort, it's knowing that her lovely son, who was always smiling, always happy and who knew all his colors and shapes by the time he was 2⅓, is now helping to make sure other kids will be safer from now on.

Bryce's funeral was July 23. Dozens of strangers came. Many brought Tenitia little gifts or stuffed animals in memory of Bryce.

There's a small blue dinosaur Tenitia holds onto in the moments she's loneliest. A flaxen-headed little girl, not much older than Bryce, had tugged at her leg at the funeral services and asked whether she could please give it to Bryce.

"He really would have loved it," Tenitia said recently, sitting on the couch at another relative's apartment on South Avenue. She hasn't been back to work. She won't ever return to Tim Hortons.

Every day is a struggle.

"That was my baby, I will never get him back. I will never get his hugs back. I will never get his kisses back," she said, tears winding down her face. "I just want people to know that if they ever see me in public and I'm smiling and happy, it's all a mask. I think that's how I get through every day, besides Bryce telling me he's OK every once in a while.

He was my only one and I don't think this pain will ever go away."

Danger below:Grease traps help protect pipes but have a dangerous side

Hole in regulation:Boy's tragic death reveals lack of state, local oversight of grease trap safety

Grease trap inspections:County to examine safety of 2,500 grease tank covers

Restaurant reviews: Blue Marlin Anna Maria Island, Overton Sarasota

It's probably not easy being a seafood restaurateur on Anna Maria Island during the height of tourist season and only serving fish that arrived earlier that day from the docks of nearby Cortez Village. But that's the policy of owner Adam Ellis at Blue Marlin. And it's one of the many reasons you will want to visit the Bradenton Beach dining destination that recently celebrated its 10th anniversary.


Mariners' Julio Rodriguez, youngest MLB All-Star, inspires awe

Next week in Los Angeles, the game’s brightest stars will gather in Los Angeles for what’s become Major League Baseball’s Midsummer Existential Crisis, an annual opportunity to showcase the game’s greatest players and hope that someday, one of them may be more than a passing topic at breakfast tables coast-to-coast.

MLB All-Star Game 2019: American League win streak extends to ...

CLEVELAND - Mercifully, they played the 90th All-Star Game before talk of juiced baseballs and absurd home run totals devoured the narrative. And for a night, it was not about how far the pearls traveled so much as how well the pitchers manipulated them.

The American League ran its streak of conquests to seven with a 4-3 victory at Progressive Field, quieting a National League lineup that featured two players – Christian Yelich and Cody Bellinger – who hit a combined 61 home runs before the All-Star break.

Tuesday night, the sluggers for the most part gave way to the hard-throwing men on the mound in front of them.

Breaking down the AL’s victory:

The game: This was Modern Baseball at its finest – where the facets of what make the game occasionally ugly these days shone brightly.

Strikeouts? Sure, tons of them – 16 by AL pitchers, seven from NL pitchers. But these seemed not the result of flailing batters but rather pitching brilliance.

With every pitcher tossing just an inning, the velocity came easy – as did the clean innings. Seven pitchers tossed perfect frames, with perhaps the most impressive back-to-back sequences coming in the bottom of the third and fourth innings, as the New York Mets’ Jacob deGrom and Cincinnati’s Luis Castillo coasted through the treacherous first six in the AL lineup – George Springer, DJ LeMahieu, Mike Trout, Carlos Santana, J.D. Martinez and Alex Bregman.

DeGrom, evoking memories of his red-hot 2015 NL appearance when he struck out the side on 10 pitches, hit 98 mph on the radar gun in getting AL batting leader LeMahieu on a comebacker and Trout on a pop to second. Castillo made it look easy striking out Santana and J.D. Martinez.

CROSSROADS: What does the future hold for MLB?

SKAGGS: Angels All-Stars wear No. 45 to honor fallen pitcher

MAD MAX: MLB must 'take ownership' of ball

Liam Hendriks, on waivers around this time last year, struck out the side in his inning of AL work, Kris Bryant heading back to the dugout even before Homeplate umpire Mark Wegner rang him up.

Home runs? But of course. Rockies slugger Charlie Blackmon sullied Hendriks’ inning of work with a drive over the wall in center field. And just as the game got a bit too sleepy, Texas Rangers slugger Joey Gallo destroyed the first pitch from San Francisco Giants reliever Will Smith, sending a 112-mph screamer into the right field seats for a 4-1 lead.

Shifts? Certainly, they can be annoying, but also create athletic moments in their own right. Max Muncy was playing halfway to the right field fence when Santana sent a screamer to his right. Muncy sprawled out, speared the ball and fired to Alonso, whose all-out stretch got Santana by a hair.

One night after winning the Home Run Derby, Alonso showed he’s perhaps an unstoppable force at the moment, bringing the NL to within 4-3 with a bases-loaded, two-run single off Indians reliever Brad Hand with two outs in the eighth.

Hand recovered to induce a foul out to the catcher from Mike Moustakas, shakily handing the baton to Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman.

After strikeouts of J.T. Realmuto, Muncy and Yasmani Grandal - and, for the heck of it, a mound visit from CC Sabathia, this game was over.

There’s plenty of nights where the game’s modern trappings can be annoying, even odious. Tuesday night was not one of them.

What you missed on TV: So much love for The Land. While many All-Star games feel staid and littered with corporate interlopers from out of town, Indians fans dominated the jerseys on the concourse and roared for heroes past and present.

The rumble for CC Sabathia’s ceremonial first pitch began as he ambled out to the mound. Former Indian Michael Brantley – now a Houston Astro - received a rousing applause in introductions and before every at-bat. Kris Bryant, Willson Contreras and Javy Baez – members of the 2016 Chicago Cubs who broke Cleveland’s heart with a seven-game World Series conquest – were lustily booed.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, the crowd of 36,747 rose to its feet amid chants of “Let’s go, Bieber!” as Cleveland right-hander Shane Bieber aimed to strike out the side. (He complied, freezing Ronald Acuna Jr. on a slider after punching out Contreras and Arizona’s Ketel Marte to start the inning).

The robust O-H-I-O chant during the playing of The McCoys “Hang on Sloopy” was clearly the product of fans who more closely associate the tune with Ohio State’s “Best Damn Band In The Land.”

And after MLB’s semi-annual “Stand Up To Cancer” culminated with the Indians’ All-Stars surrounding teammate Carlos Carrasco – who is undergoing leukemia treatments – a roar of “Cookie! Cookie!”

The hero: Gallo’s home run was a near afterthought, but it stood up as the winning margin and perhaps most important, saved Hand from an ignominious blown save in front of his home crowd.

Out of the ordinary: Mike Trout won consecutive All-Star MVP honors in 2014 and ’15 and had reached base in his first plate appearance in all eight previous All-Star games. Tuesday, he was retired in both plate appearances.

It didn’t seem like an All-Star game without Trout’s dominance, but then again, this was no regular circumstance. Trout wore No. 45 on his back to honor teammate Tyler Skaggs, who passed away on July 1 while the team was in Texas on a road trip.

“In order to represent him, what he meant to us, on a stage like this, it’s unbelievable,” said Trout.

All jerseys bore a black No. 45 patch to honor Skaggs.

Brewers' Freddy Peralta, Corbin Burnes both impact at All-Star Game

Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s titanic home run in the third inning, projected at 468 feet into the thin Denver air, proved to be one of the highlights of the 2021 MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday. Unfortunately, it came at the expense of Brewers pitcher Corbin Burnes.

Burnes was given a rare workload for an all-star pitcher — two innings — but he yielded two runs and became the second Brewers pitcher to take an all-star game loss after the American League went on to win the annual showcase, 5-2.

Among the highlights for the National League, though, was the dominant seventh inning by Milwaukee's Freddy Peralta, who struck out all three batters he faced and threw 10 of his 12 pitches for strikes.

BOX SCORE: AL 5, NL 2

Milwaukee had a franchise-record-tying five representatives taking part for a third straight year, though Brandon Woodruff had already been ruled out after pitching Sunday before the all-star break. He was joined in Denver by Burnes, Peralta and Josh Hader — now a three-time all-star selection who did not pitch.

Peralta, Narvaez work together in Peralta's electric seventh

Peralta was spectacular, slicing through Adolis García of Texas on three pitches for a strikeout and then punching out Boston's J.D. Martinez on four pitches. After he fell behind Matt Olson of Oakland, he battled back from a 2-0 count to record his third strikeout and end the 1-2-3 inning.

It had to help that he was throwing to a familiar face: Milwaukee catcher Omar Narváez, who entered the game at catcher in the sixth inning. Peralta became the first Brewers pitcher to strike out the side in an all-star game.

Just 25 years old, Peralta has a 2.39 ERA at the break in 18 appearances (17 starts), with 135 strikeouts in 98 innings and an eye-popping 0.898 WHIP. He came five outs away from a no-hitter in June and has figured prominently in two one-hitters for Milwaukee this season, though he wasn't added to the all-star game roster until Woodruff was officially ruled out.

Narváez, himself a late addition to the all-star roster after both catchers Buster Posey and Yadier Molina dropped out of the showcase, finished 1-for-2.

Narváez led off the bottom of the seventh against Tampa Bay pitcher Andrew Kittredge and sent a grounder up the middle, but Toronto second baseman Bo Bichette was shaded there and threw Narváez out at first. Leading off the ninth against Liam Hendriks of the White Sox, he sent another squibber up the middle and beat out the throw from Kansas City's Whit Merrifield.

But Narváez was erased on the basepaths when Hendriks spiked a pitch to the backstop that bounced straight back to Tampa Bay catcher Mike Zunino, who fired down to second base and retired Narváez easily.

Burnes escapes big inning in first of two frames

Burnes saw his first all-star action in the second inning, and he was greeted rudely, allowing the first three batters to reach and ceding the game's first run, though he did escape further damage.

Burnes, who famously started the season with 58 strikeouts and 345 batters faced before issuing his first walk, allowed a leadoff walk to Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees on just four pitches.

Boston's Rafael Devers didn't wait to see more than the fifth, pounding a first-pitch screamer into the dirt that bounded over Atlanta's Freddie Freeman at first base and down the line for a double that put runners at second and third with nobody out. When Toronto's Marcus Semien hit a soft grounder that left third baseman Nolan Arenado without a play, the American League had the first run of the game.

But Devers held at second on the play, and Burnes struck out Salvador Perez of the Royals, then induced a double-play groundout off the bat of Toronto's Teoscar Hernández to end the frame at 1-0.

It was a lead that grew in the second inning after Burnes struck out Baltimore's Cedric Mullins and got Angels star Shohei Ohtani to ground out. Guerrero drilled a 1-1 pitch that generated a chorus of oohs and aahs.

In summary, Burnes allowed two runs on four hits in two innings with a walk and two strikeouts.

It's the first time a Milwaukee pitcher received a decision in an all-star game since 1981, when eventual Cy Young and MVP winner Rollie Fingers yielded an eighth-inning home run to Mike Schmidt of Philadelphia in a 5-4 loss to the National League in Cleveland.

The Milwaukee Braves were involved in all-star game decisions in three straight seasons in the 1950s. Warren Spahn was the winner in 1953 when the National League scored a 5-1 win, Gene Conley was the loser in an 11-9 loss to the AL in 1954, and Conley came back to win the 1955 game in a 6-5 extra-inning victory for the NL.

Brewers pitchers have now allowed runs in three straight all-star games. Woodruff allowed one in 2/3 of an inning in 2019, and Hader surrendered three (one earned) on four hits in 1/3 of an inning in 2018, thanks in large part to a three-run homer by former Brewer Jean Segura. Jeremy Jeffress also threw a scoreless frame in 2018. In the previous all-star outing by a Brewers pitcher, Francisco Rodriguez also permitted two runs in one inning in the 2015 game, one year after he threw a scoreless inning in 2014.

Player with Wisconsin ties makes defensive play of the night

Los Angeles Angels first baseman/outfielder Jared Walsh, a 39th round draft pick who was born in Brookfield and spent childhood years in Oconomowoc before moving to Georgia, made his first all-star appearance and flew out to end the sixth.

But his sliding catch in left field may have saved the day for the American League. With the bases loaded in the eighth, Walsh snagged a tailing liner by Chicago's Kris Bryant to end the frame and keep the lead at 5-2.

Walsh, who has played right field and hadn't played left field in the big leagues before the all-star game, also hit a deep drive to center against Craig Kimbrel that was hauled in on the warning track in the top of the ninth.

The game, which was relocated from Atlanta, featured a pregame tribute to Braves star Hank Aaron, who died in January. Aaron's illustrious career began with the Milwaukee Braves in 1954 and featured 12 seasons in Milwaukee.

JR Radcliffe can be reached at (262) 361-9141 or jradcliffe@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JRRadcliffe.

Bryce Harper's grand slam keys NL win in simulated All-Star Game

MIAMI -- Bryce Harper's second-inning grand slam propelled the National League to an early lead and a dominant bullpen held on for a 9-6 victory in USA TODAY's annual All-Star Game simulation using the online version of Dynasty League Baseball.

American League starter Chris Sale was rocked for six runs in 1 1/3 innings of work as the NL scored twice in the first as Buster Posey hit an RBI double and came around to score on Nolan Arenado's single.

BOX SCORE: National League 9, American League 6

The NL broke things open in the second thanks to its trio of Washington Nationals starters. Daniel Murphy led off the inning with a single, Ryan Zimmerman walked, and -- after Sale hit Charlie Blackmon -- Harper cleared the bases with a 346-foot home run down the right field line.

NL starter Max Scherzer worked two scoreless innings, striking out five of the seven batters he faced. But the AL bounced back for four runs in the third against Zack Greinke. The big blow was Mookie Betts' two-run homer to left.

Justin Smoak also homered for the AL in the fourth off Carlos Martinez, but the NL bullpen made the lead stand up, despite some tense moments in the final two innings when the AL brought the tying run to the plate.

Kenley Jansen worked his way out of a jam with two on in the ninth by getting pinch-hitter Mike Moustakas to ground out to first to end the game.

GAME SUMMARY:NL proves too powerful

Murphy, Arenado and Posey had two hits apiece for the victorious NL and Posey finished with three RBI. In addition to his grand slam, Harper also walked and scored twice on his way to being named the game's MVP.

What to watch in the real All-Star Game

The whole point of this annual exercise isn't to predict which team will win the game. It's more of an attempt to highlight the relative strengths and weaknesses of each side -- and show how they could potentially impact the way the game unfolds on the field.

Some observations:

-- The National League seems to be much better defensively, on the left side of the infield in particular, with Gold Glover Nolan Arenado starting at third and Zack Cozart at short.

The AL isn't as reliable with 3B Jose Ramirez, SS Carlos Correa, 2B Jose Altuve and 1B Justin Smoak all rated as average or (in Smoak's case) below average at their positions. Sure enough, the NL's second run of the game came on a ground-ball single by Arenado that Ramirez couldn't reach.

-- The American League doesn't really have a true center fielder on the roster. George Springer and Mookie Betts have played center before, but are better suited for the corner spots. That could be a factor in a game filled with sluggers.

The NL, meanwhile, has Charlie Blackmon as its starter and can go to Ender Inciarte in the late innings for defense.

-- The AL has a predominantly right-handed lineup, which gives the NL an advantage with its wealth of right-handed pitchers.

In our simulated game, the NL only used one left-handed pitcher -- and Brad Hand only pitched to one batter.

Meanwhile, the NL teed off against the AL's lefties. In addition to Sale's troubles, Andrew Miller retired only two of the seven batters he faced, allowing a hit and three walks.

-- The biggest advantage at a position goes to the NL at first base. In addition to Zimmerman, who's hitting .330 with 63 RBI, they can turn to Joey Votto and/or Paul Goldschmidt (although Goldschmidt started our simulated game as the DH).

The AL has Smoak as its starter and Yonder Alonso as his only backup. Both are first-time All-Stars.

---

USA TODAY Sports simulation tournament

Another annual tradition is the opportunity we give USA TODAY Sports readers to participate in an online tournament made up of 64 of the greatest teams in baseball history.

Even if you've never played simulation baseball before, it's easy to learn. And you can get a free one-month subscription to Dynasty League Baseball to get familiar with how the game works (and keep playing after you're hooked).

The 2017 tourney will get underway Thursday, July 13 at 7 p.m. ET.

To sign up:

-- Go to DynastyLeagueBaseball.com.

-- If you're a new user, click on the button for a free 2-day trial.

-- Create your user name and password, then under code USA2 for a free month of access.

-- On the main menu, click on Tournaments and find "USA Today Greatest Teams Tournament."

-- Click to sign up and pick your team.

Babe Ruth's blast ushered in first All-Star Game in 1933

MLB to hold annual Lou Gehrig Day on June 2

Major League Baseball announced that they will hold an annual "Lou Gehrig Day" on June 2 beginning this season to commemorate the former Yankee first baseman's battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, which became known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.

To commemorate the day, all players, managers and coaches will have a patch on their jerseys to honor Gehrig, and red wristbands will be available to wear that read "4-ALS", a nod to Gehrig's No. 4 jersey. All ballparks will also display the "4-ALS" logo, per MLB.

“Major League Baseball is thrilled to celebrate the legacy of Lou Gehrig, whose humility and courage continue to inspire our society," said commissioner Rob Manfred in a statement. "While ALS has been closely identified with our game since Lou’s legendary career, the pressing need to find cures remains. We look forward to honoring all the individuals and families, in baseball and beyond, who have been affected by ALS and hope Lou Gehrig Day advances efforts to end this disease,"

With a day dedicated to him, Gehrig joins Jackie Robinson and Roberto Clemente as the only baseball players who are annually celebrated league-wide. The date, June 2, is the day that Gehrig became the starting first baseman for the Yankees in 1925.

He went on to play 2,130 consecutive games over 13 seasons, which included two AL MVP Awards, seven All-Star Game appearances, a triple crown and six World Series titles. On July 4, 1939, he gave his famous farewell speech weeks after his diagnosis with the disease, when he proclaimed he was the, "the luckiest man on the face of this earth." He died in 1941 at the age of 37.

ALS is a fatal neurodegenerative disease where people lose the ability to control their muscles, such as the ability to walk, talk and breathe. Awareness for the disease was big in 2014 with the Ice Bucket Challenge, started by Pete Frates as he began his battle with the disease. Stephen Piscotty, Oakland Athletics outfielder whose mother died of ALS complications, said his mother would be thrilled that MLB will raise awareness for the disease.

"“Lou Gehrig Day will honor Lou’s accomplishments on the field, but also help millions understand this devastating disease that has claimed far too many of us, including my mother. Before she passed, she did everything she could to raise awareness of ALS," Piscotty said in a statement. "Hopefully this awareness will help lead to a cure.”

Contact Jordan Mendoza at jamendoza@usatoday.com or on Twitter @jord_mendoza

MLB first half superlatives: MVP, Cy Young awards, best/worst ...

LOS ANGELES – Come on, you didn’t know the Baltimore Orioles would actually be the one of the best teams in baseball for the past month and in contention for a playoff berth?

You didn’t realize that the New York Yankees and Houston Astros would have their divisions sewn up by the All-Star break?

Czar of Sports wants All-Star Game, Titans changes

David Ammenheuser

dammenheus@tennessean.com

The Czar of Sports has returned from vacation. Here are the Top 10 things he'd do today to change our world of sports:

• Tweak the All-Star Game selection process: Kansas City Royals fans made a mockery of this year's election as they took advantage of the rule that allowed each fan to vote 35 times per email address. At one point, as many as eight Royals were in line to start, including light-hitting second baseman Omar Infante, who is batting .231. Late voting pushed that number down to four starters.

Eliminating balloting at the ballpark was ridiculous. And allowing 35 votes per email address was beyond ridiculous. Put those ballot boxes back in the ballparks. Make them available at all ballparks (major and minor). And allow just one ballot vote per email address.

• Follow the NHL's example: Make Monday's All-Star workout day more exciting. The home run derby has grown old. What other player competitions could be included? The NHL's skills session offers fans a series of competitions from the fastest skater to the hardest shooters. It will be one of the highlights of All-Star Weekend in Nashville in January.

• Bring the Triple-A All-Star Game here: It's been 21 years since Music City hosted the minor league all-star game. The Sounds' Ray Durham was named the MVP of the game, which was played at Greer Stadium in front of 11,601. This year's game will be played at Werner Park in Papillion, Neb. The 2016 game is scheduled to go to Charlotte, N.C. With our new First Tennessee Park, it's time for the game to return. 2017 would be perfect.

• Retire Tim Dillard's number: The Sounds have retired two numbers in their history: 00 for Skeeter Barnes who played four seasons (1979, '88-90), spanning 514 games; and 18 for Don Mattingly, who played the 1981 season. It's time to honor No. 17 for Dillard, who is the franchise's all-time leader in wins (39) and innings pitched (5562/ 3 ). He ranks second in games (209) and strikeouts (334). Of course he'd also tell you he hit more batters (16) and allowed more runs (305) than any other Sounds pitcher. Dillard now plays for the Colorado Sky Sox. He did not get an opportunity to pitch during the two series between the teams this season at First Tennessee Park.

• Bring the SEC Baseball Tournament to Music City: While we're still on the baseball theme, it's time that the Nashville Sports Council makes a pitch to move the SEC tournament from Hoover, Ala., to First Tennessee Park. The tournament is committed to Alabama for another year.

• More high-level soccer to Nashville: While I don't think Nashville is ready to support a Major League Soccer franchise, the 44,835 who attended last week's USA-Guatemala match at Nissan Stadium proved there is a lot of interest in the sport in the region. Why not make a summer soccer exhibition an annual event?

• And the Grizzlies, too: Speaking of exhibitions, why doesn't the state's NBA team play an annual preseason game in Nashville? Wouldn't the Grizzlies expand their fan base if they played a game at Bridgestone Arena (or Vanderbilt) each season? It would be perfect timing, too, now that former Brentwood Academy standout Brandan Wright has agreed to a three-year, $17.1 million deal with Memphis.

• Truce among SEC football coaches : Wouldn't it be splendid if all of the SEC football coaches got together and agreed that satellite camps are a good thing? Then, agree to hold one together? Perhaps somewhere in the middle of Pennsylvania? Do you think the Penn State coach would enjoy that?

• Sign Marcus Mariota today : Just get it done. His face is on every piece of Titans marketing material. He's going to be behind center at 3:25 p.m. on Sept. 13 when the Titans play their season opener at Tampa Bay. He's one of the few unsigned first round NFL draft choices. Get it done.

• Fix the gate issue at Nissan Stadium : We heard the stories of the long lines and gate issues during the 2015 NFL season. And we heard the excuses. I personally witnessed the lines at The Rolling Stones concert last month. I've read the stories about the gate and concession issues for the soccer game. Stadium operators need to realize that not all concertgoers and soccer fans read an NFL website on its ticketing policy. Enough excuses. Enough finger-pointing and blaming. Fix the problem.

Reach Dave Ammenheuser at 615-259-8352 and on Twitter, @NashSportsEd.

MLB renames World Series MVP Award after Willie Mays

USA TODAY Sports

Major League Baseball announced on Friday it has renamed the World Series MVP Award in honor of Hall of Famer Willie Mays.

Beginning with the 2017 Word Series, the MVP of the Fall Classic will now be recognized as the “Willie Mays World Series Most Valuable Player."

The announcement came on the 63rd anniversary of his famous over-the-shoulder-catch in deep center field at the Polo Grounds in Game 1 of the World Series against the Cleveland Indians.

“Major League Baseball is thrilled to honor Willie Mays on our game’s biggest stage and in a manner that befits his many contributions to the sport," commissioner Rob Manfred said in a written statement. "Since making ‘The Catch’ on September 29, 1954, Willie has been a part of World Series history. This annual recognition will forever celebrate the life and career of a legend of the National Pastime.”

MLB began handing out an award in the World Series in 1955, one year after 'The Catch.'

Mays, 86, played in a record-tying 24 All-Star Games in his 22 years with the Giants (1951-1972) and the Mets (1972-1973). He played in the World Series four times and won the title in 1954 with the New York Giants.

"I'd like to thank commissioner Rob Manfred and his team at Major League Baseball for

honoring me with this recognition," Mays said in a written statement. "Baseball has always taken care of me, and for that I am grateful.

"I think it's just a wonderful thing to know that at 86 years of age, I can still give something back to the game. I am proud to lend my name to this important award. What a day this has been!!"

This Date in Baseball

AP

July 8

1912 — Rube Marquard’s 19-game winning streak was stopped as the New York Giants lost 7-2 to the Chicago Cubs.

1918 — Boston’s Babe Ruth lost a home run at Fenway Park when prevailing rules reduce his shot over the fence to a triple. Amos Strunk scored on Ruth’s hit for a 1-0 win over Cleveland. Ruth, who played 95 games in the season, finished tied for the American League title with 11 homers.

1935 — The AL extended its All-Star winning streak to three with a 4-1 victory at Cleveland’s Municipal Stadium. New York Yankee Lefty Gomez went six innings, which prompted the NL to have the rules changed so that no pitcher could throw more than three innings, unless extra innings.

1941 — Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox hit a three-run, two-out homer in the ninth to give the AL a dramatic 7-5 victory in the All-Star game at Detroit’s Briggs Stadium. Up to that point Arky Vaughn of the Pittsburgh Pirates was the NL hero with two home runs, the first player to do so in All-Star play. Joe and Dom DiMaggio both played for the AL, marking the first time that brothers appeared in the same All-Star game.

1947 — Frank Shea became the first winning rookie pitcher in the first 14 years of All-Star play as the AL nipped the NL 2-1 at Chicago’s Wrigley Field.

1952 — The NL edged the AL 3-2 in the first rain-shortened All-Star game. The five-inning contest, at Philadelphia’s Shibe Park, featured home runs by Jackie Robinson and Hank Sauer of the Nationals.

1957 — Baseball owners re-elected commissioner Ford Frick to another seven-year term when his contract is up in 1958.

1958 — The 25th anniversary All-Star game, at Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium, went to the AL, 4-3 in a game that only produced 13 singles. This was the first All-Star game in which neither team got an extra-base hit.

1970 — Jim Ray Hart of San Francisco hit for the cycle and became the first NL player in 59 years to drive in six runs in one inning as the Giants beat Atlanta, 13-0.

1974 — New York shortstop Jim Mason tied a major-league record when he doubled four times in the Yankees’ 12-5 win over Texas.

1994 — Shortstop John Valentin made the 10th unassisted triple play in baseball history in the sixth inning and then led off the bottom of the inning with a homer to lead Boston to a 4-3 victory over the Seattle Mariners.

1997 — Cleveland Indians catcher Sandy Alomar hit a two-run homer to give the American League a 3-1 victory over the National League in the All-Star game. Alomar, the first player to win the All-Star MVP in his own ballpark, broke the tie in the seventh inning off San Francisco’s Shawn Estes.

1982 — Billy Martin records his 1,000 career win as a manger as the A's beat the Yankees 6-3.

2000 — Dwight Gooden and Roger Clemens teamed up to shut down the Mets, giving the Yankees identical 4-2 victories in the first double-ballpark doubleheader in the majors since 1903. After the opener, many in the sellout crowd of 54,165 at Shea Stadium immediately headed for Game 2, which drew 55,821 at Yankee Stadium.

2008 — Ryan Braun of Milwaukee hit his 56th career home run in his 200th major league game, a 7-3 win over Colorado. Only Mark McGwire and Rudy York (both 59) had hit more in their first 200 games in the majors.

2014 — The Mets record the 4,000th win in franchise history by defeating the Braves 8-3.

2015 — Tampa Bay hits two inside-the park home runs in a 9-7 loss to the Royals. It is the first time the feat has been done since 1997.

2021 — San Diego Padres relief pitcher Daniel Camarena records his first MLB hit, a Grand Slam, in his second at bat against the Washington Nationals’ Max Sherzer.

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July 9

1902 — Rube Waddell beat Bill Dinneen 4-2 in 17 innings when light-hitting Monte Cross hit a two-run homer for Philadelphia.

1932 — Ben Chapman of the Yankees hit three homers, including two inside-the-park, as New York beat the Detroit Tigers 14-9 at Yankee Stadium.

1937 — Joe DiMaggio hits for the cycle as the Yankees defeat the Seantors 16-2.

1940 — The NL recorded the first shutout in All-Star play, with a 4-0 win at Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis. Five pitchers — Paul Derringer, Bucky Walters, Whit Wyatt, Larry French, and Carl Hubbell — held the AL to three hits. Max West hit a three-run homer.

1946 — After a one-year break due to war travel restrictions, the Americans trounced the Nationals 12-0 at Fenway Park, the most one-sided of the All-Star games. Ted Williams of the Red Sox didn’t disappoint the hometown fans. He hit two homers and two singles for five RBIs.

1968 — Willie McCovey hit into a double play, scoring Willie Mays with the only run of the 39th All-Star game, played at the Houston Astrodome. It was the first game of this series played indoors and the first 1-0 contest in All-Star history.

1976 — Houston’s Larry Dierker pitched a no-hitter as the Astros beat Montreal 6-0. Dierker struck out eight and walked four.

1991 — Cal Ripken hit a three-run homer to lead the AL over the NL 4-2 in the All-Star game for the AL’s fourth straight victory in the contest.

1996 — Mike Piazza launched an upper-deck home run in his first at-bat and lined an RBI double next time up, leading the Nationals to a 6-0 victory in the All-Star game in Philadelphia.

2002 — Despite Barry Bonds hitting a home run and Torii Hunter making a spectacular catch, the All-Star game finished in a 7-7 tie after 11 innings when both teams ran out of pitchers.

2005 — It took 847 regular-season games at Coors Field, the most any stadium needed, before hosting its first 1-0 game. The lowest total runs scored in a game at Coors Field before Colorado’s 1-0 win over San Diego was 2-0.

2011 — Derek Jeter homered for his 3,000th hit, making him the first player to reach the mark with the New York Yankees. Jeter hit the milestone with a drive to left field with one out in the third inning off Tampa Bay’s David Price, his first at Yankee Stadium this season. He tied a career high going 5 for 5 and singled home the go-ahead run in the eighth inning for a 5-4 win. Jeter became the 28th major leaguer to hit the mark and joined former teammate Wade Boggs as the only players to do it with a home run.

2011 — The Los Angeles Dodgers got their first hit with two outs in the ninth inning and still beat the San Diego Padres 1-0 when Dioner Navarro singled in Juan Uribe for the unlikely victory. Uribe was down to his last strike when he drove a pitch from Luke Gregerson over the head of left fielder Chris Denorfia for Los Angeles’ first hit and only the second hit of the game for either team. Navarro then looped a 3-1 pitch into short right-center to give the Dodgers three consecutive shutout victories for the first time since July 1991. San Diego’s Cameron Maybin had the first hit of the game in the fifth, a clean single through the box. It was the Padres’ only hit against rookie right-hander Rubby De La Rosa and three relievers.

2013 — Alex Rios tied an American League record with six hits in a nine-inning game and Adam Dunn hit a go-ahead, two-run homer off Justin Verlander in the eighth to lift Chicago over Detroit 11-4.

2015 — Jose Fernandez pitched seven innings and tied the modern record for most consecutive home victories by a starter to begin a career, helping the Miami Marlins beat the Cincinnati Reds 2-0.

2019 — The American League defeats the National League 4-3 in the 2019 All-Star Game for their 7th straight win.

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July 10

1917 — Ray Caldwell of New York pitched 9 2-3 innings of no-hit relief as the Yankees beat the Browns 7-5 in 17 innings in St. Louis.

1932 — The Philadelphia A’s defeated Cleveland 18-17 in an 18-inning game in which John Burnett of the Indians had a record nine hits. Jimmie Foxx collected 16 total bases, and Eddie Rommell of the A’s pitched 17 innings in relief for the win, despite giving up 29 hits and 14 runs.

1934 — Carl Hubbell struck out Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, Al Simmons and Joe Cronin in succession, but the AL came back to win the All-Star game 9-7 at the Polo Grounds as Mel Harder gave up one hit in the last five innings.

1936 — Philadelphia’s Chuck Klein hit four home runs in a 9-6 10-inning victory over the Pirates, and it wasn’t in the cozy Baker Bowl. He hit them in Pittsburgh’s spacious Forbes Field, including the game-winning three-run shot in the 10th off Bill Swift. Klein almost homered in the second inning when he sent Pirates outfielder Paul Waner to the wall in right to haul in a long fly ball.

1947 — Don Black of the Cleveland Indians pitched a 3-0 no-hitter over the Philadelphia A’s in the first game of a twin bill.

1951 — The NL hit four homers en route to an 8-3 triumph at Detroit, giving the league consecutive All-Star victories for the first time.

1968 — The American League and National League agreed to split into two divisions in 1969. The twelve teams in each league will be divided and play a best-of-five games League Championship Series to determine the pennant winner.

1982 — Larry Parrish of the Texas Rangers hit his third grand slam in seven days, off Milt Wilcox in the first game of a doubleheader against Detroit. The Rangers beat the Tigers 6-5. Parrish had hit his first on July 4 and his second on July 7.

2001 — Cal Ripken upstaged every big name in the ballpark, hitting a home run and winning the MVP award in his final All-Star appearance to lead the American League over the Nationals 4-1. Derek Jeter and Magglio Ordonez connected for consecutive home runs as the AL won its fifth in a row.

2007 — Seattle’s Ichiro Suzuki went 3-for-3 with an inside-the-park home run to lead the American League to a 5-4 victory over the National League in the All-Star game.

2009 — Jonathan Sanchez pitched the majors’ first no-hitter of the season, recording a career-high 11 strikeouts in San Francisco’s 8-0 win over the San Diego Padres. The only runner the Padres managed came on an error by third baseman Juan Uribe in the eighth.

2012 — San Francisco’s Melky Cabrera and Pablo Sandoval keyed a five-run blitz against Justin Verlander in the first inning that powered the NL to an 8-0 romp over the American League in the All-Star game.

2013 — David Ortiz doubled in his first at-bat to become baseball’s career leader in hits as a designated hitter and hit a two-run homer an inning later, leading Boston Red Sox to an 11-4 victory over Seattle. Ortiz entered the night tied with Harold Baines for the most hits as a DH.

2014 — Derek Jeter, playing his final regular-season game in Cleveland, went 2 for 4 in the 1,000th multi-hit game of his career. Cleveland scored nine runs in its last two innings at bat to rally past New York with a 9-3 win.

2019 — The independent Atlantic League introduces a “robot umpire” to call balls and strikes at its annual all-star game in York, PA.

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July 11

1914 — Babe Ruth made his major league debut for the Boston Red Sox and received credit for a 4-3 victory over Cleveland. He was removed for a pinch hitter in the seventh, and Duffy Lewis’ single led to the winning run.

1944 — Phil Cavaretta set an All-Star game record by reaching base safely five straight times — triple, single, three walks — to lead the NL to a 7-1 victory over the AL at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh.

1950 — The All-Star game returned to Comiskey Park, the site of the first game, and was won by the NL 4-3 on Red Schoendienst’s 14th-inning home run off Ted Gray. It was the first extra-inning All-Star game, the first time the NL won at an AL park and the first All-Star game shown on network television.

1961 — Despite a record seven errors and pitcher Stu Miller getting blown off the Candlestick Park mound by a gale wind, the NL edged the AL 5-4 in the first of two All-Star games played that year.

1967 — Tony Perez’s home run off Catfish Hunter in the 15th inning gave the NL a 2-1 win in the longest game in All-Star history. The game was played in California’s Anaheim Stadium.

1973 — Jim Northrup of Detroit hit two grand slams, batting in the leadoff spot, to lead the Tigers to a 14-3 romp over the Texas Rangers. Northrup became the sixth major leaguer to hit two bases-loaded home runs in a game.

1978 — Steve Garvey keyed the NL’s 7-3 All-Star victory at San Diego’s Jack Murphy Stadium with a game-tying, two-run single and a triple that sparked a four-run eighth inning.

1985 — Nolan Ryan of the Houston Astros became the first pitcher in major league history to reach the 4,000-strikeout mark when he fanned New York’s Danny Heep leading off the sixth inning. The Astros beat the Mets 4-3 in 12 innings on Bill Doran’s fifth hit of the game.

1995 — Jeff Conine’s solo shot in the eighth inning gave the NL a 3-2 victory in the All-Star game. Craig Biggio and Mike Piazza also homered for the NL.

2000 — Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees went 3-for-3 with two RBIs and a run scored as the AL defeated the NL 6-3 in the All-Star game. Jeter became the first Yankee to win the All-Star game MVP.

2006 — With the American League down to its final strike, Michael Young hit a two-run triple off Trevor Hoffman for a 3-2 victory that kept the Americans unbeaten in Major League Baseball’s All-Star game for the past decade. The NL took a 2-1 lead into the ninth behind David Wright’s homer and some daring, old-style baserunning.

2009 — Nick Johnson, Josh Willingham and Dunn homered in consecutive at-bats and the Nationals set season highs for hits and runs in a 13-2 win at Houston.

2015 — The Marlins set a team record with 9 consecutive hits in the 7th inning of a 14-3 win over the Reds.