STARTING FIVE

1. Target Practice

Bottom of the first inning, Target Field, Minneapolis:

Derek Jeter, double.

Mike Trout, triple.

Miguel Cabrera, following a Robinson Cano whiff, home run.

All four of those American League All-Stars will some day enshrined in Cooperstown, methinks. The American League, which won 5-3, hit for the cycle by the bottom of the third, as Jeter singled in his next at bat. Both of Jeter’s hits were opposite-field jobs. Brian McCann, take note.

As for Adam Wainwright “grooving” a pitch to the A.L.’s leadoff hitter, which he joked about doing, then denied doing to Pam Oliver Erin Andrews? Perhaps that was just his way of tipping his hat to The Captain.

2. All In

The most newsworthy NBA event to take place in Las Vegas this month? Probably LeBron James‘ 58th-floor confab with Lee Jenkins of Sports Illustrated in the Wynn Hotel.

Number 2: The early validation of Creighton’s Doug McDermott –I’ve been on record as calling him a Top 5  pick (he went 9th) since at least March–who scored 31 points in the Chicago Bulls’ second NBA Summer League contest on Sunday and buried 20 points in just 26 minutes of action, a 34-point defenestration of the Minnesota Timberwolves, last night.

Oh, and the fans love him.

One thing to file away: His nickname is Dougie McBuckets, and he’ll be playing in Chicago, which happens to be the world-wide headquarters of…McDonald’s. Oh, I think this is going to work out just fine.

3. Yellin’ vs. Yellen

It’s easy to loathe CNBC’s Rick Santelli, at least for the masses, because 1) he’s white 2) middle-aged 3) seems to have little empathy for the poor and 4) he yells and 5) he’s talking about things that few want to discuss and that most don’t actually understand.

His latest rant took place on Monday, and the topic was Fed easing, and my guess is that more of you can explain WAR than you can Fed easing (hey, me too).

Help me if I’m wrong here, but it seems that Santelli is angry at Janet Yellen and the Fed continuing to give us PEDs even though we don’t need them to overcome our injury because we’re no longer injured. Now she’s just giving us the PEDs because our offensive numbers are inflated. And he’s saying that the longer we continue to use PEDs –the new normal –the harder the thud will be when we are eventually taken off them. And Steve Liesman, who at least argues in a sane and rational way, is saying, “But look at how happy everyone is now.”

But I may be wrong. Please feel free to correct me.

I did agree with Santelli on his famous earlier economic rant, the gist of which was, Just because you live in a house that you put a down payment on does not mean you OWN the house. If you bought a house whose mortgage you clearly could never afford, and then the bank forecloses on it, tough. That house was never really yours–and the rest of us who were prudent enough not to buy something we could not afford should not have to bail you out. But that’s just me. I’m kind of a hardass on that stuff.

4. They Will Rock You

Queen, with original members guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor, and without bassist John Deacon and also without the greatest front man in the history of rock and roll (the judges will also accept Mick Jagger), recently launched a summer tour. Gifted “American Idol” alum Adam Lambert is playing the role of Freddie Mercury, and while no one can ever match his charisma and vocal gifts, Lambert is coming close, apparently.

The magazine Rolling Stone just did a feature on the theatrical and utterly original British band –and it should have earned the cover over Melissa McCarthy, but whatevs– that is worth a read. And here’s the band’s entire set from Live Aid, 29 years and 3 days ago, from Wembley Stadium. It was the band’s rebirth, and what May called “the best day of our lives.”

(Check the moment at about 6:00, when Freddie leads the entire stadium in the clap-clap for “Radio Ga Ga.” That’s power. Apparently, all the other artists looked on in disbelief, and Elton John rushed up to them after the set and told them, with a laugh, that they’d just stolen the show. It was incredibly gratifying for Queen, who by this time appeared to have been left behind by the new wave of, well, New Wave.)

5. So, Not the Bruckner Expressway?

Here’s Outside magazine with a compelling list of “America’s Best Car-Touring Roads.” I’d add –though not to say they are more scenic –Connecticut’s Merritt Parkway and Mississippi’s Natchez-Trace Parkway. Highway 1 between Santa Cruz and Morro Bay in California is pretty spectacular, too.

Where in the World?

Monday: Torres del Paine National Park, Chile

The final World Cup-themed “Men in Blazers” podcast, with a nod to, at around the 20th minute, the notion of German superiority in all things. Also, right before 2:00, “Algentinian Malbec.” From the “CRAP part of SoHo.” Also, an excellent suggestion from Jordan Weissman of Slate for an annual Fourth of July sports event that would hopefully take the focus off competitive eating.