Now, I'm sorry this is later than I'd planned. There's a good reason. But do you all want to know the horrifying truth... Or do you want to watch them hit some dingers!

Recaps:

• [DBacks.com] D-backs held to Roberts' homer in loss - As CY says, playing .500 on the road isn't bad, especially when they're playing some good teams.

• [FS Arizona] D-backs drop first-half finale, split with Cards - "Everybody has ups and downs, but as a whole it's been a huge upgrade on a whole team scale the way we've played the game." The article says that was "outfielder Eric Young," but I assume the AP meant Chris Young...

• [AZ Central] Arizona Diamondbacks lose to St. Louis Cardinals, split series - Over .500 and in second place at the break? I'm not going to complain.

• [STLToday.com] Freese fuels Cardinals' victory - Hmm. I guess next time we face the Cardinals, we should stock up... on some anti-Freese.

• [Diary of a Diehard] All-Star Cacti Scenic Tour - Want to see the All Star cacti? Diary of a Diehard has a list of the locations of all ten.

• [Dbacks.com] D-backs manager Kirk Gibson will be in his first All-Star Game, fulfilling wish of late father - Gibby's dad always wanted his son to participate in the All Star Game, so he jumped at helping coach this year, after turning down opportunities to play in '85 and '86.

• [FS Arizona] Home Run Derby pitchers are unsung heroes - It's the only time a pitcher is hoping his next pitch will be sent 400 feet.

• [AZ Central] MLB All-Star game: Joe Garagiola, Daniel Hernandez to throw out first pitch - We all know Garagiola, but you might not remember Daniel Hernandez. He was Gabrielle Giffords's intern who helped saved her life after the shooting in January.

Around Baseball:

• [Big League Stew] Sabathia skipping out is the most ludicrous All-Star ‘snub’ of all - With players dropping out and being replaced, 84 players were picked for the All Star Game- one in nine active players. Wow.

• [FanGraphs] The Unfortunate State of the NL Third Baseman - You might wonder why Scott Rolen is starting at third for the NL. Then you look at the rest of the league and it makes a bit more sense.

• [SI.com] Roy Halladay, Jered Weaver to start All-Star Game - Rickie Weeks leading off for the NL- obviously where you traditionally put a home-run power bat like Weeks.

• [Yahoo! Sports] AccuScore: Curse of the Home Run Derby - Is there a curse? Let's go to the numbers!