This is what the AL has been reduced to?

Remember in the 1990s when Home Run Derbies had, you know, quality lineups in both leagues? In 1992, the AL's Mark McGwire, Ken Griffey Jr., Joe Carter and Cal Ripken Jr. faced off against the Senior Circuit's Larry Walker, Gary Sheffield, Fred McGriff and some guy named Barry Bonds. Two years later, KG Jr. and McGriff returned, alongside Ruben Sierra, Frank Thomas, Albert Belle, Jeff Bagwell, Dante Bichette and Mike Piazza. Men's men.

Heck in 1997, when they expanded to 10 hitters instead of eight, the lineup was still a who's who of Major League sluggers with McGwire, Griffey Jr., Walker and Bagwell, as well as Ray Lankford, Nomar Garciaparra, Chipper Jones, Tino Martinez (who bashed 16 and won the event), Brady Anderson and Jim Thome.

But inexplicably, the event has fallen on hard times. What used to be an honor to participate in is now brushed aside for a day off. As a result, only the National League is stocked with today's best home run hitters. Adrian Gonzalez, Albert Pujols, Ryan Howard and Prince Fielder are sure to put on a show tonight at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. In fact, the lineups are so one-sided, that the NL could sweep through to the second round.

On the AL side, fluke seasons from Brandon Inge and Nelson Cruz have been rewarded with appearances in the Midsummer Classic's premier event. Inge has 21 dingers at the break. He had 25 home runs total in 264 games over the last two seasons prior. Cruz one-upped Inge with 22 round-trippers during the first half. Ironically, Cruz's career home run total in 176 games entering the '09 campaign was 22.

After those two is Joe Mauer, known more for his batting average than his power. Mauer has 15 homers this season, despite missing 25 games over the first three months. The 15 is two more than Mauer has hit in any season in his career. In 561 games before this year, the Twins' backstop hit just 44 long balls, which averages just under 13 over every full season. Ouch. On top of that, no catcher has ever won the event. Awesome.

The final hitter for the AL, and the only real hope to do much of anything for the DH-laden league, is Carlos Pena, who only received entry into the event after being named Dustin Pedroia's replacement on the All-Star team. Pena has 24 big flies this year, but is hitting just .228 on the season. In fact, chances are the only reason he was named as a replacement is because the Rays made it to the World Series last year, so Rays manager Joe Maddon will lead the team. Although there's also a chance Bud Selig told Maddon that the AL desperately needed someone to represent them that wasn't a 100-1 shot on Vegas lines.

It's sad that in a league with proven All-Star sluggers such as Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, Jason Bay, Justin Morneau, Miguel Cabrera and Paul Konerko, the American League settled for Cruz, Inge, Mauer and Pena. Should be fun watching the National League battle for bragging rights among each other since the superior league has been determined before the hitters step on the field.