All-Star Game is a fun break in season

Baseball’s All-Star Game was a sweet treat, a refreshingly icy blast on a hot July afternoon, a nod to the game’s tradition that featured enough new wrinkles and fresh personalities to make it entertaining and help keep the All-Star format vibrant for years to come.

This year’s version might even have provided a sneak peek of a potential Dodgers -New York Yankees World Series matchup in October. How sweet would it be to see Clayton Kershaw strike out Aaron Judge again, and for Tony Gonsolin to get another chance against Tujunga native Giancarlo Stanton after the Yankees outfielder tagged him for a two-run home run in the fourth inning on Tuesday?

The game’s result — a 3-2 victory for the American League over the National League — will quickly fade from memory. But it was a fun break from the tension of division and wild-card races, a few happy hours for fans to forget about injuries and speculation about the Aug. 2 trade deadline and simply enjoy watching the sport’s best players while a torrid day faded into a gentle Tuesday twilight against the picturesque backdrop of Dodger Stadium.

Honoring Rachel Robinson, widow of Dodgers great Jackie Robinson, was classy and meaningful and kept alive a link to the team’s great history. Naming future Hall of Fame inductees Miguel Cabrera and Albert Pujols to the AL and NL teams, respectively, struck the right note of respect among fans and players. The players were excited, involved. So were the fans.

“There was a lot of energy in the dugout. I was kind of surprised how the guys were into it,” National League manager Brian Snitker said. “The energy coming out of the dugout was good all night. It was fun. All the players made it fun for all of us with their energy and into the game and excited about playing, and we had a lot of first-time All-Stars.

“You know, the fact that