By Brian VanOchten
June 19, 2002

LANSING, Mich.--Steve Checksfield won't be driving a rust bucket any longer.

The Michigan Battle Cats first baseman-outfielder now can afford the down payment on a new set of wheels following his MVP performance Tuesday night in the 2002 Midwest League all-star game.

Checksfield went 3-for-4 with a pair of RBIs while leading the Eastern Division to a 6-3 victory over the Western Division in front of a league-record crowd of 10,334 at Oldsmobile Park in Lansing, Mich.

"It was a great time," said Checksfield, 22, who served as the DH for the East and was named the 'Star of Stars' for the night. "It's a great feeling. I'm never going to forget it."

The smell of a new car will help serve as a pleasant reminder.

The MWL awarded Checksfield a sum of $500 for his standout performance. That amount was matched by Battle Cats ownership, which gives the 26th-round draft pick of the Astros in 2001 a cool grand to spend on a much-needed vehicle.

"I'll probably put a down payment on a new car," Checksfield said with a laugh. "I've got a 1990 Taurus right now, but it's a piece of (junk). It's got over 180,000 miles on it. It's got a lot of rust on it. It's got no hubcaps. I'm sure my teammates are glad I didn't drive us to the game. I didn't want to get us stranded.

"I want something big," he added. "I want a Ford F-150 or an Explorer, something that's reliable for the next few years."

The Battle Cats, who won the MWL's first-half Eastern Division title and clinched a postseason playoff berth, sent a league-high eight representatives to the 38th annual event. Checksfield and Michigan teammate Ryan Stegall, a reserve infielder, combined for four of the East's 10 hits.

Checksfield, who entered the all-star affair hitting just .232 but with 13 home runs and 53 RBIs, was the only player who had multiple hits or RBIs for the East squad. He contributed a bloop single in the second inning and a bloop double in the seventh.

"I couldn't get anything going in the Home Run Derby (prior to the game)," Checksfield said. "I like game situations better. I've had a lot of lucky hits this year. I had some good hacks and some good at-bats tonight. If you're a patient hitter, things are going to work out for you."

Juan Tejeda of the West Michigan Whitecaps looked like an early MVP candidate.

Tejeda, the starting first baseman for the East, was hit by a pitch from Cedar Rapids righthander Dustin Griffith leading off the second inning. He advanced to third on Checksfield's single and trotted home on West Michigan teammate Don Kelly's sacrifice fly into the left-field corner.

Tejeda, who entered the contest third in the league with 55 RBIs, launched a fourth-inning double to off the wall in left field that scored Dayton Dragons left fielder Noochie Varner.

"Yeah, I thought it was out," said Tejeda, who reached out for a low fastball and drove the ball with just his top hand on the bat. "It was a fastball right down the middle, a little low. That's my pitch. Everybody was saying, 'You're the MVP!, You're the MVP!' But it was early. I'm just happy because I was on the winning team."

West Michigan righthander Jerrod Fuell earned the win in relief.

He entered the contest with the East leading 2-0 in the top of the sixth inning. Peoria Chiefs second baseman Shaun Boyd stood at third base with two outs, and up to the plate stepped Cedar Rapids Kernels catcher Jeff Mathis, who promptly slugged the first pitch from Fuell over the left-field wall for a tying homer.

Fuell struck out Kane County Cougars first baseman Jason Stokes to end the inning. He was credited with the win--after just a third of an inning--when the East rallied for two runs in the bottom of the sixth for a 4-2 advantage. Checksfield tripled off the railing atop the wall in left to knock in the first run of the inning and later scored what proved to be the winning run on Stegall's RBI single.

"I gave up that bomb, and that wasn't too fun," Fuell said. "I'm just lucky the guys picked me up and it worked out."

Cedar Rapids lefthander Joe Rouwenhorst suffered the loss in relief.

Boyd led the West stars offensively with a pair of singles and a stolen base. Joe Mauer of the Quad City River Bandits, the No. 1 pick overall by the Twins in the 2001 draft, singled to right field in the eighth inning in his only at-bat. He was named to the West squad as a reserve catcher.

Beloit Snappers slugger Brad Nelson, who leads the league with 14 homers and 71 RBIs at the halfway mark, was not voted to the West starting lineup by the league's 14 managers. He entered the game as a reserve at first base and went 0-for-1 at the plate.

• Nelson put on a stunning power display in winning the Home Run Derby contest prior to the game. He swatted five home runs in the first round and squared off in the finals against Peoria third baseman Gabe Johnson, who hit six homers in the first round. Nelson launched four bombs in the finals, including a pair of moon shots that landed on Cedar Street well beyond the right-field wall. "Home run derbies aren't too good for your swing, but they are a lot of fun," said Nelson, who won a first-place check of $200 from the league. "This is the first home run derby I have been in, and hopefully this won't be the last."

• West Michigan will host the 2003 MWL all-star game on June 17, at Fifth Third Ballpark in Comstock Park, Mich., as part of the team’s 10th anniversary season. The 2004 all-star game was awarded to the Cedar Rapids Kernels, and the 2005 contest was awarded to the Peoria Chiefs during league meetings in Lansing over the break. The Kernels and Chiefs both opened new ballparks earlier this year.

Brian VanOchten is a sportswriter for the Grand Rapids (Mich.) Press.