Having spent much of his seven-year big league career as a super utility player, starting at six different positions and sometimes jumping from the infield to the outfield and back in the same game, Chone Figgins is used to adjusting on the fly.
But nothing could have prepared the Angels third baseman for this morning's mad scramble when, because of an injury to Tampa Bay's Evan Longoria, Figgins was added to the American League All-Star team about 10 hours before tonight's game in St. Louis.
Longoria, the leading vote-getter among AL players, pulled out of the game because of an infected ring finger on his right hand; he will be replaced in the starting lineup by Texas third baseman Michael Young.
Tim Mead, the Angels vice president of communications who is in St. Louis, was at a breakfast function this morning when he received a call from Major League Baseball officials at about 9 a.m. CDT, informing him that Figgins had been added to the team.
"We made numerous calls to Chone, but he wasn't answering his cellphone at first," Mead said by phone from St. Louis. "We finally got a hold of him. Suffice it to say, he was very excited."
Once the initial euphoria wore off for Figgins, who did not hide his disappointment at finishing third in last week's fan vote for the final AL roster spot, his next thought was this: Can I get to St. Louis in time for the game?
The Angels looked into securing a private jet for Figgins, who remained in Orange County over the All-Star break, but had no luck.
They then booked Figgins on a nonstop flight from Los Angeles to St. Louis that was scheduled to leave LAX at about noon and arrive in St. Louis at about 5:20 p.m. CDT, less than two hours before the scheduled first pitch.
Angels equipment manager Kenny Higdon rushed to the park to pack Figgins' uniform, gloves and spikes, and a team employee drove the equipment bag to LAX to deliver to Figgins.
Getting Figgins, who is hitting .310 with an AL-leading 68 runs, 16 doubles, seven triples and 27 stolen bases, from the airport in St. Louis to Busch Stadium in time for the game will be a challenge.
Traffic heading into downtown is expected to be heavy, and there will be extra security because of the presence of President Obama, who is scheduled to throw out the ceremonial first pitch.
"He was excited, and then you realize you have to do so many things," Mead said. "He's trying to get his mother, father and stepfather to St. Louis for the game, and MLB officials and [Angels traveling secretary] Tom Taylor are trying to get him extra rooms.
"It's definitely not the circumstances you want to make your first All-Star Game appearance under, but he's embraced it, and we couldn't be happier for him."
