Leaping catch helps Crawford snare MVP

ST. LOUIS --- Carl Crawford raced back to the left-field fence and leaped, his glove barely extending over the 8-foot wall.

For a moment, everyone waited. And then the Tampa Bay speedster raised his mitt for all to see -- yup, he caught it.

Crawford made a timely grab and snatched the All-Star MVP award in the process Tuesday night, robbing Brad Hawpe of a go-ahead homer in the seventh inning of the American League's 4-3 victory over the NL.

"I don't think I've ever even robbed a home run before. Picked a good time to do it tonight," Crawford said.

Making his third All-Star appearance, Crawford was elected by his fellow players as a reserve. He came off the bench as a pinch hitter in the fifth and singled his first time up before finishing 1 for 3.

Considered one of the best defensive outfielders in baseball, the 27-year-old Crawford leads the majors with 44 stolen bases. A three-sport star in high school, he was so talented that he considered playing basketball at UCLA or option quarterback for Nebraska.

But he stuck with baseball, and it proved to be a great choice. His catch helped the AL improve to 12-0-1 in the past 13 All-Star games -- including seven consecutive victories.

"It feels great to help the team win," Crawford said. "That's a part of my game -- defense."

But even his own manager was impressed.

"I've never seen him to do that. The way he got to the position was great and obviously the catch was fantastic," said AL skipper Joe Maddon, of Tampa Bay.