"Nobody ever tells the truth about a losing streak until it's over.

Every July, the National Leaguers would say, "No, we're not too upset that we haven't won the all-star game since 1996," whether they were in St. Louis or New York, San Francisco or Pittsburgh, Detroit or Houston, Chicago or Milwaukee, Seattle or Atlanta, Boston, Denver or Cleveland. And they were always lying.

There's no gorilla on our backs, they'd say. Then, with an ominous quiet, they'd say: We are not from an inferior league.

All that's over now. After Brian McCann's three-run double off Matt Thornton of the White Sox sent the NL to a 3-1 win Tuesday night, the relief and glee spread across 34 faces.

You haven't seen this many ballplayers all released from mortification simultaneously since 1983, when Fred Lynn couldn't stop smiling after his grand slam at old Comiskey Park ended an 11-year American League drought. "