Marlins RF Giancarlo Stanton was a headliner at the T-Mobile Home Run Derby last night and is starting in tonight's All-Star Game, but his profile also is "rising" off the field, according to Steven Wine of the AP. Stanton "towers over" downtown Miami, his "mighty swing in silhouette on the side of a bayside skyscraper." He also "appears in a cellphone advertisement on the side of another downtown building, and on a wall mural in a nearby arts district." Stanton "appears in ads pushing baseball, video games and cellphones, and he's the headliner at several All-Star festivities." He is the "cover athlete for a derby mobile video game and the featured athlete for the derby All-Star virtual reality video game." His star "appears on the downtown Miami Walk of Fame with other All-Stars and celebrities." Stanton yesterday "perked up discussing the attention he's receiving with the national spotlight on his home ballpark." Stanton: "You've got to embrace it, because there are so many people that would love to have that." He added, "These are things that come with that. If you don't want it, don't be a good player, you know? If you don't want the spotlight, don't play as hard" (AP, 7/11).
