Monster 2008 All-Star Game Final Vote available only on MLB.com

NEW YORK -- American and National League All-Star team managers Terry Francona and Clint Hurdle, in conjunction with Major League Baseball, have announced thecandidates for the Monster 2008 All-Star Game Final Vote to be held exclusively on MLB.com, the official website of Major League Baseball.

Fans began casting votes for the Monster 2008 All-Star Game Final Vote on MLB.com immediately following today's Major League Baseball All-Star Selection Show presented by Chevyon TBS and can continue until balloting closes at 5 p.m. (EDT) on Thursday, July 10. The winners as chosen exclusively by fan voting totals will be announced on MLB.com shortly thereafter. Lastyear's program saw a record 23 million votes, including nearly one million cast via mobile devices.

The five candidates for the final roster spot on the 2008 American League All-Star Team are: Jermaine Dye (Mobile Vote A1) of the Chicago White Sox; Jason Giambi (A2) of the New York Yankees; Jose Guillen (A3) of the Kansas City Royals; Evan Longoria (A4) of the Tampa Bay Rays; and Brian Roberts (A5) of the Baltimore Orioles.

On the National League side, the five players on the ballot for the final roster spot are: Pat Burrell (Mobile Vote N1) of the Philadelphia Phillies; Corey Hart (N2) of the Milwaukee Brewers; Carlos Lee (N3) of the Houston Astros; Aaron Rowand (N4) of the San Francisco Giants; and David Wright (N5) of the New York Mets.

Fans can text the word "Vote" to 36197 to receive the Monster 2008 All-Star Game Final Vote candidates sent to their mobile device. To vote for a specific player, fans can reply with their choice. Example: Text "A4" to vote for American League player 4, or "N4" for National League player 4. Standard rate messaging fees apply. Please check with carriers for details. In Canada, fans should text the word "Vote" to 88555.

The Monster All-Star Game Final Vote program has seen nearly 80 million votes cast since its inception in 2002, including last year's record-setting total when fans chose Hideki Okajima of the Boston Red Sox and Chris Young of the San Diego Padres. Previous winners of the Monster All-Star Game Final Vote are: A.J. Pierzynski (AL, 2006); Nomar Garciaparra (NL, 2006); Scott Podsednik (AL, 2005); Roy Oswalt (NL, 2005); Hideki Matsui (AL, 2004); Bobby Abreu (NL, 2004); Jason Varitek (AL, 2003);Geoff Jenkins (NL, 2003); Johnny Damon (AL, 2002); and Andruw Jones (NL, 2002).

Last week, MLB.com announced record totals of 214.7 million votes and 16.5 million ballots, including more than 41 million votes in the final 24 hours, for the Monster 2008 All-Star Game Online Ballot,which concluded on July 2.