July 10 -- D-DAY FOR BURRELL

So, Pat Burrell will find out after 5 p.m. if he has made the All-Star team. As of last night, he was still trailing the Brewers' Corey Hart and the Mets' David Wright in the online balloting for the final NL roster spot. Burrell hasn't been campaigning for the vote, although he is playing like he wants to spend Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium. He has a 10-game hitting streak during which he's batting .371 (13-for-35) with three home runs and five RBIs. He also has reached base safely in 15 consecutive games.

And, like a presidential candidate, Burrell has plenty of surrogates stumping for him.

"Philadelphia's got to get it done for him," Jim Morris, Burrell's former coach at the University of Miami, told me over the phone yesterday. "It's a major city. They've got to get out and vote for their guy. ... He tries not to show much emotion, but I know it would mean a lot to him. Every player wants that All-Star vote, no question about it. It would be great to see him get there."

Even if Burrell doesn't win the vote today, he could still be named as a replacement for injured Alfonso Soriano. Carlos Lee, another final vote candidate, could also be considered as an injury replacement.