Eckstein's father: ``I can't breathe. Here's your mom.''

DETROIT - Herbert ``Whitey&#39;&#39; Eckstein could only say a few words, and they weren&#39;t the ones his son wanted to hear.<br> <br> ``I can&#39;t breathe,&#39;&#39; he said to St. Louis&#39; shortstop. ``Here&#39;s your mom.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> David Eckstein was left clinging to his phone Sunday night in San Francisco, waiting to board a flight to Detroit for his first All-Star game, while his dad&#39;s kidneys were failing at his home in Florida.<br> <br> ``I told my mom to call 911,&#39;&#39; he said Monday. ``Then, I called my sister, who lives across the street, and she went over. She called 10 minutes later and he was unconscious and they were trying to stabilize him. As soon I got on the plane, he was on the way to the hospital.<br> <br> ``I talked to my mom again this morning, and everything is stable and he should be OK.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Unfortunately for the Eckstein family, kidney failure is something they&#39;ve been forced to get used to.<br> <br> Three of David&#39;s siblings have had transplants, one from their mother, his father is scheduled to have a transplant in a month and two of his nephews are having kidney problems. He said there&#39;s a good possibility he&#39;ll likely donate a kidney to a family member in the future.<br> <br> Some of Eckstein&#39;s family will be at Comerica Park on Tuesday night for his All-Star debut, while his mother and others will stay behind to be with his father.<br> <br> Eckstein said his father prepared him for moments like this.<br> <br> ``He&#39;s always told me, &#39;If anything happens to me, don&#39;t miss a game because I know you love me,&#39;&#39;&#39; he said. ``He doesn&#39;t want to be any type of distraction.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Eckstein, who does not have the gene for the kidney disease much of his family has, also has overcome obstacles. Listed at 5-foot-7 and that could be an exaggeration he&#39;s having an excellent first season with the Cardinals after playing in Anaheim, where he helped the Angels win the 2003 World Series.<br> <br> ``I just have always given everything I had,&#39;&#39; he said. ``Growing up as a kid, with my oldest brother and two sisters losing kidneys, I could never complain.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> FULL CIRCLE: The year Atlanta&#39;s John Smoltz became a starter again he pitched well enough to return home for the midsummer classic.<br> <br> ``I&#39;m grateful for the interleague trip here last year, because that got some of the butterflies out about pitching in Detroit,&#39;&#39; said Smoltz, who was the Braves&#39; closer from late in 2001 through last season.<br> <br> Smoltz was born in Warren, a Detroit suburb, and graduated from Lansing Waverly High School in the state&#39;s capital city.<br> <br> He was drafted by the Tigers in the 22nd round of the 1985 draft, then was traded two years later for Doyle Alexander, who helped Detroit advance to its most recent postseason appearance.<br> <br> The right-hander has a career 172-126 record and 154 saves, joining Dennis Eckersley as the only players with at least 150 victories and 150 saves. He won the NL Cy Young in 1996 and trailed just four others with 143 wins in the 1990s. Smoltz has major league records with 14 playoff wins and 189 strikeouts.<br> <br> He is 9-5 with a 2.81 ERA this season, earning his seventh All-Star selection.<br> <br> ``All my All-Star games have been special, but I consider this the greatest opportunity that I&#39;ve had,&#39;&#39; he said. ``I&#39;ll always represent two cities Atlanta because of the jersey on my back, and Detroit, because this where I&#39;m from.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> NOT A BAD PLAN B: The Motor City has its own sort of charm, but even locals will acknowledge it can&#39;t match the beauty of Lake Tahoe, Calif.<br> <br> But Houston&#39;s Morgan Ensberg would rather be in Detroit.<br> <br> Ensberg was headed to Lake Tahoe for a vacation, when he got a call informing him to head to the All-Star game.<br> <br> When Cardinals third baseman Scott Rolen pulled out of the game because of a shoulder injury, Ensberg made his way onto the team barely.<br> <br> ``We were driving to the airport and we were about a mile away,&#39;&#39; Ensberg said, ``and we got a call from (Astros general manager) Tim Purpura and he said, &#39;Congratulations, you&#39;re an All-Star.&#39; And I was like, &#39;What?! Tim, what are you talking about?&#39;<br> <br> ``It was really a surprise. I took my right hand and tapped it on the driver&#39;s right shoulder and said, &#39;Excuse me sir, we need to go back to the field.&#39; We had to get my baseball stuff.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> BUNTS: Boston&#39;s Manny Ramirez, Florida&#39;s Luis Castillo and Toronto&#39;s Shea Hillenbrand had unexcused absences during news conferences Monday afternoon. The commissioner&#39;s office said the three players might be fined, adding Houston&#39;s Roger Clemens and Alfonso Soriano of Texas were excused. ... Florida&#39;s Dontrelle Willis is expected to pitch in an All-Star game in the Great Lakes State for the second time. He pitched in the Midwest League All-Star game in 2002, in Lansing. ``That doesn&#39;t seem like a big deal now, but I was just as excited about an A-ball All-Star game then as I am now,&#39;&#39; he said.