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MLB All-Star notes: White Sox' Shane Smith, 'robot umps' ready to go

Brynn Anderson/AP Photos

ATLANTA — White Sox pitcher Shane Smith sat down with a plate of grub, looked around at his American League All-Star teammates and thought: “Is this really happening?”

It might have been more along the lines of, “What the heck am I doing here?”

Smith, 25, came to the Sox via the Rule 5 draft last December. Given that, simply making the Opening Day roster was a significant victory. But going from Rule 5 straight to an All-Star Game? That’s almost unheard-of.

“Things change over time, and what you do with that change is what happens,” Smith said.