BOSTON - Tim Wakefield was planning on taking his wife, Stacy, on a mini-vacation during next week's All-Star break.

I hope she doesn't mind St. Louis; I hear it's beautiful there this time of year.

Yesterday, the 17-year veteran was named to his first All-Star team, when Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon selected the knuckleballer to come out of the bullpen for the American League.

"I've been a big fan of his for a long time," said Maddon. "He's having a great season and it's about time he was named an All-Star."

It is about time.

Wakefield, 42, becomes the oldest first-time All-Star since Satchel Paige was named as a 46-year-old in 1952.

He'll never admit it, but Wakefield, one of the few players entirely genuine in his "team-first" approach, has been waiting a long time for this.

"I'm honored and humbled at the same time," he said. "I'm excited and nervous. There are a lot of emotions running through me today."

He hasn't posted the Hall of Fame numbers, but much like Ted Williams and Johnny Pesky before him, Wakefield has personified this team.

All he has ever wanted to do is play baseball. He never cared about what position or where he sat on the roster, as long as he had a spot.

Starting his career as an infielder out of Florida Tech, the Pittsburgh Pirates told him he'd never make the big leagues in the field, so he started from scratch, going from Double-A back down to Single-A to recreate his career as a knuckleball pitcher; anything to live his dream.

He lit the league in fire when called up in 1992, going 8-1 down the stretch with a 2.15 ERA to lead the Pirates to the NLCS and earn N.L. Rookie of the Year honors.

But things crashed quickly.

Wakefield struggled with his command in the '93 season and was demoted to Triple-A midway through the year. He stuck with Triple-A throughout the 1994 season and through the player's strike before being released by the Pirates in the 1995 offseason.

For all he knew, his career was over.

Instead, the Red Sox took a gamble. It didn't cost them much - Wakefield signed for just $175,000 back in 1995¬ - and has turned out to be one of the best investments in the history of the organization.

Just hoping to make the Sox roster, Wakefield turned out to be the team's best starters after injuries to Roger Clemens and Aaron Sele thinned an already skinny rotation.

Wakefield decided he was going to do all he could to stick with the Sox.

When Jimy Williams needed a closer in 1999 after Tom Gordon went down with an injury, Wakefield gladly took the ball. He's been bounced between starter and reliever more than anyone in recent memory, but never once complained.

He even kept himself off the 2007 World Series roster because he knew he was too hurt to pitch. Selfless doesn't even begin to describe what Wakefield brings to the table.

"When you're a kid you want to play Major League baseball and you dream of being on an All-Star team," Wakefield said. "I've never had that chance until now and I can't wait."

Wakefield is the last of a dying breed.

I grew up hearing stories of Steve Grogan walking into Billy Sullivan's office and throwing a contract on the desk of the then Patriots' owner and telling him to "fill in the numbers."

There is the lore of Red Auerbach's negotiations, which often were consummated with a handshake.

Wakefield, now an All-Star pitcher, has been on a series of one-year option contracts for the past three seasons. He's basically told the Red Sox that as long as they want him to pitch, he'll pitch. When they don't want him to pitch anymore, he's done.

The way he's thrown the ball this season, the Sox won't want him to hang up the cleats any time soon.

"I do view this as sort of a lifetime achievement award," Wakefield said. "I'm not young anymore. It's a proud moment for me and my family. I'm looking forward to sharing this with my wife and kids, too. They sacrifice a lot so I can play baseball for a living and I want to share this with them."

Before yesterday's first pitch, Red Sox manager Terry Francona called Dustin Pedroia, Jason Bay, Kevin Youkilis, Jonathan Papelbon and Josh Beckett into his office. After getting through with the Sox other All Stars, he sent pitching coach John Farrell to search for Wakefield, who was going through his daily workout in the team's weight room.

"When I made it over to (Francona's) office, I saw the other guys walking out with the All-Star packets," Wakefield said. "I walked in and was expecting not good news and he was playing it off like it wasn't good news, but he couldn't hold it in."

Francona's attempt at ribbing his starter, who is just eight-years his junior, didn't turn out the way the Sox skipper envisioned it.

"Yeah, I cheesed up a bit and couldn't hold in the smile," Francona joked. "Being able to see his face when I told him he made the team, that was one of the most fun things I've been able to do. He'll be one of the prouder guys out there when they call his name at introductions, and he should be, he's well deserving of this."