So, apparently, do 5,372,606 baseball fans. That’s the number of votes Mauer received for this Midsummer Classic, the third-most in all-star history. The catcher made it clear he loves everything about this event. He also admitted he could have used the time off.

Instead, the catcher rose early Monday, spent two hours hanging out at the MLB fanfest, hung out with children from the Boys and Girls Club and, before heading to Angel Stadium for batting practice, sat in front of a table for 50 minutes of interviews — a task perhaps more draining for Mauer than catching nine innings.

He fielded questions about his health and his first half, about his team’s tumble into third place and the fear that Justin Morneau’s concussion might keep him out of the Twins lineup once the team resumes play Thursday at Target Field against the first-place White Sox, about the Twins’ new ballpark and his own dearth of home runs.

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