BROOKLYN - For Ryan Patterson, one of the most exciting moments of being an New York-Penn League all-star was getting to work alongside Andy Stankiewicz and Rob Ducey.

"I'm kind of in awe of meeting those two guys," Patterson said. "I watched Rob Ducey play for the Rangers; I'm a big Rangers fan from back in the day. It's awesome for us; everyone says it's supposedly about us, but when you're around guys like that it's tough to keep the focus off them."

Just three months ago, Patterson was playing outfield for LSU. Now he leads the league with 54 RBIs and is in the top four in all three Triple Crown categories. The left-fielder was one of three Doubledays to start last night's inaugural New York Penn League All-Star game, at KeySpan Park.

Cory Patton started at designated hitter, and Jermy Acey started at third. Backup catcher Brian Bormaster was also on the roster.

"(Auburn is) in first place (in the Pinckney Division), and those guys are a huge part of why they're in first place," said Stankiewicz, who manages McNamara Division-leading Staten Island. "I thought it was rewarding that those guys would start."

Patterson and Patton, who are tied for second in the league with 11 home runs each, were also among six players chosen to hit in the pregame home run derby. Patterson made the final round, tied with Hudson Valley's Garrett Groce with two home runs in the first round and five in the second, but lost 4-1.

Patton did not advance beyond the first round, despite launching a shot over the right-field bleachers, a rare occurrence in KeySpan Park, where the wind usually blows to left field.

"I was glad to be able to get one," said Patton, who went 1-for-2 with a walk during the game. "The odds were definitely against me, being left-handed, and this isn't a left-handed ballpark. I knew my only shot was to go down the line, and that one felt pretty good."

Patterson, one of 21 2005 draft picks selected for the game, was 1-for-3 and scored the American League's first run.

Bormaster, who substituted in the sixth, went 2-for-2 with a run scored, including an eighth-inning leadoff single that sparked a three-run rally.

The 2004 26th-round draft pick, who has played in just 31 games for the Doubledays but sports a .364 on-base percentage, found his all-star selection, a "kind of a shock."

"It was awesome," Bormaster said of his experience. "I'm trying to have some fun out there, hit the ball hard, and good things happen."

Acey, whose .321 batting average is eighth in the league, said the game's location held special meaning for him- the last time an All-Star game was played in Brooklyn (in 1949) was the first to include black players.

"Jackie Robinson was the first African-American to be able to start in a Brooklyn All-Star game," he said, "and me being one of them, actually getting able to start at third base I felt very privileged to be out there."