I Am A MLB All Star Game Addict

  The MLB All Star Game happened on Tuesday night. Indeed, it is a happening, as the best stars in baseball celebrate the game in July, in the middle of the season, for two glorious days, then return to the rigors of the long season to determine a champion. 

Unlike other all star contests, this game is played harder—even if it is for sheer entertainment. How can it not be when pitchers are throwing at 100+ m.p.h., trying to strike out an array of sluggers who are household names?

I fell in love with this game as a child. Then again, I have loved baseball since I was a child. And still do. 

At all levels of competitive baseball, there are all star teams. I was fortunate to make two squads in Highland Park, participating in one game against Jamesburg (we lost). It meant the world to me to be among the best in my small town. 

Think how that must feel for those who excel at the highest levels and are selected to represent their particular league in the All Star Game. To borrow an advertising slogan from Master Card: “Priceless.” For good reason. 

While gifted with superior athletic talent, the inner child comes out quickly for those chosen to participate. The need to compete is always present, yet they smile and joke with their opponents when on the base paths, at bat or on the mound. Who wouldn’t be happy to be there—with the best of the best?

It isn’t about the money—only a few players have All Star Game clauses in their contracts and the winning team players only receive about $25,000 for the game. It’s the accomplishment and the accolades that accompany such a feat. Which is what a player relishes.

There are always a few moments in a game which are noteworthy. First, Pittsburgh’s Paul Skenes, one year removed from pitching for LSU, became the first top pick from the preceding draft to start in the ASG.  He has earned this start in just 11 MLB appearances, where he has taken baseball by storm, including his last start, seven innings of no hit ball. 

Skenes faced the top of the AL order. While he easily sat down Cleveland’s Steve Kwan, the leading hitter for average this season, and M.V.P. candidate Gunnar Henderson from Baltimore, he ran into difficulty with the Yankees’ Juan Soto. 

Fans were hoping for a chance to see Skenes face New York slugger Aaron Judge in a mano-a-mano matchup. 100 m.p.h. velocity versus Triple Crown-type power. That was only going to happen if Soto reached base.

Soto, with one of the best batting eyes in baseball, had virtually guaranteed that this matchup would eventuate. And he made good on his promise by drawing a base on balls from the Pirates’ pitcher in a tough at bat.

Alas, we didn’t get to see much. Judge swung on the first pitch he saw and grounded to third base to end the inning. Still, we were treated to Skenes showing on the national spotlight he is simply that good. Of course, we were able to see his diminutive girlfriend, LSU gymnast/influencer Livvy Dunne, cheer him on. 

The star for the National League notwithstanding Skenes was Shohei Ohtani. The former Angels pitcher/outfielder, now wearing Dodger Blue, was the NL designated hitter. In the third inning, he ended his home run drought in the Midsummer Classic by belting a 400 foot homer off  Tanner Houck of Boston to put the NL up by 3-0. With that majestic swat, Ohtani became the first player to be the winning pitcher in an All Star Game and subsequently collect a home run. Don’t be surprised if the Japanese star adds a win as a pitcher for the National League in the future. 

Remember that guy Soto, who the Yankees traded for and who may be testing the free agency market at the end of the season, regardless of how the Yankees fare? He had a blast with Judge, his new bestie, when miked up in the field. He prevented a double by quickly retrieving a base hit with a rocket throw to second base. 

That wasn’t enough. In the bottom of the third inning, Texas’ Marcus Semien singled and Kwan drew a walk. Henderson was retired and up stepped Soto. He lined a hit to center field and surprised the NL by taking second when the toss was slow in coming back to the infield. Suddenly it was 3-2 NL. Judge again grounded out to third. Local kid David Fry, representing Cleveland, drove in Soto with a single in his first ASG place appearance and it was 3-3. Soto’s double and 2 R.B.I. placed him with names like Jeter, DiMaggio and Gehrig who did the same. All with a great grin on his face. 

The American League won the game 5-3 courtesy of a two run homer from Boston’s Jarren Duran in his first ASG at bat. Duran was named M.V.P.

All totaled, there were 32 first time players at the 2024 All Star Game. They were there along with the hoi polloi like Soto, Judge, Jose Ramirez, Bryce Harper and Chris Sale, among others. 

Wins leader Philadelphia placed seven on the NL team. The Dodgers had six on the squad and San Diego put five on the roster. Cleveland and Kansas City led the AL team with 5 and 4, respectively. Baltimore had the opening AL battery with Corbin Burnes starting and Adley Rutschman catching him. Kansas City duplicated that later with Salvatore Perez catching and both Cole Ragans and Seth Lugo on the mound. 

AL pitchers recorded nine strikeouts, with flame throwers Mason Miller, Kirby Yates and Emanuel Clase each string out two batters. Oakland’s Miller was the winning pitcher while Hunter Greene from Cincinnati suffered the loss. San Diego’s Robert Suarez faced two hitters and set them down on strikes in an impressive eight pitch effort. Both teams threw plenty of strikes. While the AL won, the team only had five hits compared to ten by the NL. 

Was this a masterpiece All Star Game? Hardly. I had thoughts about Willie Mays, in my mind, the quintessential player in All Star Game history. I didn’t see him enough in the regular season, and I was way too young to see him in his New York prime. 

But I did see him on the national stage year after year in the All Star Game. Mays would terrorize pitchers with his strong batting, then go wild on the base paths or defensively come up with gem after gem. 

At my first baseball game at Yankee Stadium, I heard teens arguing over who was the greatest center fielder in baseball—the Yankees’ Mickey Mantle; Brooklyn’s Duke Snider; or Mays of the Giants. It was a heated discussion which I only had Mantle as my frame of reference, so I knew no better. 

Watching the All Star Game annually and twice from 1959 through 1962, I was able to see Mays excel. As much Mantle was beloved, he was the best switch hitter and my childhood favorite Yankee. Willie Mays was the best centerfielder ever and his name resonated with the greats of all time—Ruth, Gehrig, Williams, Aaron. 

I still watch the All Star Game with great interest. This year was a little bit sadder with the recent passing of such a legend. 

One last thought. With so many new players in this year’s contest, the thought crossed my mind as to how many will remain with their original franchise. In researching the topic, 190 players all time have remained with their team for their entire careers. Twenty-six names are Yankees. Thirteen active players are with their only team for more than 10 years and three were All Stars—Jose Altuve, who was injured; Perez from Kansas City; and Cleveland’s Ramirez.  In this day of free agency and trade deadlines, that’s amazing. How many in the group which played will add to that number is small and will be determined. Remember—Mays, Aaron and Ruth did not stay with their original teams. 

On that note, it is on to Trust Park in suburban Atlanta for the 2025 game. You know I will be watching. I am a MLB All Star Game addict. 

Waylaid By The Yankees

  Okay, when it comes to sports, specifically the teams I root for, I am not too good at keeping promises. Example #1 would be the New York Yankees.

In my last blog, I stated rather emphatically that I would not watch the team spiraling out of control. The constant losing was eating me up.

When the Yankees ended up losing the home finale against the Boston Red 

Sox, I didn’t watch. Nor did I tune in to see how the team was doing against the Rays in St. Petersburg. 

I did receive social media updates through CBS Sports, ESPN and The Athletic. I knew what was happening in near real time. Which didn’t make me any happier, as the Yankees lost another series—now 8 in a row. 

Yet somehow, when the Baltimore Orioles went on a losing skid of their own—being demolished by the Chicago Cubs in Camden Yards by a cumulative score of 21-2, with the games on Wednesday and Thursday being shutouts for the Cubs’ pitchers, Baltimore Manager Brandon Hyde was very unhappy with the effort of his team and let the Chicago and Baltimore media know it. You would believe that his guys would be hungry for some red meat.

So who comes into town but the Yankees. Two teams playing subpar baseball. The top two squads in the AL East, separated by only 2 games as they headed into the final series before the All Star Game. 

To say that these teams do not like each other is an understatement. A lot of it has to do with batters getting hit by pitches. Eleven O’s hitters have been plunked, including star shortstop Gunnar Henderson multiple times. 

Conversely, three Yankees have been hit by Baltimore pitching. The most notorious HBP was when Yankees supernova Aaron Judge was struck on the hand and Yankees fans held their collective breath for a day until the tests came back clean. 

I don’t know if the Orioles pitchers were instructed to pitch inside on Judge or even hit him. Whatever the reason, the Yankees weren’t happy about it.

Opening the three game series for New York was ace Gerrit Cole, still trying to return to his Cy Young Award form of last season. His recent pitching had been encouraging. Given the malaise of the NYY starting pitchers, it seemed that if the Yankees were going to try to right the ship, Cole had to be on top of his game or close to it. Provided the NYY bats would awaken enough and the Orioles would remain in their funk. 

Maybe I haven’t quite given up on my childhood team despite all indications that this ongoing drought might last the remainder of the season without dramatic changes such as trades or a renaissance by DJ LeMahieu, Gleybar Torres and Anthony Volpe, among others. Yankees skipper Aaron Boone has shaken up the lineup repeatedly in effort to awaken the lethargic Yankees bats for more than one game in a series. To no avail. 

Perhaps it was the humidity and heat which caused my brain to seek comfort on television. For in my childhood, watching a hot summer’s night game on our black and white TV in our den, with my father turning on the industrial-size fan and eating cherries, plums and watermelon, that was my nirvana. 

Back then it was Mantle, Berra, Ford, Howard and Maris donning the Yankees uniform. Bona fide stars who would always be in the thick of the game. 

Whether it was Detroit, Cleveland, Kansas City, Washington, Baltimore, Boston or the Chicago White Sox, the game was going to be good. I knew much about the players from watching and reading the papers. 

Maybe it was listening to Mel Allen and Phil Rizzuto wax poetically (or in The Scooter’s case in sometimes mangled English) which drew me in. Or perhaps the sugary fruit had something to do with my mindset. Who knows?

In any case, I made the decision to turn on the YES Network for the telecast. I went into the game with some hope—probably more false optimism than anything else. My mind was made up—I was going to watch the Yankees and Orioles sweat on a hot and humid Friday night by the Inner Harbor with a significant threat of rain in the forecast. 

The Yankees didn’t disappoint me on this night as they wore their perspiration-soaked grey road uniforms and the O’s went with black City Connect jerseys. It was not a sterling effort by New York—the team did enough to hold off the Orioles while scoring four runs to secure the win. 

Cole was not yet at his vintage best, although with a strike out in the game he passed Vida Blue for 67th place all-time. But his six innings kept Baltimore subdued; Cole threw 75 strikes out of 106 pitches while striking out seven and walking just one. 

The bullpen’s best held the Orioles lineup to one hit in the remaining three innings. New York managed seven hits, which included two doubles by catcher Jose Trevino (who hurt his quadriceps running home in the ninth inning and. Is now on the 10 day IL) and a bomb home run from Judge which landed way beyond the high wall in left field. 

What would have been a nice win for the Yankees, placing them only a game behind the Orioles despite the nearly incessant losing, was marred by one incident. One pitch which might change the dynamic of the remainder of the series.

Boone brought in his All Star closer, Clay Holmes, to pitch the ninth inning. It was a save situation and that is the norm for New York. 

Remember that threat of rain? It was raining pretty good by the time the Orioles came to bat for the final time. Holmes, who can make his save chances interesting and sometimes take away a win with a lackluster performance, threw 20 pitches in attaining his 21st save. One of those eight non-strikes is what this game will be remembered for. 

That one errant pitch struck Orioles left fielder Heston Kjerstad in the left ear flap of his batting helmet. With what players said was sickening sound, Kjerstad went down to the ground, not moving for a bit. 

Yankees catcher Austin Wells, into the game to replace the injured Trevino, went to see how Kjerstad was. Holmes was concerned. Kjerstad went his feet and was administered a battery of tests by the Baltimore trainer. Hyde was nearby. 

The decision was made to remove Kjerstad from the game. It was the obvious and correct move. 

Hyde was not happy that Holmes’ pitch hit his player where it did—even if the rain likely contributed to the errant toss. His anger was evident and the manager started to exchange words with a member of the Yankees coaching staff after he had choice remarks for Holmes. Wells tried to restrain Hyde, but couldn’t.  A full-scale scrum evolved, with tensions from previous hit batsmen overflowing with shoves and possibly a few punches tossed. Aaron Judge was in the midst of the fracas, trying to restore order. Trevino somehow made it back to field in support of his pitcher. Both managers barked at each other. 

Order was restored. Hyde was ejected. The Yankees won a very needed game.

The bigger question remains what will be the fallout from this latest episode between teams which do not at all like each other. Will there be more fireworks, or will just baseball be played? Will O’s pitchers become myrmidons of Hyde, seeking revenge for what happened on a steamy Friday night in Baltimore: “A Great Place To Grow” according to former Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake?

I had every intention about discussing Caitlin Clark’s triple double and her streak of double doubles. Or Bronny James’ debut in the NBA. How about this year’s United States men’s basketball squad going through its practices for the upcoming Olympics? Even Tuesday’s All Star Game and the Home Run Derby. All good topics.

Instead, of my own accord, I was once more waylaid by Yankees baseball. By the inner child in me.

I'm Not Watching...Again!!

  It is July 4. Independence Day. I am being bombarded with 2024 election hype. I don’t think the Founding Fathers had that in mind when they met in Philadelphia to organize this country we call the United States of America. 

Then again, we are 248 years away from that date in July, 1776. The world they knew in comparison with the world we know is so dramatically different. 

When Thomas Jefferson and his cohorts drafted the Declaration of Independence, one Timothy Matlock, a clerk in the Pennsylvania. State House, wrote it on a large piece of parchment. I am sitting here typing into an Apple I Pad which is capable of electronically printing out this blog in about 10 seconds onto a white piece of paper if I so choose.

We celebrate this nation’s freedom from the monarch’s rule from England as an important birthday should be commemorated. American-style. 

Sure, we shoot off fireworks in choreographed displays that light up many a sky. The oohs and aahs which are heard from momentous blasts tell observers how well the pageantry resonated. 

Yes, politically we have much discourse about the direction of the country. Yet I believe we can agree on one thing—that this day is special. All those years later. 

Sports has its own imprint on the July 4th landscape. It can be organized, professional sport, or it can be a pie-eating contest or a burlap sack race on a freshly cut field. 

For this is meant to be a day of joy and happiness; happiness for what our forefathers created and where we as a nation stand—so proud and vigilant. A day where, in most instances, laughter prevails, no matter where we are.

Baseball was the sport which captured Americana as it grew in popularity. Local pride was bursting when your team was at home for the Fourth of July. 

Not so long ago, doubleheaders drew large crowds, with men sweltering in straw hats. Sadly, there is nary a one on this July 4th. 

Still, the faithful come to the ballparks around the country in a nod to tradition intertwined with sport. They sure are dressed differently, merrily wearing the colors of their team while sitting in expensive seats and continuously lining the coffers of individual teams and MLB with their purchases. A hot dog and a beer, yesteryear’s food du jour, has been replaced by chicken fingers and fries or pizza. Don’t even try to guess what the cost of a beer is now; loans might have to be taken out to afford a day at the stadium. 

I saw that the New York Mets and Washington Nationals began their holiday game before noon. It gave MLB Network time to show it nationally before heading elsewhere. 

Speaking about other sites, it looked so strange that the Toronto Blue Jays were hosting the Houston Astros on America’s birthday. I guess because Canada Day was on July 1, the schedule makers put the Blue Jays at home. Probably because the Nationals, once known as the Montreal Expos, hosted the Jays earlier this year, the two teams with Canadian roots weren’t playing each other. I guess that MLB considers the Nats wholly American; I can’t blame them. But the powers-that-be could have gone Inter League with a nice three game set and given the Blue Jays the day off on the U.S. holiday.

While we associate the great hot dog eating contest at Nathan’s on the boardwalk on Coney Island with this date (and what a gross spectacle that is—even minus the war of words between the Nathan’s minions and all-time championship winner Joey Chestnut, whose absence took away a bit of the faux glamor of the event conjured up to draw people off the beach and to devour all the food the restaurant has to offer) and there is Wimbledon across the pond as well soccer and two WNBA contests, there is no place more affiliated with July 4th than the New York Yankees. 

Holiday doubleheaders at mammoth Yankee Stadium? It used to be a regular event. MLB stopped regularly scheduling twin bills in 2011. Period. 

Although the Yankees have played a multitude of teams on July 4, the most notable and consistent opponent was the Boston Red Sox. In the old eight team American and National Leagues, there were traditional opponents. The Philadelphia and Washington Senators met; the Chicago White Sox and Detroit were rivals more than not. When the Giants and Dodgers called New York home, the teams once played games at the Polo Grounds and Ebbets Field on the same day. 

I know I lament the loss of a fixture for July 4th. Travel changes, expansion, and big gates just for one game along with the Collective Bargaining Agreement setting out how many consecutive days a team can play not to wear out the players over a 183 day span were the death knell for the doubleheader. 

Instead, I was stuck watching the moribund Yankees facing Cincinnati in an Inter League battle. Once the best team in baseball, New York has cooled off to the tune of 5-14 in their last 19 games. The Yankees haven’t won a series in the last 6 tries. Only the miserable Colorado Rockies have played as poorly as the Yankees over that time frame. 

It isn’t going to get any easier for the Bombers. A suddenly hot Boston squad comes into Yankee Stadium this weekend, hoping to feed off of the carcass which once was a really good team. 

Home and home series with Boston and Tampa Bay, two home games versus the Mets and a trip to NL East-leading Philadelphia completes the July schedule. The only saving grace is that after hosting the Red Sox, then traveling to Florida and Maryland, the All Star Game break takes place. That’s how bad it has been recently in New York. 

While the Yankees have two starters on the American League All Star team—the red hot Aaron Judge and the still over .300 average with power of Juan Soto, this team is bad. They simply can’t field, throw, hit or run very well right now. 

My daughter sparked my interest about how this team stacked up against World Series winners in 2000 and 2009. It just doesn’t. Judge could have played on those teams and maybe Soto too. Reigning Cy Young Award winner Gerrit Cole might not have been the ace pitcher like he now is. 

Who wouldn’t take Jorge Posada as the catcher; Tiny Martinez at first base; Chuck Knoblach playing second; Hall of Fame shortstop Derek Jeter; Scott Brosius manning the hot corner; with Yankees great Bernie Williams and Paul O’Neill in two outfield spots in 2000? Especially with Andy Pettitte, David Cone, Orlando Hernandez, Roger Clemens on the mound with Jeff Nelson, Mike Stanton and the best closer ever, Mariano Rivera, in relief?

The 2009 team still had Jeter and Posada augmented by Alex Rodriguez, Mark Texiera, Johnny Damon, Nick Swisher and Hideki Matsui. The starting pitching consisted of Pettitte, CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett and Rivera was still as dominant as ever. 

Do I think that Joe Torre was a better manager than Aaron Boone is? Yes. 

But Boone simply has a bunch of faded old players and youngsters still learning how to play. Plus DH Giancarlo Stanton was playing well and he’s injured. That doesn’t help.

Forget about comparing the pitching. It is a no contest in favor of the 2000 and 2009 versions. 

So it was sad to see the Reds sweep the once-dominant Yankees, who cannot hit  or pitch very well. On the Fourth of July. Of all the days. Not that it mattered. 

A day so special to the country and Yankees fans. The Lou Gehrig speech in 1939 is iconic. George Steinbrenner—“The Boss”—was born on July 4, 1930. And Dave Righetti no hit the Red Sox on a hot and humid day in 1983.  

We all have our memories and reasons to think about on July 4th. Who’s being judgmental than those who want to be cynical every day?

I’ve got bigger problems. The Yankees blemished my July Fourth (and the two days before). I’m not watching...again!!