All Star Game Ramblings

[Don Wassall]

So one of the two local Pravdas has a special All Star game section today covering the upcoming extravaganza here in beautiful Pittsburgh. The cover page has a montage of baseball images, most prominently two bobblehead dolls -- a prominent one of a Pittsburgh Crawfords Negro League player in the front, and then in the background a smaller one of Jason Bay.


Inside the special section, we learn that a state historical marker near what remains of the outfield wall of old Forbes Field will be dedicated before the game. Performing the dedication will be not just members of the Pirates teams from that era, but also some "Homestead Grays and other Negro League teams." Of course! When one thinks of Forbes Field the first thing that comes to mind is Negro League baseball.


Accompanying that article are two photographs. One is of alleged Negro League slugger Josh Gibson, and below that is one of all-time great Honus Wagner. The picture of Gibson is 5 1/2 x 7; Wagner's photo is 1 3/4 x 2 1/2. No need to be subtle anymore.


The media hype surrounding the game is about 50 times what it was in 1974, when the All Star game was played here.I was a teenager then. A friend and I went to Three Rivers Stadium a week before the game and bought two tickets in the 6th level outfield section for eight bucks apiece (I still have my stub). Although the Pirates fielded strong teams throughout the '70s, journeyman pitcher Ken Brett, the late brother of George, was the only Bucco on the NL team that season for some reason. Steve Garvey was the MVP as I recall. My strongest memory from that game is when a drunk in the row behind us accidentally spilled a full beer on my buddy.

Now the All Star Game is given almost a Super Bowl-like treatment. Thousands of fans purchased season tickets this year just to be able to watch the game, which is rarelyall thatentertaining. Typical American media event -- lots of hype, glitz and hot air but underneath nota lot ofsubstance.Edited by: Don Wassall

 

[Realgeorge]

Excellent post ... Ah, the All-Star Game!

Being an old coot, I know I watched the 1974 game in Pittsburgh, but can't remember the score. I do know that the All-star Game in the 1970s went to enourmous lengths to reinforce the Black-is-Best mantra of baseball players. '74 was the Hank Aaron year for breaking Ruth's record, and it dominated baseball media.

Old Forbes Field, I remember watching a game or two on the tube from 1960s. Had a big concrete-looking wall in Center Field and took quite a poke for a home run over the wall. Also remember how tiny the stadium looked, and that there was practically no foul-ground, good for hitters.

I watched the 1969 allstar game, last one in Washington DC. It was rained out and then played the following day. NBC made a "short" of the game with Kurt Gowdy commenting. Frank Howard hit a homer to right center, but the National League won the game. Perennial bum Denny McClain was supposed to pitch for the AL but arrived late for the game !! and the idiotic Senators traded for this guy 2 years later

Don I'm green with envy that U got tickets to the 1974 event. Steve Garvey MVP, can't remember what he did of note during the game (flirt with ball-girls?). I wonder how much an IronCity Beer cost at the game

 

[Don Wassall]

I wasn't old enough to buy Iron City at that game, but my guess would be that it was no more than a dollar, maybe less.


Ah yes:

Actually it tasted pretty awful.

I saw many a game at Forbes Field before it closed down in the middle of the 1970 season. It was 435 feet to center, and 457 feet to left-center, the deepest or second deepest of any ballpark ever. It was just 300 feet to right but there was a screen to prevent easy homeruns. There were 15 or so homers hit over the right field roof in the stadium's 61 years. The first one was by Babe Ruth when he was a member of the Boston Braves in 1935. It was also the last home run of his career.


Willie Stargell hit 6 or 7 shots over the right field roof. I saw two of them in person, including one where I was sitting in the right field upper deck and the ball went right over our heads and out of the stadium.

That's the University of Pittsburgh's Cathedral of Learning in the background. The university expanded to the point that it surrounded Forbes Field before the old park was torn down. Home plate is now encased on the floor of a Pitt building, while part of the outfield wall still stands near Schenley Park. Three Rivers Stadium was a sterile, cookie-cutter dump, butPNC Parkwas beautifully designed.

 

[foreverfree]

I know I watched the 1974 game in Pittsburgh, but can't remember the score.

I have my 2006 World Almanac in front of me, open to page 903, which says that that 1974 ASG was won by the National League by a score of 7 to 2.

Old Forbes Field, I remember watching a game or two on the tube from 1960s. Had a big concrete-looking wall in Center Field and took quite a poke for a home run over the wall. Also remember how tiny the stadium looked, and that there was practically no foul-ground, good for hitters.

I attended a scheduled Sunday double dip at Three Rivers in 1978 when the Bucs played the Phillies (I'm a Phillies fan and I grew up in the Philly area. I was 17 at the time.) The Phils swept the doubleheader, and during the second game the scoreboard flashed the news that Pope Paul VI had passed on.

John