That was one of my favorite All-Star games, in part because the Pirates had a dominant team then and were well represented. Ellis started, Roberto Clemente homered, and Willie Stargell was in the midst of his career year. He had 30 homers and 87 RBIs going into the game,amazing numbers for that era.
Looking back, the '71 All-Star game was a baseball showcase for the burgeoning Caste System. Dock Ellis started against Vida Blue, the first time two black pitchers started an All-Star game. It received a lot of publicity. Ferguson Jenkins and Don Wilson also pitched for the NL.Four black pitchers in the All-Star game; now there's only two good black starters in all of baseball. Juan Marichal and Mike Cuellar also pitched inthe '71 game, leavingJim Palmer and Mickey Lolichas the only two white pitchers to see action in that game.
The late '60s to mid-'70s was the height of black domination of baseball. It's been pretty much steadily downhill since, though many sports fans have yet to notice thanks to Caste System propaganda and sterotyping.
