More All-Star game trivia

In 1945, with severe wartime travel restrictions in effect, the All-Star Game scheduled to be played at Boston's Fenway Park was deferred until the next season. There were two All-Star Games played each season from 1959 to 1962. The second game was added to raise money for the players' pension funds, as well as other causes. The experiment was abandoned on the grounds that having two games watered down the appeal of the event.

At Fenway Park in Boston on July 31, 1961, the first All-Star Game tie in history occurred when the game was stopped after the 9th inning due to rain. The only other rain-shortened game had been in 1952, but it had a winner.

The 1967 game lasted 15 innings, the longest MLB All-Star Game in innings as of 2007. The middle portion of the 1981 season, including the scheduled All-Star break, had been erased due to the players' strike. To promote the resumption of the season, the game (in Cleveland) was moved from its original July date to Sunday night, August 9. Second half regular-season play began the next afternoon with a game in Wrigley Field in Chicago. The 1981 game is the only MLB All-Star Game to be played on a weekend.

The 2002 All-Star Game, held in Milwaukee, ended in controversy in the 11th inning, when both teams ran out of substitute players available to pitch in relief. At that point, Commissioner Bud Selig, coincidentally a Milwaukee native and former owner of the Brewers, declared the game to end in a tie. The crowd booed and the media were highly critical of this unsatisfying conclusion.
To provide additional incentive for victory, Major League Baseball reached an agreement with the players union to award home-field advantage for the World Series to the league that won the All-Star Game, for 2003 to 2004. Since then, the agreement was extended twice, in 2005 and 2006. Previously, home field advantage in the World Series alternated between the two leagues each year.

Did you know that.....

In 1957, fans of the Cincinnati Reds stuffed the ballot box and elected 7 Reds players to start in the All-Star Game. They were:

Johnny Temple, 2B
Roy McMillan, SS
Don Hoak, 3B
Ed Bailey, C
Frank Robinson, LF
Gus Bell, CF
Wally Post, RF

The only non-Red elected to start for the National League was St. Louis Cardinals' first baseman Stan Musial. While the Reds were known to be a great offensive team with many outstanding position players, most baseball observers agreed that they did not deserve seven starters in the All-Star Game. An investigation showed that over half of the ballots cast came from Cincinnati. The Cincinnati Enquirer had printed up pre-marked ballots and distributed them with the Sunday newspaper to make it easy for Reds fans to vote often. There were even stories of bars in Cincinnati not serving alcohol to customers until they filled out a ballot.

Comeback Kids Strike Again - Beat Twins 6-5

July 8 BOSTON, MA So nice to be back on that home turf and eat some of that home cooking. It was Manny being Manny for the second time in a row as he appears to be coming out of his latest slump. He's been stinging the ball the past several games and has homered in both games against Minnesota, winning Monday's 1-0 and then tying up Tuesday's game at 5-apiece

After a difficult series against Boston's rival, Manny Ramirez has responded with a game-winning hit and a game-tying home run on back-to-back nights against the Minnesota Twins. "We had a terrific inning, a lot of good things happened," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. "Last night was what we needed, but sometimes you need a home run."
Ramirez drove home Boston's only run in a 1-0 victory on an RBI single Monday night against Minnesota. He was 2-for-8 with four strikeouts against the New York Yankees over the weekend.
One out after Ramirez's home run, Kevin Youkilis doubled and Brandon Moss slapped a single up the middle for the go-ahead run. "I think we were in a really good situation," Moss said. "Even though we were down by three, we had our leadoff guy coming up in Ellsbury and then Pedroia, who has been smoking. Then it would be J.D. Drew and Manny. I don't think anybody was surprised to see Manny go deep in that situation, he's done it so much."

Pedroia extended his career-best hitting streak to 16 games with his sixth-inning single.

Posey to leave Celtics; Thanks for your help!!

Could the Celtics miss out on their two biggest targets this offseason?
On the day before NBA free agents can begin signing contracts, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reported this morning that the Hornets are zeroed in on former Celtics swingman James Posey. Meanwhile, the San Antonio Express-News suggested that the Spurs are at the front of the line for Corey Maggette.

In today's edition, the Times-Picayune's John Reid writes: The Hornets are targeting Boston Celtics free agent James Posey to solve their needs at shooting guard, but whether Hornets General Manager Jeff Bower can pull off a deal is uncertain.
Free agents can begin signing contracts Wednesday, and Posey is one of the most sought after on the market. Posey, who can play shooting guard and small forward, appears to be one of the Hornets' No. 1 targets. However, it likely would take a full mid-level exception offer of $5.8 million for him to consider coming to New Orleans.

Since July 1, the first day teams could begin contacting free agents, Bower has been in discussions with Posey's agent, Mark Bartelstein. Posey, 6 feet 8, was the Celtics' top reserve and played a key role against the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals. "Jeff and I have had a lot of conversations," Bartelstein said. "We're talking." Bartelstein represents a handful of Celtics, including first-round draft choice J.R. Giddens and free agents Eddie House and Scot Pollard. The Hornets were previously talking with the seemingly popular agent about Jannero Pargo, a free-agent guard New Orleans hopes to bring back, according to the Times-Picayune.

1999 All-Star Game Tribute to Ted Williams

Wednesday July 14, 1999 Players flocked to greet legend Williams before first pitch. BOSTON (AP) -- There was a baseball love-in on the mound, the stars of the night and the stars of the century swamping Ted Williams, gazing at him in awe, reaching over each other to shake his hand.

He rode out in a golf cart from center field at the All-Star game after they'd all been introduced -- Aaron and Mays, Feller and Musial from summers past, McGwire and Sosa, Ripken and Griffey from Tuesday night's lineup. Players watched as the adoring crowd stood and cheered him, the roar almost as loud as the jets that buzzed Fenway Park after the national anthem. And they watched Williams respond by waving his cap, a gesture he never made as a player, even after he homered in his final game. Williams was often booed by Fenway fans during his playing days, but he's now more popular than ever.

"Hell, I haven't had a base hit in 30 years, and I'm a better hitter now than I've ever been in my life," Williams said. The 80-year-old Williams waved all the way down the right field line as the golf cart proceeded toward the mound. He rose gingerly from the cart -- two strokes and a broken hip in recent years make it hard for him to walk. And then he took the ball to throw out the ceremonial first pitch to Carlton Fisk. "Where is he?" Williams asked. His vision, once the best in the game, has suffered, too, and he can't see well outside a narrow range.

"I got you," Gwynn said. Williams joked a bit, then tossed a soft pitch to Fisk, inside but all the way to the plate. Fisk jogged to the mound to hug him. While Williams was in the cart, young and old surrounded him, reached out to touch him, shake his hand. It was a huge huddle on the mound, no one wanting to leave, no one caring much if the game was delayed. "Where's Sammy?" Williams bellowed, calling for Sosa, then shaking his hand.

"He wanted to talk baseball with everybody out there," McGwire said, adding that a lot of players got choked up. Larry Walker of the Rockies was one of them. "Tears were coming out of Ted's eyes. I had to turn away because tears were coming out my eyes, too." The game was running late, but no one wanted this moment to end. "It was kind of funny," Boston shortstop Nomar Garciaparra said. "When the announcer asked everybody to go back to the dugout, everybody said no. It didn't matter. What time was the first pitch? Nobody cared." Said Rafael Palmeiro: "That's the chance of a lifetime. The game can wait." McGwire and all the others lingered on the mound with Williams a few more minutes.

Finally, Williams was helped back into the cart, and the crowd roared again until he made his way to his box seat along the first base line with commissioner Bud Selig. "Wasn't it great!" Williams said. "I can only describe it as great. It didn't surprise me all that much because I know how these fans are here in Boston. They love this game as much as any players and Boston's lucky to have the faithful Red Sox fans. They're the best."

Red Sox player moves

July 7. Masterson out, Bailey in, Buchholz coming.

BOSTON -- The Red Sox optioned starting pitcher Justin Masterson to Triple-A Pawtucket on Monday, with plans to convert him into a relief pitcher. Manager Terry Francona said the team is preparing to recall right-hander Clay Buchholz, who will take Masterson's spot as the fifth starter. Buchholz was sent to the minors to work on his fastball command after spending the last two weeks of May on the disabled list. "We think getting Justin getting acclimated to the bullpen has a chance to really help our ball club," Francona said. "There's a couple of ways to do it. You could just give him the ball and send him out there. I don't think that's the best way to develop somebody to pitch meaningful innings. So we sat him down and talked about it."
Buchholz, who threw a no-hitter in his second major league start on Sept. 1, against Baltimore, struggled in his first eight starts this season for Boston. He was 2-3 with a 5.53 ERA before tearing the nail on his right middle finger.

For now, the Red Sox recalled first baseman Jeff Bailey from Pawtucket to take Masterson's place on the roster. "We wanted to, at some point, get Clay back here and get him in the rotation and I think we've been alluding to and talking about that," Francona said. "We'll go from there.
"There's not a firm timetable but the idea is to get him acclimated to where he can help us. In the meantime, Jeff Bailey will be here until we can activate Clay."

Things Boston

Things Boston will be a weekly feature on this blog. Today I have posted a link to a pdf guide to Summer events in and around Boston from the CityofBoston.org website. Quite informative.

http://www.cityofboston.gov/TridionImages/Proof_6_tcm1-1968.pdf

True Story of Paul Revere.

In 1774 and the Spring of 1775 Paul Revere was employed by the Boston Committee of Correspondence and the Massachusetts Committee of Safety as an express rider to carry news, messages, and copies of resolutions as far away as New York and Philadelphia.
On the evening of April 18, 1775, Paul Revere was sent for by Dr. Joseph Warren and instructed to ride to Lexington, Massachusetts, to warn Samuel Adams and John Hancock that British troops were marching to arrest them. After being rowed across the Charles River to Charlestown by two associates, Paul Revere borrowed a horse from his friend Deacon John Larkin. While in Charlestown, he verified that the local "Sons of Liberty" committee had seen his pre-arranged signals. (Two lanterns had been hung briefly in the bell-tower of Christ Church in Boston, indicating that troops would row "by sea" across the Charles River to Cambridge, rather than marching "by land" out Boston Neck. Revere had arranged for these signals the previous weekend, as he was afraid that he might be prevented from leaving Boston).

On the way to Lexington, Revere "alarmed" the country-side, stopping at each house, and arrived in Lexington about midnight. As he approached the house where Adams and Hancock were staying, a sentry asked that he not make so much noise. "Noise!" cried Revere, "You'll have noise enough before long. The regulars are coming out!" After delivering his message, Revere was joined by a second rider, William Dawes, who had been sent on the same errand by a different route. Deciding on their own to continue on to Concord, Massachusetts, where weapons and supplies were hidden, Revere and Dawes were joined by a third rider, Dr. Samuel Prescott. Soon after, all three were arrested by a British patrol. Prescott escaped almost immediately, and Dawes soon after. Revere was held for some time and then released. Left without a horse, Revere returned to Lexington in time to witness part of the battle on the Lexington Green.

The image is that of Paul Revere's House. You can read more about the house at

http://www.aviewoncities.com/boston/paulreverehouse.htm

This day in Red Sox history

July 7, 1923: The Red Sox lose to Cleveland, 27-3, in the first game of a doubleheader. Boston starter Lefty O'Doul is being punished for breaking curfew by manager Frank Chance. Chance refuses to relieve O'Doul until he gets the third out of the sixth, while the Indians score 13 runs that inning. It's the most runs ever allowed by the Sox in one game. They go on to lose the nightcap 8-5.

July 6, 1944: Bob Johnson hits for the cycle at home against Detroit. The Red Sox win the game 13-3.

July 5, 2002: Ted Williams dies at the age of 83

July 4, 1977: The Red Sox hit eight home runs. Fred Lynn and George Scott hit two, while Bernie Carbo, Butch Hobson, Jim Rice, and Carl Yastrzemski add homers of their own, as the Sox beat the Blue Jays 9-6 at Fenway Park. Seven of the home runs are solo homers, setting a major league record.

Wrigley Field - Los Angeles

Home Run Derby (1959+) was filmed at Wrigley Field in Los Angeles. I really had to scratch my head on this one. Wrigley Field was a ballpark in Los Angeles which served as host to minor league baseball teams in the region for over 30 years, and was the home park for the Los Angeles Angels (now the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim), in their expansion season of 1961.
The park was built in South Los Angeles in 1925 and was named after William Wrigley Jr. the chewing gu magnate who owned the first tenants, the original Los Angeles Angels minor-league team. In 1925, the Angels moved from their former home at Washington Park (Los Angeles), which was also known as Chutes Park. Wrigley also owned the Chicago Cub, whose home is a more famous park also named after him.

With its location near Hollywood, Wrigley Field was a popular place to film baseball movies. Among the most well known movies filmed there were The Pride of the Yankees and a movie version of the stage play Damn Yankees. Even the film noir classic Armored Car Robbery had its title heist set at Wrigley. It later found its way into television, serving as the backdrop for the Home Run Derb series in 1959, a popular show which featured one-on-one contests between baseball's top home run hitters, which had a brief revival in 1989 when it aired on ESPN. Episodes of shows as diverse as The Twilight Zone and The Munsters were also filmed here.
L.A. Wrigley's minor league baseball days ended when the Brooklyn Dodgers of the National League transferred to Los Angeles in 1958. The use of Wrigley was studied by the Dodgers, but they opted for seating capacity over suitability as a baseball field, and instead set up shop in the Los Angeles Coliseum(which had a 251-foot foul line) while awaiting construction of Dodger Stadium.

The following baseball teams occupied the Stadium....Los Angeles Angels (PCL) (1925–1957)Hollywood Stars (PCL) (1926–1935), (1938)Los Angeles Angels (AL) (1961)

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Home Run Derby - Original TV Series

I remember when I was 8 years old and watching Home Run Derby every week. Home Run Derby was a 1959 television show held at Wrigley Field in Los Angeles pitting the top sluggers of Major League Baseball against each other in 9-inning home run contests. The show was produced and hosted by actor and Hollywood Stars broadcaster Mark Scott.

The rules were similar to modern home run derbies, with one notable exception. The show's rules were that if a batter did not swing at a pitch that was in the strike zone, that also constituted an out, although this rarely happened. Nine future Hall of Famers would eventually participate in the series. Art Passarella, a major league umpire who would go on to a TV acting career, served as the plate umpire. There were also umpires in the outfield to help judge fly balls that were close calls. This TV series helped inspire the Home Run Derby event this is now held the day before the annual Major League Baseball All-Star Game and is televised on ESPN.

This TV show was enjoyable back then and every once in awhile pops on one of the channels. Haven't seen it in quite awhile and I would imagine that ratings would be low. However, there are three volumes of Home Run Derby available on DVD. Just checked NETFLIX and they have all three available.

There were 26 episodes in Season One, pitting contests between such notables as Mays vs Mantle, Rocky Colavito vs Jackie Jensen, Eddie Mathews vs Hank Aaron, etc. Please click here for a link to an episode listing.

Scott noted that Wrigley Field in Los Angeles (the name of the stadium was never mentioned) was chosen to host the event because its fence distances were symmetrical and favored neither right-handed or left-handed hitters (although the left field wall was a few feet higher than the right field fence). It was also the only "true" baseball stadium in Los Angeles at the time that was available for offseason tapings. The Los Angeles Dodgers played at the Memorial Coliseum during 1958-1961, a site that, even if available, would have given an unfair advantage to right-handed batters. The winner received $2,000 and was invited back for the next week's episode against a new opponent. The runner-up received $1,000. If a batter hit three home runs in a row, he would receive a $500 bonus. A fourth home run in a row would be worth another $500 bonus. Any consecutive home runs hit beyond that would each be worth $1,000. Each show would end with the host presenting each player with their prize checks (beginning with the loser), and would award separate checks for consecutive home run bonuses. These were the real checks, not the jumbo "display" checks typically used today. For example, if the winner hit three homers in a row, they would receive one check for $2000 and another for $500 instead of one check for $2500. Also, as an incentive for throwing good home run hitting balls, the pitcher who threw the most pitches for home runs also received a bonus, according to the host.

Sox lose tough one to Yanks 2-1

July 5. New York, NY. It was a classic pitching duel between Justin Masterson and Mike Moose-ina. But it all came down to Mariano Rivera.


We had him on the ropes in the 9th inning, but Rivera pitched himself in and out of trouble Saturday, escaping a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the ninth inning and preserving a 2-1 victory. After Mike Mussina pitched six shutout innings, Rivera took over in the ninth with a 2-0 lead. The Red Sox quickly scored a run and were poised to get more, but Rivera struck out Coco Crisp, got Jason Varitek on a popup and fanned Julio Lugo for his 23rd save.


Justin Masterson (4-3) hit three batters, threw a wild pitch and walked two, but managed to hold the Yankees in check in his six innings. The rookie right-hander allowed six hits in his first appearance against New York. Dustin Pedroia went 2-for-4 to extend his hitting streak to 13 games for Boston, which almost dealt the Yankees a heartbreaking loss.


Jose Veras and Kyle Farnsworth each worked a perfect inning to set up Rivera, who hit two batters in a game for the first time in his career. He also allowed a run in a save situation for the first time this season. "It definitely was interesting," Rivera said. "You definitely don't want to get into that situation but it happens. You just have to deal with it."

Boston's first four batters reached and Mike Lowell's RBI single cut it to 2-1. Crisp's strikeout was the 900th of Rivera's career, but it was Varitek who was really kicking himself after the game. "He's Mariano Rivera, but in that situation I've got to do something more," said Varitek, who popped out on a 2-0 pitch. Red Sox slugger Manny Ramirez was hit three times, tying the major league record, and the teams combined for seven hit batsmen total, matching a modern big league mark, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. So, do you really think that all 3 times were accidental. I did not see the game, but somebody needed to be tossed.

Red Sox upend Yankees 6-4; Damon Hurt

July 4 New York, NY.... Kevin Youkilis made the final Fourth at the ballpark truly memorable, sparking a come-from-behind 6-4 victory for the Red Sox on Friday with one of the strangest triples you'll ever see.

Mike Lowell drove in four including a tiebreaking, three-run homer in the fifth against Darrell Rasner (4-7), who lost for the seventh time in eight starts. But Youkilis created the lasting memory, hitting a drive that left New York's Johnny Damon with a sprained and bruised left shoulder, a momentum turner that sent the punchless Yankees to their fifth loss in six games.

With New York leading 3-1 in the third, Youkilis hit a two-out scorcher with two on. Damon raced back, jumped and gloved it but as he crashed into the left-field fence, the ball popped out of the webbing of his glove. It bounced up off the top of the wall. And bounced. And bounced.
The ball came to rest on top of the fence, which was shaking from Damon's impact. The sellout crowd of 55,130 at Yankee Stadium wondered: Would it fall behind for a home run, roll back onto the field or just sit there?

Finally, the ball dropped back in and landed near Damon, who was sprawled on the warning track. A fan behind the fence frantically pointed to the ball. Youkilis cruised into third base as Boston tied it at 3. Damon checked his glove to determine whether he made the catch. Then he looked around for the ball. "I had no clue," he said. "When I didn't see it at first, I thought it might have been a home run."

Damon threw the ball back to the infield, threw his glove down and left the game. An MRI revealed a sprained acromioclavicular joint, and Damon said he would be out at least a few days. If the pain doesn't subside, he could wind up on the disabled list for the first time in a 14-season major league career.

New York fell into fourth in the AL East, percentage points behind Baltimore, six games back of the Red Sox and a season-high nine games behind division-leading Tampa Bay. The Yankees scored eight runs in their last five losses, batting .179. A day after going 0-for-10 with runners on base, the Yankees were 2-for-14. Josh Beckett (8-5) recovered from a three-run first that included a two-run double by Alex Rodriquez, A-Rod came in on Giambi's sacrifice fly, but New York didn't score again until Jeter's RBI double with two outs in the ninth off Jonathan Papelbon, a ball center fielder Coco Crisp gloved with a diving catch. Bell admitted umpires blew the call.

The battle resumes today with Justin Masterson (4-2 3.75) on the hill for the Sox opposing Mike Mussina (10-6 3.87).