1985 MLB All Star Game

1985 All Star Game 

      The 52nd edition of Major League Baseball's All-Star game was held at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, home of the American League's Minnesota Twins. This was the second time the Midsummer Classic was held in Minnesota, as the 1965 All-Star Game was held at Metropolitan Stadium. Managers for the game were Detroit's Sparky Anderson (American League) and San Diego's Dick Williams (National League). A crowd of 54,960 packed the Metrodome. The game was broadcast "coast to coast" on NBC. 

     The defending World Champions, the Detroit Tigers, had the most All-Stars again, featuring six players on the roster. While catcher Lance Parrish did not play, the Tigers were represented by Jack Morris, Alan Trammell, Lou Whitaker, Willie Hernandez and Dan Petry. The Padres had the most starters with four: Tony Gwynn, Terry Kennedy (replacing New York's Gary Carter), Graig Nettles and LaMarr Hoyt. 

     The honorary captains for the game were 1965 All-Stars who also participated in the 1965 World Series. Representing the American League was Hall of Fame Twins outfielder Harmon Killebrew, who slugged 573 home runs over 21 years. Representing the National League was one of the all-time great pitchers, Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Koufax compiled a 165-87 record in his career, while winning three Cy Young awards, two World Series MVPs (1963 and 1965) and 3 Triple Crown Awards before elbow trouble ended his career prematurely.

     Hoyt and Morris were the starters for the Midsummer Classic. Hoyt, acquired from the Chicago White Sox in the offseason, earned the win, 6-1, and took home the Most Valuable Player Award. 

     Another program I found at Thumb Industries Thrift Store in Bad Axe. This one is in even better shape than the 1984 program. It is also 92 pages long and includes pictures and ads in both color and black-and-white. Articles include "A Tale of Twin Cities", "Pete Rose: The Unblushing Flower", "Baseball Goes to the Movies" and "All-Star Thrills". Again, the write-in candidates and All-Star Nominees have small color photos.

     Advertisements include Camel Lights (with Surgeon General's warning), Miller Lite (featuring Billy Martin, WCCO 830 AM, Target, and NBC Sports.

1984 MLB All Star Game

1984 All Star Game

      The 51st edition of the All Star Game was held at Candlestick Park, home of the San Francisco Giants. The managers were Joe Altobelli of the defending World Champion Baltimore Orioles (American League) and Paul Owens of the Philadelphia Phillies (National League). Attendance for that game was 57,756, and the game started at 5:40 Pacific Time. 

     Canada took the mound to begin the game that day. Dave Stieb, the workhorse ace of the Toronto Blue Jays, was the starter for the American League. Stieb would go 16-8 with a 2.83 ERA with 198 strikeouts in 1984. He would go on to win 140 games in the 1980s, second only to Jack Morris.  On the mound for the National League was Charlie Lea of the Montreal Expos. Lea was in his fifth season with the Expos and would finish 15-10 with a 2.89 ERA and 123 strikeouts. Unfortunately, Lea developed arm trouble, which would derail his promising career. 

     The Detroit Tigers were the talk of the majors in 1984, after roaring out to a 35-5 start. They were represented by six players, most on either roster: Chet Lemon, Lance Parrish, Lou Whitaker, Alan Trammell, Jack Morris and Willie Hernandez. Lemon, Parrish and Whitaker were starters. However, pitching was the top story of this All Star Game, as two young National League hurlers put up impressive numbers. In the fourth inning, Fernando Valenzuela of the Dodgers struck out Dave Winfield, Reggie Jackson and George Brett. Then in the fifth, Mets rookie phenom Dwight Gooden fanned Parrish, Lemon and Alvin Davis. 

     Montreal catcher Gary Carter was named Most Valuable Player of the All-Star Game, as the National League triumphed, 3-1. This was the thirteenth win in fifteen years for the National League, as their dominance in the Midsummer Classic continued on. 

     I found this program at Thumb Industries Thrift Store in Bad Axe on Saturday (11/8). It's in very good shape for it's age, with just the dog-ear crease in the bottom right corner and some water damage in the back. It's 92 pages, mostly black and white. All the nominees and write-in candidates for the AL and NL are included in color photos. Articles include "They Were Real Giants" (about the New York/San Francisco All Stars), "The Brain Trust" (historic All-Star managers) and "Masters of the Mound" (historic All-Star pitchers). Advertisements include Camel Lights (with Surgeon General's warning), the Sony Watchman, Starter jackets, Denver Baseball Commission (trying to bring MLB to Denver, Colorado), and Gatorade.