What was your best all star game memory?
I’m not feeling too hot today so I’m gonna let you guys take this one.
UPDATE**********
It’s 4pm. Get your Derby picks in before they start. You get to choose 2 guys……..
- Reblog
-
Subscribe
Subscribed
Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
A Place To Talk About Giants Baseball 
Hope you feel better, Flav. Take it easy today…my best All-Star Game memory? Will be the year they stop playing this sham of an exhibition. Players don’t even want to go any more. Give ’em three days off to spend with their families or whatever and let ’em recharge their batteries for the second half. We don’t need no stinkin’ All-Star Game…
Only half of “Dumb and Dumber” (Paulie Mac) doing the KNBR morning show today. If you think it’s tough to listen to with both boobs present, it’s unbearable today…
I actually don’t mind brian m. but paul m is an idiot with teeth. he uses the stupid laugh tracks in place of wit and the equally ridiculous applause tracks in place of intelligence. I keep meaning to complain to knbr but haven’t summoned the energy.
Yeah they suck.
reggie’s monster HR in Detroit’s old stadium…Parker playing RF in that hideous yellow uni.
I always dug the AS game as a kid, esp. the intros of all the guys in their individual team unis and hats. The stars like Mays always got a number of ABs, and the better starters often went the 3 max innings. No one gave a shit who got in and who didn’t. Did fans want to see a back up replace Aaron, Mays or Clemente or Frank Robinson?
Not good memories for some giants, like rueschel giving up the bomb to open the game vs. bo jackson, and of course epic meltdown from hammaker. I could never figure out what happened to that guy. He missed like a whole year, with the famed “mysterious virus”. Like what, smallpox? SF wasn’t exactly a third world country. Then he just fell off the map after he left.
Hope you feel better soon Flav.
I was going to say any game before they started inter league games. Then I started checking out old rosters,
71 had these guys – AL players: Aparicio, Carew, Jackson, Kaline, Killebrew, Thurman Munson, Palmer, Brooks Robinson, Frank Robinson, Yastrzemski. NL players: Aaron, Bench, Brock, Carlton, Clemente, Jenkins, Marichal, Mays, McCovey, Rose, Seaver, Stargell. Not to shabby.
But I guess my favorite was 84, sitting in the bleachers at the Stick. I think our only rep was Brenly that year. I don’t remember much other than great pitching but I sure had a lot of fun and the NL won.
ASG was fun as a kid. Hardly watch anymore. Always seems like it’s 1-1 going to the 15th inning, with about 40 K’s.
Bobby Bonds winning the MVP with a homer and a double at the ’73 game in KC was pure delight to this young SFG fan. The ’79 game in Seattle also stands out mainly because I didn’t see it, instead listening to it on a transistor radio while camping somewhere in the Delaware Water Gap. Dave Parker got the MVP by throwing out two runners from RF, and Lee Mazzilli hit a big homer to nearly get the MVP.
Yes, not wanting to miss the ASG still mattered back then. Now even the players don’t give a damn about the game, no matter how much Selig tries to pump it up. And there should a rule: Except for starting pitchers, if you’re healthy enough to play on Sunday, you play in the ASG. The great Jeter has decided to skip the game even though he went 5-for-5 two days ago and got another hit yesterday. Doesn’t sound like he’s too banged up to me. Even if it’s just for one inning, he should be playing.
On the other end, it’ll be great to see Pablo and V-Song there, two guys who will truly appreciate the honor and will soak up every minute of it.
Most of the recent all star games have been low scoring (I didn’t look it up it just feels that way). Can you imagine what the score will be this year in the Year of the Pitcher? Is it possible to score a negative number of runs?
It was before my time, but I can’t believe that they actually played two All-Star Games for a few years. That’s a Room B concoction if I ever heard one.
If it was a fantasy ASG the score would be -4 to -3.5.
Gotta admitt that during the Steroid era, watching the Home Run derby was fun! There were some epic blasts!!
This is the other reason, IMO, that baseball needs to shorten the year, put the ASG at the end, after the WS. The other thing I would do is what some basketball teams have done. Open up the Stadium for free and put the game on the big screen. your concessions would make money, the team store, etc, etc. I doubt that all the seats would be take. So there should not be a problem.
I remember the one at the stick. what a blast! we were in the bleacher section and brenly came out to warm up. we went nuts and he was very amused. I remember waiting through the intros of the AL thinking “national league, national league, come on already”. but then they started introducing the NL and I kept going, “wait, i hate that guy. He kills the giants”. so it was very surreal trying to cheer for people i hated. then they introduced garvey and the place booed heavily and he had a big smile. to this day, I think the NL won (garvey MVP) BECASUSE we booed him. If we’d have cheered, he would have wondered where the hell he was. as it turned out, he did his usual trick of finding a way to win when at the stick. bastard. and Lasorda! That was hilarious, booing clapping and laughing my ass off while he mugged it up while being resoundly booed.
good times.
I was not there but the Network showed that, Lasorda really knew how to get the fans into it!!
I get what you mean Ewisco. As a kid in the 70’s, I actually rooted AGAINST the national league because the Giants would get their one token rep while the NL roster would be full of Reds and Dodgers—-my 2 most hated teams as they owned the NL west back then—and I hated rooting for Lopes and Bench and Garvey etc. I was also a closet Orioles fan and I felt sorry for the AL as they always lost back then. Funny how the tables have turned.
I do remember the ’86 game fondly as we finally had several players in the game and you could feel that the franchise was heading in the right direction under Craig and Rosen. Chris Brown made a key play or 2 and Chili and Krukow also got in the game.
I still like the game and support the home field advantage concept. My 13 year old son Trevor (named after Wilson, not Hoffman—-seriously) is fired up for the game. I told him we could have something special for dinner. He said he wants calzones. I asked if he wanted to buy them or attempt to make our own. He wants to make ’em, so tomorrow we take a crack at making calzones—which will be fun.
Another great moment was Lasorda getting eaten up by that grounder and falling on his ass—-and Barry bringing him out a chest protector.
Thats strange. As much as I hated Garvey, Lopes, Bench, et al, I hated the AL even worse, so I was able to root agaisnt them no prob.
Wasn’t Lasagna dodging a bat?
Yes- the Dodger was dodging a bat:
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=lasord+falling+at+the+all-star+game&aq=f
Here it is, I meant:
Everything was more fun when you were a kid.
I haven’t even laughed since 1986.
It’s almost mindboggling that we even have to discuss how to “save” the All-Star game, or in Dennis’ case, whether to even save it. The All-Star game used to sell itself quite well. This will be a pundit topic this week, around the baseball world, with so many players treating it like the NFL Pro-Bowl this week, and just opting to miss it.
The thing that has taken the luster away from the All-Star game, IMO, is simply the exposure of MLB to the public overall. With the MLB baseball package, and ESPN, and the MLB network, and also inter-league play, everyone interested in baseball can see these players all the time. The All-Star game used to be a chance to see some players you didn’t get to see very often. It’s no one’s fault. It’s just the result of baseball having marketed itself all over the place, which is to be expected.
I completely agree about the exposure aspect. Before cable, you didn’t get to see a lot of the marquee players in action. Maybe a sportscast or highlights on something like Wide World of Sports. Now, if you are so wont, you can know and see everyone, as is evident from reading most of youse guys’ posts. I haven’t watched an ASG for years. The last one I have any memory of was Hammaker’s debacle
Yeah, memories like Lasorda and the chest protector are what AS games are about; not who won. Most of mine would be the early years, NL all the way. And Mr. October in July in Detroit, that was a monster. Always watching my individual favorites like Mike Schmidt and Yaz and later ripken and Ozzie. Moments and players, almost never a game and I really lost interest when the AL was dominate.
Okay Dennis, I know how you feel about Bleacher Report, but a writer over there gives reasons on why the Niners should start Colin Kaepernick over your boy A****S*****. I know you are having a hard time grasping the fact that A****S**** will probably sign with the Niners….again. So I thought this might cheer you up.
Kevin, it doesn’t matter who starts for the Niners this year. I won’t be rooting for either one of them.
I’ll be cheering on local legend, future President of the U.S. and all around nice guy, Tom Brady and his supermodel wife.
The tiresome aspect of the All-Star game is complaints about who got passed over. Kind of like hearing about college teams that don’t get picked for March Madness. Or complaints about college football’s lack of playoffs in Division 1.
Admittedly, I’ve complained about all three of those things before.
I do my share of Bobby Valentine bashing, but he did have a good statement comparing Jeter to the fan who caught his 3000 hit. The fan gave Jeter the ball, expecting nothing in return; and Jeter…..is going to skip the All-Star game.
Mr. Wonderful also skipped Bob Shepherd’s funeral.
The young man made a poor decision.
Well, considering they spent the first 4 innings talking about Jeter, Reyes, the Yanks, the Mets, the ASG, and A-Rod’s knee, bash away . . .
Barry Bonds’ decision to skip the homerun-hitting contest when the All-Star game was at AT&T in 2007 was another of the all-time tone-deaf decisions by a famous athlete. Ranks up there with LeBron thinking it would be a good idea to announce what team he was going to in an hour-long infomercial.
Frankly, I didn’t blame Bonds for bailing for all the shit Bud was dealing out in regards to Bonds, steroids, and the players in general.
Bud treated the issue like is is was and always will be the players fault. Sure they were cheating, but it was known about by all the clubs for 15+ years. It saved baseball from the fans apathy towards baseball after the WS was cancelled. Fans were leaving in droves. Attendance was way down post-strike. Once McGwire and Sosa got going, HRs were cool, fans started coming back, and the rest is Brady-fucking-Anderson-hits-50-dingers history.
So, does that mean Selig goes down as the commish that saved baseball? I mean, after he nearly killed it?
I thought it was hilarious last night how the ESPN guys spent half an inning bashing Jeter as the poster child for players dissing fans by opting out of the AS game (“Derek, if you’r listening . . . .” said one of them), and then, after a commercial break, they all came back and spent half an inning praising Jeter and the Yankees, and cetera. Wonder who told them during the commercial break to get right down on their knees?
Steinbrenner has pull, even from hell . . .
He wants you with him, Chuck. You can bleep it up big there.
I remember last year a number of people were saying how much Bochy would be looking forward to managing Pujols and Fielder in the 2011 ASG. For some reason, I don’t think he gives a shit one way or the other
Ray Woodson (subbing for Radnich) mentioned my tweet this morning on KNBR when talking about the ridiculousness of people who wait in line for hours upon hours just to get a bobblehead. People are such boobs. Nothing but pearls of wisdom from my Twitter account. Bobblehead advice. Lineup suggestions. When and when not to use your closer vis-a-vis NON-save situations. “Hot tips” on horses. Things that would look good on Kate Middleton. Everything looks good on the Duchess of Cambridge. Things like that have garnered me a whopping 23 followers. It’s 140 characters or less of pure gold, baby! 😛
. . . It slices, it dices . . .
But wait, there’s more!
Take care of your miniture horseys.
Damn, spell check failed me! Miniature and horse’s should be there.
Nipper’s spell check…
c-h-e-a-p — check
c-o-l-d — check
b-e-e-r — check
It didn’t really need to be cleared up
I saw a picture of Kate M today while I was in a checkout line. Some People mag, I think. She has very muscular, wiry arms, and she’s developed quite a tan on holiday. She now looks like a particularly attractive lesbian PE teacher.
Dennise, I thought for sure you would you use the line “I would look good on Kate Middleton”.
Alll Star break is death to me. No Giants baseball, all 4 of my fantasy teams sit idly by, waiting, wanting, to fill up their stat sheets for me 🙂
I got Big Papi tonight in the HR Derby. Who you guys like?
not sure who else is rattling around the Flap besides you and me, Denny. Take another player, too. I’m going Cano and Kemp…….
I’ll take Gonzalez and Bautista. Really wish there was a Giants game today. I am going to the game Thursday and will be sitting in my friends sweet corporate seats behind home plate. Feels like a lifetime from now!
that’s awesome. Post what you’re wearing and maybe we can see you. Mesh half shirt, same as usual? 🙂
Same deal with me Flav . . . I’m kicking myself for not having dates lined up for the next few days (albeit, I’m working the phone 🙂 ). I totally spaced on All Star break and was setting my line up this morning before going to the gym . . . umm, then I realized that none of my players had game times by their names. OK, so I checked Tuesday. Nope. Wednesday? Uhh uhh. I guess I will read a book.
I’ve hated the All Star game since the early 70s when it seemed to matter. A disgrace that 16 players have dropped out of the game. In fact, I like the HR derby more than the game. Going with Bautista first and Holliday second.
16 smart guys.
Been a while gang. Computer down for a couple days. Totally missed the Saturday and Sunday games. And this time it mattered, with Timmy and Matt back in the W. column, Panda pounding and Nate moving on up.
With 70 games remaining, i checked out the schedule. Here’s my take: Provided Sabean pulls off no major moves to shore up the offense, Giants sag just a tiddle from their current pace going 39-31 to finish at 91-71, winning the West.
Some tough competition towards the end of this month with road games in Philly and Cincinnati as well as the upcoming set in SD. Giants go 8-8 for the rest of July. August schedule does not look so daunting, with SF making out at 18-11. September plays it close again with Giants squeaking out a 13-12 margin. Remember, this is all contingent on Sabean not adding significantly to the offense. 39-31 as is.
dude, we’re just supposed to be predicting the HR Derby winner! What you wrote is cool and all but where are your 2 picks!
Speaking of Nate, have not read past posts. What does everyone think of Bochy batting Nate 4th? Was that a one time deal or what??
Considering he had 4 hits yesterday with an RBI, I’m sure it’ll happen sporadically unless/until he goes cold. But Huff, Burrell and maybe Sandoval will probably also bat there at times.
I’m going all BoSox tonight. I’ll add Gonzalez to my Big Papi pick. Two lefties and two Sox! Reminds me of the “All in the Family” episode where Meathead put on a sock and shoe to get dressed. Archie said you can’t do that, you have to put on “a sock and a sock.” Meathead said he like the “sock and a shoe” method. Archie said whatta about if a fire happened in the middle of you getting dressed, his way you’d have two socks on and you could get around. Meathead said something to the effect if it was snowing outside he could hop around on one foot and keep the other dry. It was fucking hilarious…
I remember that one. They were getting ready to go fishing
Does anyone think the all star games mean anything to the players?? I mean besides 1st timers. Would putting a limit on how many times you can be elected help. The player who this is his 10 or 15th time being there, I can see where the magic might not be happening.
You’re probably right but the players used to feel they owed it to the fans to at least make the show. I’m not so sure any more
Unfortunately, Selig is just going to have to mandate that if you’re elected you show, regardless of if you’re injured or not. Unsure of what road blocks the players association can put up. 25K fine if you blow it off. And before anyone says that’s chump change to these guy, believe me, their agents won’t let them engage in a PR blunder like that……..
and I found myself agreeing with Bobby Valentine again. Weird, either I’m getting dumber or he’s getting smarter. His idea to move the game to Wed and give everyone Mon off allows all of the Sunday starters to join the game and pitch an inning if needed…….
Val’ has a lot of smart ideas to agree with. It’s his personality that is so friggin’ disagreeable, not his intellect.
What would they do on Tues after the HR Derby on Monday? I wouldn’t mind some skills comp. Fastest from home to home. Double play turns. Stolen base attempts. etc…
break on Mon, HR Derby on Tues, Game on Wed
“Fastest from home to home.”
Unfair! — our guys do that so infrequently, they’d have to stop at 2B for directions.
I don’t listen to Country so maybe I’m lookin’ like a chump here, but I’ve got no clue who this band is……..
what are the chances that Berman has come up with a new HR call?
Same chance the Duchess of Cambridge would ever look bad in a black cocktail dress — zilch!
They had a contest over at MLB.com for the HR Derby. One tiebreaker was total HRs by all contestants in the first round. I went with 66. Total HRs for all rounds — 111. Guesses?
This is borderline unwatchable
Honestly, I think it would be better without Berman’s over-the-top *walk off* calls. Just go no HR call, just the players they got doing the *color*……..
I mean, come on. What is the point with having an HR call in a contest where they are a dime a dozen?
I think Berman is tired of his shtick. I met him back in ’98 at the pro bowl and he sounded tired of it all even then.
He said his biggest joy in sports was watching the Giants play baseball. We talked for quite a while.
I didn’t know he was a Giants fan.
Yeah. I figured him to be a big football fan, but he said he fell in love with Willie Mays as a kid, and that was his life long team. Talked about all those wonderfully bad 70s teams and the few glimpses of hope. . . .
Berman was of course on the field at the ‘Stick for “The Catch” game January 10, 1982. I was, too, albeit a few minutes later to grab my little piece of turf from the end zone where DC caught that fateful ball. I kept that grass alive for over 5 yrs in a little pot at home before it finally died. It had red on it from where it was spray painted with the Niners’ colors. A 15-year-old kid was never happier. Well, maybe if I could have gotten laid for the first time at that age. Nah, I think I’d still take the sod…
Borderline? The ONLY reason watching BP is cool is to get a stinkin’ ball. Not there in person?
ZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz……….
There was a time many years ago when I loved Berman. Now, I have to ask myself if I’m willing to put up with him.
Interesting to see who each guy chooses to throw to him.
If there was ever an event for ball babes, this is it. On the other hand the SF ball Dudes would be a hoot..
Impressed with Granderson. Articulate and empathetic towards people with less than him, and most important, putting his words into action. Plus, he is humble (referencing how he wouldn’t do well in the HR contest).
I made a similar comment about Granderson months ago. He’s very articulate, humble and an all around nice guy. He’s my favorite NON-Giant in baseball. I root for that guy in every sense of the word.
Dennis, I think what really makes Granderson special is the fact that he is able to recognize how fortunate he is, whereby he remains grounded and “conscious” insofar as being on a spiritual path. There are quite a few celebrities and sports figures that are able to “parlay” the fame and fortune they have received by doing good and being helpful. Granderson is one them (it would seem). In short, all of them should be celebrated equally for that reason, as well as what they do (e.g., movies, baseball, football, etc.).
Here’s the link again for the HR Derby series.Berman is a perfect example of a guy who has no clue as to the ambience of baseball.
http://tinyurl.com/5s5jr8d
“I root for that guy in every sense of the word.”
You dig a hole and bury your head in it?
And you know what “rooting” means to Australians…..
My favorite root? Horseradish, no question. Nothing beats some fine freshly shaved horseradish root on your prime rib and baked potato.
Chuck has it right. BP is about hoping a ball gets hit to you. Watching BP on TV is pretty boring.
If they were playing today, Mays would wear 2 gold earrings. McCovey: Dreadlocks
Gaylord Perry: Timmie haircut.
Uhh . . . not.
Berman had his little schticky-sound bite stuff from the 80’s and then that was it. It amazes me that he keeps this gig for so long……….
He is without question, the worst home run call of all time. He’s calling all the balls like they’re walk offs………
You’ve never heard Yanks announcer John Sterling?
it’s a fucking exhibition, have some fun with it. I’m telling you, just let Kruk and and another ex-player or two call them.
the whole “Goodbye!” thing works if it’s the 8th inning of a tie game or whatever. He’s doing something over-the-top on almost every call. He’s not a nuance guy…….
Both my Sox advance! Archie Bunker says, “take that, Meathead!”
As Archie would say: “Whoop dee doo….whoop dee doo…..(grin)
“Stifle yourself, you dingbat and fetch me a beer.” (grin)
goddamn, what I would give to hit a baseball like that just one time……….
Jesus H. Christ. That fat fuck Fielder is hitting the shit outta the ball. Bowling ball this, you fat fuck.
BLEEP!
Did Fielder lose weight? He seems to look in much better shape vs. last year. Dude is also hitting HRs like a human “pinball” machine . . . some nice moon shots.
totally agree. It’s a contract year though……….
did you catch when one of Berman’s *mooon shots* or *skyscraper* bs didn’t even leave the yard? LQTM…
Yeah. Berman has two speeds – loud and louder.
Is Sabean there? Other GMs?
No, he isn’t. Since the Giants spent their “wad” on the current roster, it’s my understanding that he is scouting the other All Star game at Triple A.
Wait, I meant Single A.
I’m skyping Katie right now so I’ve muted the Derby and it’s a million times better.
By the way, Heath Bell is entertaining as hell. I’d let him call the Derby…….
No way that guy leaves the pool.
I was in the pool. When I came out, there was shrinkage. Just ask George Costanza.
Face down in the muck.
Best reason to watch the HR derby would be if Kevin Gregg were pitching to Ortiz.
best HR contest since Hamilton’s show but this was better–his dad was throwing to him? Big Flavor picked him to win? HHey, let’s be real. These balls are all juiced. Maybe they’re a little smaller. Whatever. Every ball was going 440-475, that’s not altitude that’s Bud Selig trying to ignite some interest in the HR again. Hey, it worked……..
Well, how’s that gonna work out when the real pitchers start throwing the heavy balls against these guys? This exhibition is one of the few things I gladly miss to work.
These balls were all designed just for the hr contest. The gold balls have fucking gold in them. This was just a joke contest thing. But you know what? You missed a hell of a show
I would rather see Jenny Finch pitching to the heavy hitters. Wearing very short shorts. Finch, I mean.
wise guys are picking panda as the longshot MVP. I don’t see it. He’s going to be a rocket ship swinging out of his shoes. I’m happy to be wrong
GO PABLO!
I don’t know. the image of jenny finch in short shorts (and hopefully a tight top) is kind of wrecking the whole, mvp thing. jenny, mvp, jenny, mvp? Houston, we have a winner! I’ll be right back.
…….and I come in second for about the 14th time on one of these blog contests. Very clutch of Cano to need that many bombs and then deliver the goods. Dude has a helluva swing. I pay zilch attention to the American League and didn’t even know what Cano looked like before tonight. Used to always get him and Melkey Cabrera confused whenever someone would mention them. I got ’em straight now.
Dennis, I read yer comment about the Dwight Clark patch of grass, and I couldn’t stop laughing. After the 1994 championship game, the 1st thing I did was go to the north end zone, and rip out a square of red end zone grass. I kept it alive til about 1998. What a day that was.