The Chris Moeller Archives

The All-Star Game drought

Two weeks from today, I'll be attending the Major League Baseball All-Star Game in St. Louis. Tickets were indeed pricey, but I'm sure you have your vices, too. Besides, I expensed them to the blog.

Am I excited about seeing President Obama at the game? Of course, although security will be a nightmare, especially for those of us with radical affiliations. Am I excited that Obama's duties include throwing out the ceremonial first pitch? No, since it means Obama will be doing a job that should have been given to Cardinals great Stan Musial, who's been looking a bit frail in recent years. It remains to be seen now how Major League Baseball will instead choose to honor baseball's greatest living player, the man who played in more All-Star Games and hit more All-Star Game home runs than any other player. Maybe "Stash" could play the National Anthem on his harmonica. If the honor takes any other form, we can be sure that FOX will be in the middle of a commercial for a bankrupt car company when Stan Musial gets his long-awaited nationally-televised tribute from Major League Baseball.

It's been so long since St. Louis hosted the All-Star Game, I couldn't pass up going. The last time the city played host, in 1966, the starting pitchers were Sandy Koufax and Denny McLain. The now-89-year-old Musial had only been retired as a player for three years. Construction of the Arch had just completed less than nine months prior, and the monument would not be open to the public for still another year. If Cardinals fans have to wait the same length of time we just did for the next All-Star Game to be awarded to our team, I'll be 77 years old. And Stan the Man likely won't be there at all.

posted by CM @ 7:18 AM