When I was a boy baseball was the living end in my life. I loved it. I still do love it, but back then playing baseball, and watching major leaguers play baseball was equally exciting to me. Our family lived close to Anaheim stadium where the then California Angels played. Now days they're the Anaheim Angels. In 1967 the All Star Game was played there. A neighbor of ours had a ticket that he couldn't use, and so, luckily, he thought of me. I got to go to the game! There was only the one ticket so my folks dropped me off in time to not miss a minute of All Stars on the field having batting practice. Batting practice is always fun to watch but it was extra special with so many greats to watch all at once.

That All Star game went on for 15 innings. It was and still is the longest All Star game in history. Tony Perez hit a homerun in the top of the 15th. That ended up being the game winner when the American leaguers didn't score in the bottom of the 15th. That homerun was extra exciting because it landed a few feet from where I was sitting. Actually, I was standing up at the time, trying to catch the ball. I was in a front row bleacher seat mixed in with lots of the grownups. They’d been getting more and more drunk as the game progressed. They snapped to when that homerun came our way. I didn't have much of a chance at getting the ball with a bunch of rowdy drunks pushing and shoving and falling all over each other going after the ball, lol.

But there's another thing about that game that I began to wonder about in the past few years. There were a lot of great name ball players in that game; guys who were later inducted into The Hall of Fame. I wonder if there has ever been an All Star game played with more Hall of Fame names then that one turned out to have. Does anyone know if there is a record of how many players who played in any one individual All Star game, and then later made it to the Hall is kept? I wonder if what I'm guessing about that game is true or not. Either way this is a fun list of baseball greats to read if you're a baseball fan. All of these Hall of Fame baseball greats listed below played in that game. I might have messed up on a couple of them, but I don't think so.

Bill Mazeroski
Tony Perez
Orlando Cepeda
Tom Seaver
Rod Carew
Ferguson Jenkins
Catfish Hunter
Lou Brock
Juan Marichal
Brooks Robinson
Hank Aaron
Frank Robinson
Bob Gibson
Al Kaline
Willie Mays
Ernie Banks
Mickey Mantle
Roberto Clemente
Carl Yastremski
Don Drysdale
Harmon Killebrew

I am a BIG baseball fan and I love the All-Star game. I remember in 1996 when Ken Caminiti became the first San Diego Padre to hit a home run in an All-Star Game. I *think* he might have won the MVP for that game but I'm not too sure. He's no Hall of Famer, though. I liked to watch Tony Gwynn play in the All-Star games, too. In 1999, he was selected but couldn't play because of his knee. I remember watching him meet Ted Williams and that was a great moment. Other Padres who have done well in All-Star games are Randy Jones (in 1976{?}, he beat Mark Fidrych of the Detroit Tigers) and Lamarr Hoyt (named the MVP in the 1985 All-Star Game at the Metrodome). I would not consider either of them Hall of Famers but Jones is still a popular figure around here.
BTW, that is a big list of HOF's for one All-Star Game. My father remembers seeing some of those play in person.

Great story Kitt, man those names bring back some good memories. Brooks Robinson especialy my favorite player growing up.

That's a mighty impressive list. I wish I could have seen Mazeroski play. Was he as quick with the ball from his glove to his hand as I've heard?








ks

Originally posted by ks
That's a mighty impressive list. I wish I could have seen Mazeroski play. Was he as quick with the ball from his glove to his hand as I've heard?Much of Mazeroski's career was before my time. Or at least I didn't get to see much of him. He did have a heck of a good year in '67. He won the Gold Glove Award and played in 163 games. A record that still stands for 2nd baseman single season games played. But I didn't get to see a lot of his playing because they didn't televise games then as much as they do now. I lived in Southern California. Dodgers vs Giants games were always televised in that area. And our famiy went to quite a few of those games. We did go to at least one Pirates game at Dodger stadium. I don't recall Maz, but I do recall Clemente making a great throw to home plate. He was famous for his good arm.

I found this little story about Bill Mazeroski. This guy was sure impressed with him.

A Typical Maz Play
"No Hands" (or at least, it looked like it!)
by Barry Lauer (Macedonia, OH)

In the early/mid-'60s I was watching a Pirates/Reds game on TV from Crosley Field. The Reds' Gordy Coleman (not exactly a speed merchant) hit a grounder up the middle for a "sure" hit. Gene Alley, the Pirate shortstop, gloved the ball in short center field, back-flipped the ball to Billy Maz, who in one seemingly seamless movement, gloved, transferred the ball, pivoted, and threw to first base to beat Coleman - and it wasn't even close!

I remember KDKA replayed that play over and over again and it was like poetry to a young teenager who could only dream of performing such artistry. The Best? I've seen excellent second basemen in my 50-plus years but, oh yeah, Bill Mazeroski was THE BEST! Not even close. Congratulations, Billy Maz!

Originally posted by bandito
Great story Kitt, man those names bring back some good memories. Brooks Robinson especialy my favorite player growing up. I remember watching Brooks Robinson eat up balls at third base against the Dodgers in the '66 World Series. He was miraculous. I've seen him in interviews in the past few years. Great attitude! Good sense of humor. I had a baseball calender with beautiful photographs that I kept for years. Brooks Robinson was the cover photo, as well as one of the months.

Another memory I have from that All Star game was one of Willie Mays. Mays walked out of the dugout with a bat in his hand between innings preparing to bat first. The crowd rose to their feet and gave him a two minute standing ovation--just for being Willie Mays! I asked my folks when they picked me up after the game if they saw any of that. They didn't because it wasn't televised. One of the perks of getting to be there!

Thanks for posting that article, Kitt. From what I've read and from the little I've seen it's as if Maz was the best defensive player ever to claim second base. I wish I could have seen him play. Sounds amazing!









ks