2009 Major League Baseball All-Star Game

The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual baseball game between players from the National League and the American League, currently selected by a combination of fans, players, coaches, and managers.^[1] The All-Star Game usually occurs on the second Tuesday in July and marks the symbolic halfway point in the Major League Baseball (MLB) season (though not the mathematical halfway point; in most seasons, that actually takes place one week earlier). The game is usually played on a Tuesday, with no regular-season games scheduled on the day before or the day after. From 1959 to 1962, two All-Star Games were held each season, but this format was abandoned. Players usually wear their own team uniforms.

MLB All-Star Game results (1933–present)[link]

Venues[link]

The 2011 All-Star Game was played at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks; the 2012 All-Star Game will be played at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, home of the Kansas City Royals. It has been officially announced that the 2013 All-Star Game will be played at Citi Field in Queens, New York, home of the the New York Mets.

The venue for each All-Star Game is chosen by a MLB selection committee. The chosen venue may be based on the opening of a new field, a historical occasion, or to commemorate a significant year. The New York Mets successfully bid for the 2013 All-Star Game in their home ballpark, Citi Field, which was opened in 2009; the Mets have not hosted the All-Star Game since 1964, the longest drought in All-Star history. The Minnesota Twins are bidding for the 2014 game for Target Field.^[2] The Chicago Cubs are also bidding for the 2014 game for the centennial of Wrigley Field. The Miami Marlins and the Washington Nationals are bidding for the 2015 game.

The first All-Star Game was held as part of the 1933 World's Fair in Chicago, Illinois, at Comiskey Park and was the brainchild of Arch Ward, then sports editor for The Chicago Tribune.^[3] Initially intended to be a one-time event, its great success resulted in making the game an annual one. Ward's contribution was recognized by Major League Baseball in 1962 with the creation of the "Arch Ward Trophy", given to the All-Star Game's most valuable player each year.^[4]

The game's venue traditionally alternates between the two leagues every year. This tradition has been broken twice. The first time was in 1951, when the American League's Detroit Tigers hosted the annual game as part of the city's 250th birthday. It was broken again in 2007, when the National League's San Francisco Giants were the host for the 2007 All-Star Game. That scheduling set it up so the 2008 game would be held in the scheduled final season at the American League's Yankee Stadium (New York). As of 2009, an American League stadium is scheduled to host the all-star game in even-numbered years and a National League stadium in odd-numbered years.

The "home team" is the league in which the host franchise plays its games. The criteria for choosing the venue are subjective; for the most part, cities with new parks and cities who have not hosted the game in a long time — or ever — tend to get the nod. In the first two decades of the game, ballparks in Philadelphia and St. Louis were home to more than one team. This led to some shorter-than-usual gaps between the use of those two ballparks: Shibe Park (later known as Connie Mack Stadium) in Philadelphia and Sportsman's Park (the third ballpark with that name; later known as Busch Stadium, the first of three stadiums with that name) in St. Louis. In Philadelphia, the A.L.'s Athletics hosted the game in 1943, and the N.L.'s Phillies in 1952. In St. Louis, the National League's Cardinals hosted the game in 1940, and the American League's Browns in 1948.

To date, only two franchises have never hosted a game: the Miami Marlins (although scheduled to host the game in 2000, Major League Baseball moved the game to Atlanta), and the Tampa Bay Rays. The Washington Nationals franchise hosted the game when they were the Montreal Expos, and All-Star Games have been played in D.C., hosted by both incarnations of the Washington Senators (now the Minnesota Twins and the Texas Rangers).

Of the remaining 28 franchises, the New York Mets have gone the longest period without hosting since their sole hosting duty in 1964, but this streak will come to an end in 2013. The Dodgers will then become the team with the longest active hosting drought (1980). Seventeen teams—the Atlanta Braves (1972 and 2000), Chicago White Sox (1983 and 2003), Cincinnati Reds (1970 and 1988), Cleveland Indians (1981 and 1997), Detroit Tigers (1971 and 2005), Houston Astros (1968, 1986, and 2004), Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (1967, 1989, and 2010), Milwaukee Brewers (1975 and 2002), Minnesota Twins (1965 and 1985), New York Yankees (1977 and 2008), Philadelphia Phillies (1976 and 1996), Pittsburgh Pirates (1974, 1994, and 2006), San Diego Padres (1978 and 1992), San Francisco Giants (1984 and 2007), Seattle Mariners (1979 and 2001), and St. Louis Cardinals (1966 and 2009), and the Washington Senators/Texas Rangers (1969 and 1995)—have all hosted the All-Star Game at least twice. By July 10, 2012, that list will include the Kansas City Royals (1973 and 2012).

Following the All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium in 2008 (the stadium's final season), Yankee Stadium joined Cleveland's old Cleveland Stadium, also known as Municipal Stadium prior to its demolition, as the only stadiums to host four Major League Baseball All-Star Games.

Rosters[link]

Managers[link]

Selection of managers and coaches[link]

Normally the managers of the All-Star Game are the managers the previous year's league pennant winners. The coaching staff for each team is selected by its manager.

This honor is given to the manager, not the team, so it is possible that the All-Star manager could no longer be with the team with which he won. This happened in 2003, when Dusty Baker managed the National League team despite having moved from the National League champion San Francisco Giants to the Chicago Cubs. This has also included situations where the person is no longer actively managing a team. For the first All-Star Game, intended as a one-time event, Connie Mack and John McGraw were regarded as baseball's venerable managers, and were asked to lead the American and National League teams, respectively. McGraw came out of retirement for that purpose. Dick Williams resigned after managing the Oakland Athletics to the 1973 World Series. In 1974, he became manager of the California Angels, whose uniform he wore for the game.

In 1979, Bob Lemon managed the American League team after having been fired by New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner. Lemon led the Yankees to the 1981 World Series but did not make it to the '82 All-Star Game as manager after again being fired by Steinbrenner, so Billy Martin, skipper of the 1981 AL runner-up Oakland Athletics, led the All-Star squad.

There have been some exceptional cases where the usual rule was abandoned. After the 1964 season and the World Series, the managers, Johnny Keane of the St. Louis Cardinals and Yogi Berra of the New York Yankees, both left their teams and found new jobs in the other league—Keane was hired to manage the Yanks and Berra became a player-coach with the New York Mets. The Philadelphia Phillies and Cincinnati Reds had finished in a second-place tie in the NL; the Chicago White Sox had finished second in the AL. Cincinnati's manager, Fred Hutchinson, had died in the off-season, so Gene Mauch of the Phillies and Al Lopez of the White Sox were chosen to be the managers for the 1965 All-Star Game.

Because of the season-ending 1994-95 MLBPA strike, for 1995 the leagues chose the managers of the clubs with the best records at the time the season was abandoned, Buck Showalter of the New York Yankees and Felipe Alou of the Montreal Expos for the All-Star Game.

American League managers since 1996[link]

• Mike Hargrove, Cleveland Indians - 1996, 1998
• Joe Torre, N.Y. Yankees - 1997, 1999–2002, 2004
• Mike Scioscia, Anaheim Angels - 2003
• Terry Francona, Boston Red Sox - 2005, 2008
• Ozzie Guillén, Chicago White Sox - 2006
• Jim Leyland, Detroit Tigers - 2007
• Joe Maddon, Tampa Bay Rays - 2009
• Joe Girardi, New York Yankees - 2010
• Ron Washington, Texas Rangers - 2011-12

National League managers since 1996[link]

• Bobby Cox, Atlanta Braves - 1996–97, 2000
• Jim Leyland, Florida Marlins - 1998
• Bruce Bochy, San Diego Padres - 1999; San Francisco Giants - 2011
• Bobby Valentine, New York Mets - 2001
• Bob Brenly, Arizona Diamondbacks - 2002
• Dusty Baker, Chicago Cubs* - 2003
• Jack McKeon, Florida Marlins - 2004
• Tony La Russa, St. Louis Cardinals** - 2005, 2007
• Phil Garner, Houston Astros - 2006
• Clint Hurdle, Colorado Rockies - 2008
• Charlie Manuel, Philadelphia Phillies - 2009–10
• Tony La Russa, St. Louis Cardinals*** - 2012

*Baker won the 2002 N.L. pennant with the San Francisco Giants

**La Russa also was the American League manager from 1989-1991 while manager of the Oakland Athletics.

***MLB Commissioner Bud Selig named La Russa to manage the National League for the 2012 All-Star Game; La Russa will be the second manager in league history to manage an All-Star Game following retirement; Cardinals won the 2011 N.L. Pennant and World Series.

Selection of players[link]

Until 2009, each league's All-Star team consisted of 32 players. On July 1, 2009, MLB added a 33rd player to each league's team roster.

On April 28, 2010, MLB announced several rules changes for future All-Star Games, effective with the 2010 edition.^[5]

• Rosters were expanded by one extra position player, to a total of 34.
• The designated hitter will be used in all games, even in National League ballparks.
• Pitchers who start on the Sunday before the All-Star break will be replaced on the roster, but will still be recognized as All-Stars.
• Each manager may designate a position player who will be eligible for game re-entry if the last position player is injured. This is in addition to a rule that allows a player to re-enter to replace an injured catcher.

The players for each league's team are selected through the following process:

• Fan voting (8 NL players/9 AL players): Baseball fans vote on the starting position players for the All-Star Game, with ballots distributed at Major League Baseball games before mid-season and, more recently, on the Internet. The designated hitter for the AL team is also selected in this manner. This method has been recently criticized because most of the starting players can come from teams that have large fan bases, such as the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox.^[6]
• Player voting (16 players): Eight pitchers (five starters and three relievers) and one back-up player for each position are elected by the players, coaches, and managers.^[1] If the top vote-getter at a position has also been selected via fan voting, the second-place finisher in this category is selected.
• Manager selection (9 NL players/8 AL players): The manager of each league's All-Star team — in consultation with the other managers in his league and the Commissioner's Office — will fill his team's roster up to 33 players. The NL manager will also select his team's designated hitter.^[5] At this point, it is ensured that every team is represented by at least one player.
• Final vote (1 player): After the list of 33 players for each league is announced, fans vote (on the Internet) for one additional player, chosen from a list of 5 players that is compiled by the manager of each league's team and the Commissioner's Office.
• Replacements: After the roster is selected, the All-Star manager and the Commissioner's Office will replace players who are injured or who decline to participate, as well as pitchers who started on the Sunday before the game.

History of player selection methods[link]

Seven of the American League's 1937 All-Star players, from left to right Lou Gehrig, Joe Cronin, Bill Dickey, Joe DiMaggio, Charlie Gehringer, Jimmie Foxx, and Hank Greenberg. All seven would eventually be elected to the Hall of Fame.

From 1935 through 1946, the manager of each All-Star squad selected the entire team.

In 1947, fans were given the opportunity to vote on the eight starting position players. In 1957, fans of the Cincinnati Reds stuffed the ballot box (see below), and elected a Red to every position except first base. Commissioner Ford Frick stepped in and removed two Reds from the lineup. As a response to this unfairness, fan voting was discontinued. Players, coaches, and managers were given the sole authority to elect starting position players, for the next dozen years.

Between the lack of fan input and over-exposure due to the double All-Star Games during 1959-1962, interest in the game was thought to be waning. As part of the rise of the MLB Promotion Corporation's attempts to modernize marketing of baseball, fan balloting for the starting eight was restored for the 1970 game.

Sometime in the 1960s, the distinction between left-fielder, center-fielder, and right-fielder was dropped, and it was provided that the top 3 vote-getters in the outfield category would start regardless of position. Prior to that the situation included remarks like "If you had Clemente, you couldn't have Aaron," and so on.

Rico Carty was the first player ever selected to an All-Star team as a write-in candidate by fans, in 1970, the first year that voting was given back to the fans. Upon getting elected, he was quoted as saying "Thanks to the fans for making this possible, and thanks to Gillette for making this all necessary."^{[citation needed]}

Steve Garvey was the second player ever selected to an All-Star team as a write-in candidate by fans, in 1974. He was later the Most Valuable Player of that game as well as the National League MVP for that year.^[7]

Since 2002, the final roster selection has been made by the public via the All-Star Final Vote.^[8]

Until 2003, reserves and pitchers were chosen by the manager. Player voting was re-introduced in 2003 because the managers were criticized for picking players from their own team over more deserving players from other teams. This was particularly evident in 2002, when National League manager Bob Brenly selected his own catcher, Damian Miller, over the more deserving Paul Lo Duca; while American League manager Joe Torre selected his own third baseman, Robin Ventura, over the Oakland Athletics' Gold Glove and Silver Slugger-winning third baseman Eric Chavez.

Before the 2009 game, Major League Baseball announced that an additional pitcher would be added to each roster, bringing the total for each league to 33 players. The following year, MLB announced that an extra position player would be added to each roster for the 2010 game and beyond, bringing the total to 34 for each league.^[5]

One continuing controversy of the player selection process is the rule that each team has to have at least one representative on its league's All-Star roster. Opponents of the rule contend that the purpose of the game is to spotlight Major League Baseball's best players, and that some superior players are left off the roster in favor of possibly less deserving players from weaker teams. This argument is strengthened by the greater urgency of winning the game, due to the rule that the winning league attains home field advantage in the World Series. Supporters of the rule point out that this rule spreads interest in the game, and prevents large-market teams from totally dominating the squad.

A number of compromises have been suggested in the media, such as limiting the number of representatives a particular team could have, requiring only that a certain percentage of teams be represented, or expanding the size of the All-Star rosters to mitigate the issue.

If a team trades its lone All-Star before the game, its league's All-Star Game manager is not required to include another player from that team.^[9]

Stuffing the ballot box[link]

In 1957, fans of the Cincinnati Reds stuffed the ballot box and elected 7 Reds players to start in the All-Star Game: Johnny Temple (2B), Roy McMillan (SS), Don Hoak (3B), Ed Bailey (C), Frank Robinson (LF), Gus Bell (CF), and 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 a great offensive team, 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.^{[citation needed]}

Commissioner Ford Frick appointed Willie Mays of the New York Giants and Hank Aaron of the Milwaukee Braves to substitute for Reds players Gus Bell and Wally Post, and took fan voting rights away in future games. Managers, players, and coaches picked the entire team until 1969, when the vote for starters again returned to the fans. To guard against ballot stuffing, since 1969 until the start of internet voting, each team has been given the same number of ballots to hand out. In 1998, that number was roughly 400,000 ballots.

The 1988 Game was surrounded by tacit accusations against Oakland A's fans of stuffing the ballot box in favor of catcher Terry Steinbach, whose qualifications as a starter were questioned by some sportswriters.^[10][11][12] Steinbach wound up being named the game's Most Valuable Player.

Since the dawn of the internet age, online voting has again led to ballot stuffing. In 1999, Nomar Garciaparra gained over 14,000 votes due to an automated computer program.^[13] Major League Baseball assures that they have taken precautions to guard against this.^{[citation needed]}

Designated hitter[link]

In 1989, the DH was allowed in the All-Star Game for the first time. Until 2010, the designated hitter rule was applied based on the league in which the host team plays; it was used for games played in American League ballparks - in each such instance, both teams used a designated hitter - while in National League ballparks, lineups have scheduled the pitcher to hit, though pinch hitters have almost always been used. In 2010, Major League Baseball announced the designated hitter rule would apply for every All-Star Game; while the 2010 game was already to have the DH, the 2011 game was the first played in a National League park with a DH.^[5]

Individual notes[link]

Of the eighteen players who started the 1934 game, only one, Wally Berger, is not in the Hall of Fame. Brooks Robinson (1966) and Carl Yastrzemski (1970) are the only players to be named All-Star MVP while playing for the losing team. In 1983, Fred Lynn hit the first grand slam in an All-Star Game. In 1985, the American League started seven future Hall of Famers: Rickey Henderson (CF), George Brett (3B), Eddie Murray (1B), Cal Ripken (SS), Dave Winfield (RF), Jim Rice (LF), and Carlton Fisk (C). This is the most Hall of Famers ever in a starting lineup for an All-Star Game, not including Veterans Committee inductees. In 1991, Cal Ripken, Jr. became the only player to win the Home Run Derby, All Star Game MVP and American League MVP awards during the same season. In 2000, Derek Jeter became the first player to win All-Star Game and World Series MVP in the same year. In 2003, Garret Anderson won the Home Run Derby and was elected MVP for the All Star Game. In 2007, Ichiro Suzuki hit the first inside-the-park home run in an All-Star Game.

Most Valuable Player Award[link]

The Ted Williams Most Valuable Player Award is given to the most outstanding player in each year's game. Awarded each season since 1962, it was originally called the Arch Ward Memorial Award, after the man who first came up with the concept of the All-Star game. In 1970, the name was changed to the Commissioner's Trophy. In 1985, the name change was reversed (so that the World Series Trophy — first awarded in 1967 — could be renamed the Commissioner's Trophy). In 2002, the trophy was renamed The Ted Williams Most Valuable Player Award, in honor of former Boston Red Sox player Ted Williams, who had died earlier that year.

Uniforms[link]

Since the first All-Star Game, American League players have worn their respective team uniforms rather than wearing uniforms made specifically for the game, while National League players waited until the second game to do this. In the first All-star game, they wore uniforms made for the game with the lettering "NATIONAL LEAGUE" across the front of the shirt.^[14]

During the All-Star Games of the 70s and 80s, alternate jerseys were commonly worn by players from the Oakland Athletics, Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox. When the late 1980s and early 1990s approached, fewer alternates were worn for the games. They were back in use for the 1992 game by White Sox pitcher Jack McDowell and infielder Robin Ventura, and for the final time in the 1997 game by Seattle Mariners outfielder Ken Griffey Jr..^{[citation needed]}

Tie games; Rain delays; Home-field advantage in World Series[link]

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 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 (a Milwaukee native and former owner of the Brewers) declared the game to end after 11 innings, an eventual 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 champion of the league that won the All-Star Game, for 2003 to 2004.^[1] Since then, the agreement was extended twice, in 2005 and 2006, after which it was made permanent.^[15] Previously, home-field advantage in the World Series alternated between the two leagues each year. The American League took advantage of the new rule in each of its first seven years: between 2003 and 2009, the American League won four series and the National League won three. The National League champion benefited from this rule for the first time in 2010.

Even under the new rule, there is no guarantee that a repeat of the 2002 situation might not occur. To avoid future ties due to lack of eligible players, managers have been instructed to hold back, and have voluntarily held back, a few select position players and pitchers. This has resulted in some disappointment and controversy when those players are never actually used in the game. (example: Tim Wakefield in the 2009 All-Star Game)^[16] Such a catch-22 has resulted in calls to allow limited re-entry of players who have been replaced during the game (in addition to catchers, which is already allowed), thereby giving the freedom to use all the players on the roster without restricting teams into a situation where no players are available.^[17] Starting with the 2010 game, each league's manager is allowed to designate one position player who can re-enter the game to replace an injured player at any position; this is in addition to the existing rule covering catchers.^[5]

A tie game could also be deemed a "suspended game" in which case it would become a tie if no make-up date was scheduled. It would be extremely difficult to find such a make-up date: Major League Baseball would have to postpone one or more days of the regular season and/or schedule the make-up date on the travel day between the regular season and the Division Series. However, there is an offday for all teams the day after the All-Star Game. If necessary, the game could be finished in the morning or afternoon on Wednesday.

Winning streaks; Run totals; Longest games[link]

83 All-Star Games have been played (including two games per year from 1959-1962), with the National League winning 43, the American League 38, and 2 ties. The All-Star Game has seen several "eras" in which one league tended to dominate. From 1933 to 1949, the American League won 12 out of the first 16. The National League dominated from 1950 to 1987, winning 33 of 42 with 1 tie. This included a stretch from 1963 to 1982 when it won 19 of 20, including 11 in a row from 1972 to 1982. Since 1988 the American League has dominated, winning 18 of 23 with 1 tie, including a 13 game unbeaten streak (12-0-1) from 1997 to 2009. The National League ended their 13 year drought with a 3-1 victory in 2010 and won again most recently in 2011.

As of the 2011 All-Star Game, the cumulative run totals for all 82 games played was 685 — closely split between the leagues — with 341 runs for the American League and 344 for the National League.^[18]

The longest All-Star Game — in terms of innings — lasted 15 innings, which has occurred twice: 1967 and 2008. The longest game — in terms of time — was 2008, with a total time of 4 hours and 50 minutes.

Scheduling[link]

Since 1963, the All-Star Game has been played on a Tuesday in July every year except three: in 1969, the game was rained out and moved to Wednesday afternoon, July 23 (making it the last afternoon All-Star Game); in 1981, the game was moved to Sunday, August 9 because of a players' strike; and in 1983, the game was played on Wednesday night, July 6 at Chicago's Comiskey Park—50 years to the day after the first All-Star Game in the same location. The 1981 game is the only MLB All-Star Game to be played on a weekend.

The All-Star Game was played at night for the first time in 1942, at the Polo Grounds (New York City).

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.^[19]

In 1981, the All-Star Game was moved from July to August, for that year only. 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 August 9. Second-half regular-season play began the next afternoon with a game in Wrigley Field in Chicago.

Other events connected with the game[link]

Since 1985, the Home Run Derby, a contest among home run hitters, has been held on the day before the All-Star Game.

Since 1999, the All-Star Futures Game has been held during All-Star Week. The two teams, one consisting of young players from the United States and the other consisting of young players from all other nations, are usually chosen based on prospect status in the minor leagues.

Since 2001, the Taco Bell All-Star Legends and Celebrity Softball Game pits teams with a mixture of former stars from the host team's past, as well as celebrities from music, film, and television. This game is held the day before the Home Run Derby. (However it is tape-delayed and broadcast after the Derby)

Since 2002, the ESPY Awards ceremony has been conducted on the Wednesday in July following the MLB All-Star Game. Because none of the major North American professional leagues have games scheduled for that day — the National Basketball Association, National Football League, and National Hockey League are not in-season, and MLB does not have games that day — major sports figures are available to attend. The show used to air on the subsequent Sunday five days later, with the results announced on ESPN.com and thereafter across media outlets immediately after taping was complete. In 2010, the ESPY Awards were shown live for the first time.

See also[link]

• List of Major League Baseball All-Star Game broadcasters
• Major League Baseball All-Star Game records
• Triple-A All-Stars Who Have Played In The MLB All-Star Game

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Major League Baseball All-Star Game

• All-Star Games by Baseball Almanac : A Midsummer Classic Analysis
• Major League Baseball : Events : All-Star Game
• The Sporting News: History of the MLB All-Star Game
• 165 Home Runs in All-Star Game History
• Major League Baseball All-Star Games at Baseball Reference

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2012)

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An all-star game is an exhibition game played by the best players in their sports league, except in the circumstances of professional sports systems in which a democratic voting system is used. The players are often chosen by a popular vote of fans of the sport and the game often occurs at the halfway point of the regular season, although this is not the case for some all-star games (such as the Pro Bowl). The method of choosing teams varies, but the selection is usually based upon geographical situation of the clubs or the nationalities of the players involved.

All-star games are played as though they are regular games, but since they present a special showcase for skills, they hardly play out that way. Coaches try to get everyone into the game (while constrained by normal substitution rules), with the players not exerting themselves as they would in a regular season game (to minimize the risk of injury.) In hockey, for example, there is no serious checking, while in football no blitzing is allowed. An exception to this rule would be the Australian Rugby League State of Origin, where physicality at a level often leading to on-field scuffles is fairly common.

The term "all-star" is not generally used outside North America. Because of the promotion and relegation system prevalent in most countries, an all-star game would not be necessarily representative of the season's stars. Japan's J. League All-Star Soccer is one of the few such games. Moreover, all-star games are not often played in many sports (such as association football) that are popular outside North America because such sports play more games between individual nations, which are usually much more popular than all-star games would be. In the United Kingdom, all-star teams (both real and fantasy) are usually denoted with the Roman numeral corresponding to the number of players allowed on the field - for example, a soccer or cricket XI, a rugby league XIII and a rugby union XV.

Major League Baseball is usually recognized as organizing the first professional league all-star game when it was held as part of the 1933 World's Fair in Chicago. It was the brainchild of Arch Ward, then sports editor for The Chicago Tribune.^[1] Initially intended to be a one-time event, its great success resulted in making the game an annual one. Ward's contribution was recognized by Major League Baseball in 1962 with the creation of the "Arch Ward Trophy," given to the All-Star Game's most valuable player each year.^[2]

Professional all-star games[link]

• All Stars Game - National Rugby League - (Indigenous All Stars vs NRL All Stars)

Note: This annual game involves a publicly voted selection of the best club players from the league versus an Aboriginal team in honour of reconciliation.

• American Hockey League All-Star Game
• ECHL All-Star Game
• Major League Baseball All-Star Game (National League vs. American League)
• Honkbal Hoofdklasse All-Star Game (North All-Stars vs. South All-Stars)
• National Basketball Association All-Star Game (Eastern Conference vs. Western Conference)
• Philippine Basketball Association All-Star Game (South All-Stars vs. North All-Stars)
• J. League All-Star Soccer (J-WEST vs. J-EAST, generally)
• Korea Baseball Organization All-Star Game (Eastern vs Western)

• National Hockey League All-Star Game
  • The game has had a number of formats throughout its history.
    • The original format, used from 1947 through 1968 with two exceptions, saw the previous season's Stanley Cup champions take on an "All-Star" team made up of the First and Second NHL All-Star Teams plus other star players.
    • In 1951 and 1952, the competing teams were the First NHL All-Star Team, supplemented with stars from the league's American franchises, and the Second NHL All-Star Team, supplemented with stars from Canadian franchises.
    • Beginning in 1969 and continuing through 2009, with some exceptions, the format was geographic—most recently Eastern Conference vs. Western Conference.
    • For 1979 and 1987, a single team comprising the NHL's best players faced the Soviet national ice hockey team in a two-game series.
    • From 1998 through 2002, the teams were divided by player nationality, with a "North America" team made up of Canadians and Americans and a "World" team drawn from the rest of the world.
    • In 2006 and 2010, the league did not hold an all-star game, instead releasing its players to play ice hockey at the Olympic Games. The league held an all-star game in addition to releasing its players to the Olympics in 1998 and 2002.
    • The current format, first used in 2011, involves the selection of 42 players—six in fan voting, and the other 36 by the league. The selected players then choose two of these individuals as team captains. Two days before the game, a "fantasy draft" is held in which each captain takes turns in selecting his teammates.
• Pro Bowl - National Football League (American Football Conference vs. National Football Conference)

Note: In American football, the term "all-star game" refers to the American Football League All-Star game, last played in 1969; or the College All-Star Game, last played in 1976.

• Major League Lacrosse All-Star Game (Eastern Conference vs. Western Conference)
• Major League Soccer All-Star Game
  • The game has had several formats throughout its history:
    • Originally, the game pitted Eastern Conference and Western Conference all-star teams. This format was used for all games save one from 1996 through 2001, and also in 2004.
    • The 1998 game pitted an "MLS USA" team, consisting entirely of Americans, against an "MLS World" team drawn from all other nationalities.
    • The 2002 game matched an MLS all-star team against the US national team.
    • The 2003 game was the first in which an MLS all-star team played a visiting foreign club team. This format has been used ever since, with the exception of 2004.
• NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race (Race winners from previous and current season, as well as Sprint Cup champions and All-Star Race winners from the previous 10 seasons)
• National Lacrosse League All-Star Game (East Division vs. West Division)
• Major Indoor Soccer League All-Star Game (Format varies)
• WNBA All-Star Game (usually Eastern Conference vs. Western Conference)
  • In 2004 and 2010, the East-West format was not followed; instead, the USA national team faced a team of WNBA all-stars. These games are not considered official All-Star Games by the league.
  • In 2008, no All-Star Game was played; the league took a break for the 2008 Summer Olympics.
• Women's Professional Soccer All-Star Game
  • With the league only having been inaugurated in 2009, no format for the game has yet been established.
    • The first game in 2009, which took place after the season, employed a format similar to that of recent MLS All-Star Games, with a team of WPS all-stars taking on a visiting foreign club team (specifically Umeå IK of Sweden).
    • The 2010 edition took place at midseason. Of the 36 players, 22 were selected through a voting process, and the other 14 were selected by the league. The top vote-getters among U.S. and international players, respectively Abby Wambach and Marta, were named captains. They picked their first 10 teammates from the remaining 20 All-Stars selected through the voting process, with the league then filling out each roster.
    • No All-Star Game was held in 2011 because the season ran up against the Women's World Cup.
• Triple-A All-Star Game (Baseball; International League vs. Pacific Coast League)
• AIFA Kickoff Classic (American Indoor Football Association All-Stars vs. expansion team)

Former events

• Marlboro Challenge (1987–1992, CART series winners from the current and previous seasons)
• Canadian Football League All Star Game (East Division Vs. West Division) (?1982, 1988?)

College all-star games[link]

College football

• Aztec Bowl, features an all-star Mexican team and, currently, an NCAA Division III all-star team
• Blue-Gray Football Classic (defunct)
• Casino del Sol College All-Star Game (originally the Eastham Energy All-Star Game)
• College All-Star Game (defunct), featured the defending NFL champions and an all-star team of recent college graduates
• East-West Shrine Game
• Hula Bowl (defunct)
• Mahi Shrine North–South College All-Star Classic (defunct)
• Magnolia Gridiron All-Star Classic (defunct)
• NFLPA Game – This game matches a team of individuals who played either college or high school football in Texas against an all-star team with ties to the rest of the U.S., a format reflected in the game's original name—the "Texas vs. The Nation Game".
• North–South All-American Game (defunct)
• North–South All-Star Classic (defunct)
• Senior Bowl

Other college sports

• North-South Senior All-Star Game, the NCAA men's lacrosse all-star games
• NCAA vs UAAP, All Star Collegiate Basketball between the top two college leagues in the Philippines

High school all-star games[link]

High school basketball

• McDonald's All-American — featuring the most highly recruited high school players from across the nation.
• Jordan Brand All-American - similar game among blue chip athletes

High school football

• U.S. Army All-American Bowl
• Under Armour All-America Game
• Offense-Defense All-American Bowl

• NUC All-World Gridiron Classic
• Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Classic (Alabama vs. Mississippi)
• Big 33 Football Classic (Pennsylvania vs. Ohio)
• Bayou Bowl (Houston metropolitan area, Texas vs. Louisiana)
• Don Raabe Big 30 Charities Classic (Southern Tier, New York vs. Northern Tier, Pennsylvania)
• Lions Club All-Star High School Football Classic (Erie County, New York vs. Niagara County, New York)
• Maryland Crab Bowl (Washington, DC vs. Baltimore, Maryland)
• Oil Bowl (Texas vs. Oklahoma)
• North-South Game of the Carolinas (North Carolina vs. South Carolina)

High school lacrosse

• Under Armour All-American Lacrosse Game

Other[link]

Australian rules football[link]

• E. J. Whitten Legends Game (Victoria vs. All Stars, a team representing the rest of Australia—annual)
• AFL Hall of Fame Tribute Match (Victoria vs. Dream Team—only edition in 2008)

References[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: All-star games

Major League Baseball

Current season or competition: 2012 Major League Baseball season
250px
Sport	Baseball
Founded	1869
Commissioner	Bud Selig[1]
No. of teams	30[2]
Country(ies)	United States (29 teams) Canada (1 team)
Continent	North America
Most recent champion(s)	St. Louis Cardinals (11th title)
Most titles	New York Yankees (27 titles)[3]
TV partner(s)	Fox TBS ESPN MLB Network
Official website	MLB.com

The headquarters of Major League Baseball at 245 Park Avenue, Midtown Manhattan, New York City, USA.^[4]

Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league, consisting of teams that play in the American League and the National League. The two leagues merged in 2000 into a single organization led by the Commissioner of Baseball, after 100 years as separate legal entities.^[5]

MLB constitutes one of the major professional sports leagues of the United States and Canada. It is composed of 30 teams — 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. With the International Baseball Federation, MLB also manages the World Baseball Classic. With an average attendance of 30,352 people per game, Major League Baseball has the fifth highest average attendance of any sports league behind the NFL, Bundesliga, AFL, and Premier League.

Organizational structure[link]

MLB is governed by the Major League Baseball Constitution that has undergone several incarnations since 1875 with the most recent revisions being made in 2012. Under the direction of the Commissioner of Baseball (currently Bud Selig), Major League Baseball hires and maintains the sport's umpiring crews, and negotiates marketing, labor, and television contracts.

Major League Baseball maintains a unique, controlling relationship over the sport, including most aspects of minor league baseball. This is due in large part to a 1922 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Federal Baseball Club v. National League, which held that baseball is not interstate commerce and therefore not subject to federal antitrust law. This ruling has been weakened only slightly in subsequent years.^[6][7]

Although there were several challenges to Major League Baseball's primacy in the sport between the 1870s and the Federal League in 1916, the last such challenge was the aborted Continental League in 1960.

Executives[link]

The chief executive of MLB is the commissioner. There are six executive vice-presidents in charge of the following areas: baseball development, business, labor relations and human resources, finance, administration (whose vice-president is MLB's Chief Information Officer), and baseball operations.^[8]

Multimedia and production[link]

The multimedia branch of MLB is Manhattan–based MLB Advanced Media, which oversees MLB.com and each of the thirty teams' websites. Its charter states that MLB Advanced Media holds editorial independence from the League, but it is under the same ownership group and revenue-sharing plan. MLB Productions is a similarly structured wing of the league, focusing on video and traditional broadcast media.

MLB also owns 67% of MLB Network, with the other 33% split between several cable operators and satellite provider DirecTV. It operates out of studios in Secaucus, New Jersey, and also has editorial independence from the League.

League organization[link]

As of the 2012 season, Major League Baseball is divided into the American League (14 teams) and the National League (16 teams).

Currently, each league is further subdivided into three divisions – labeled East, Central, and West. The three-division structure dates back to 1994, the first season after the National League expanded to 14 teams. From 1969 through 1993, each league consisted of an East and West division. Through 1996, the two leagues met on the field only during the World Series and the All-Star Game: in 1997, regular-season interleague play was introduced.

In March 1995, two new franchises—the Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay Devil Rays—were awarded by Major League Baseball, to begin play in 1998. This addition would bring the total number of franchises to 30. In early 1997, Major League Baseball decided to assign one new team to each league: Tampa Bay joined the American League and Arizona joined the National League. The original plan was to have an odd number of teams in each league (15 per league, with 5 in each division). MLB also planned to introduce interleague play in 1997, but—with each league having an odd number of teams—interleague play would have had to be used throughout the entire season, to allow every team to play every day. It was unclear, though, if interleague play would continue after the 1998 season, as it had to be approved by the players' union. For this and other reasons, it was decided that both leagues should continue to have an even number of teams; one existing club would have to switch leagues. The Milwaukee Brewers agreed in November 1997 to move from the American League to the National League, thereby making the National League a 16-team league.^[9]

Following the 2011 season, Major League Baseball announced its plan to move the Houston Astros from the NL Central to the AL West for the 2013 season, resulting in both leagues having 3 divisions of 5 teams each and allowing all teams to have a more balanced schedule. (MLB required the Astros to accept this move as a condition of approving their sale to Jim Crane.) Because each league will have an odd number of teams, interleague play will occur throughout the season, so that every team will be able to play every day.^[10]

The two leagues were once separate, rival corporate entities, but that distinction has all but disappeared. In 1903, the two leagues began to meet in an end-of-year championship series called the World Series. In 1920, the weak National Commission, which had been created to manage relationships between the two leagues, was replaced with the much more powerful Commissioner of Baseball, who had the power to make decisions for all of professional baseball unilaterally. In 2000, the American and National Leagues were dissolved as legal entities, and Major League Baseball became a single, overall "league" de jure (albeit with two components called "leagues"), although it had operated as a de facto single entity for many years.

The same rules and regulations are used in both leagues, with one exception: the American League operates under the Designated Hitter Rule, while the National League does not. This difference in rules between leagues is unique to MLB; the other sports leagues of the US and Canada have one set of rules for all teams.

History[link]

Differing definitions of Major League Baseball's founding year[link]

For professional baseball's founding year, Major League Baseball (professional baseball's current official organization) uses 1869—the year the first professional team,^[11] the Cincinnati Red Stockings, was established—and held official celebrations for professional baseball's 100th anniversary in 1969^[12] and its 125th anniversary in 1994, both of which were commemorated with league-wide shoulder patches. The modern Chicago Cubs and Atlanta Braves franchises trace their histories back to the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players in the early 1870s. The first game in the National League of Professional Baseball Clubs—on Saturday, April 22, 1876 (at the Jefferson Street Grounds, Philadelphia)—is often pointed to as the beginning of Major League Baseball.^[13][14]

Founding[link]

The first attempt at a national major league was the short-lived National Association, which existed from 1871 to 1875. Two current major league franchises, the Atlanta Braves and the Chicago Cubs, can trace their origins to the National Association.

Currently, there are two major leagues: the National League (founded in 1876) and the American League (founded in 1901).

Other leagues[link]

Several other defunct leagues are officially considered to be major, and their statistics and records are included with those of the two current major leagues. These include the Union Association (1884), the American Association (1882–1891, not to be confused with later minor leagues of the same name), the Players League (1890) and the Federal League (1914–1915). In the late 1950s, a serious attempt was made to establish a third major league, the Continental League, but that league never played.

Rise[link]

In the 1860s, aided by the Civil War, "New York"-style baseball expanded into a national game and spawned baseball's first governing body, The National Association of Base Ball Players, was formed. The NABBP existed as an amateur league for twelve years. By 1867, more than 400 clubs were members, although most of the strongest clubs remained those based in the northeastern part of the country.

In 1870, a schism developed between professional and amateur ballplayers, after the 1869 founding of the first professional baseball team, the Cincinnati Red Stockings. The NABBP split into two groups. The National Association of Professional Base Ball Players was formed in 1871.^[15] Some consider it to have been the first major league.^{[by whom?]} Its amateur counterpart disappeared after only a few years.

In 1876, the National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs—which still exists—was established, after the National Association proved ineffective. The emphasis was now on "clubs" rather than "players". Clubs could now enforce player contracts, preventing players from jumping to higher-paying clubs. For their part, clubs were required to play the full schedule of games, instead of forfeiting scheduled games when the club was no longer in the running for the league championship, which happened frequently under the National Association. A concerted effort was made to curb gambling on games which was leaving the validity of results in doubt.

The early years of the National League were tumultuous, with threats from rival leagues and a rebellion by players against the hated "reserve clause", which restricted the free movement of players between clubs. Competitive leagues formed regularly and also disbanded regularly. The most successful was the American Association (1881–1891), sometimes called the "beer and whiskey league" for its tolerance of the sale of alcoholic beverages to spectators. For several years, the National League and American Association champions met in a postseason championship series—the first attempt at a World Series.

The Union Association survived for only one season (1884), as did the Players League (1890).^[16][17] Both leagues are considered major leagues by many baseball researchers because of the perceived high caliber of play (for a brief time anyway) and the number of star players featured. However, some researchers have disputed the major-league status of the Union Association, pointing out that franchises came and went and contending that the St. Louis club, which was deliberately "stacked" by the league's president (who owned that club), was the only club that was anywhere close to major-league caliber.^[18]

National League Baltimore Orioles, 1896

There were dozens of leagues, large and small, at this time. What made the National League "major" was its dominant position in the major cities, particularly New York City. The larger cities offered baseball teams national media distribution systems and fan bases that could generate more robust revenues, enabling teams to hire the best players in the country.

The resulting bidding war for players led to widespread contract-breaking and legal disputes. One of the most famous involved star second baseman Napoleon Lajoie, who in 1901 went across town in Philadelphia from the National League Phillies to the American League Athletics. Barred by a court injunction from playing baseball in the state of Pennsylvania the following year, Lajoie was traded to the Cleveland team, where he played and managed for many years.^[19]

The war between the American and National leagues caused shock waves throughout the baseball world. At a meeting at the Leland Hotel in Chicago in 1901, the other baseball leagues negotiated a plan to maintain their independence. On September 5, 1901, Patrick T. Powers, president of the Eastern League, announced the formation of the second National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, the NAPBL or "NA" for short.^[20]

Ban Johnson had other designs for the NA. While the NA continues to this day (known as "Minor League Baseball"), he saw it as a tool to end threats from smaller rivals who might some day want to expand in other territories and threaten his league's dominance.

After 1902, the three leagues—the NL, the AL, and the NAPBL—signed a new National Agreement. The new agreement tied independent contracts to the reserve-clause national league contracts. Baseball players became a commodity. The agreement also set up a formal classification system for independent minor leagues that regulated the dollar value of contracts, the forerunner of the system refined by Branch Rickey that is still used today.^[21]

It also gave the NA great power. Many independents walked away from the 1901 meeting. The deal with the NA punished those other indies who had not joined the NA and submitted to the will of the 'majors.' The NA also agreed to the deal to prevent more pilfering of players with little or no compensation for the players' development. Several leagues, seeing the writing on the wall, eventually joined the NA, which grew in size over the next several years.

Dead-ball era[link]

Cy Young, 1911 baseball card

At this time the games tended to be low scoring, dominated by such pitchers as Walter Johnson, Cy Young, Christy Mathewson, Mordecai Brown, and Grover Cleveland Alexander, to the extent that the period 1900–1919 is commonly called the "dead-ball era". The term also accurately describes the condition of the "baseball". A baseball cost three dollars, a hefty sum then, equal to $40.21 today (in inflation-adjusted US dollars). Club owners were therefore reluctant to spend much money on new balls, if not necessary. It was not unusual for a single baseball to last an entire game, by the end of which, the ball would be dark with grass, mud, and tobacco stains, and misshapen from contact with the bat. Balls were replaced only if they were hit into the crowd and lost, and many clubs employed security guards solely to retrieve balls hit into the stands.

Home runs were thus rare, and "small ball"—singles, bunts, stolen bases, the hit-and-run play, and other tactics—dominated the strategies of the time.^[22] Hitting methods, like the Baltimore Chop, were used to increase the number of infield singles.^[23]

The foul strike rule was a major rule change that, in just a few years, sent baseball from a high-scoring game to one where scoring runs became a struggle. Prior to this rule, foul balls were not counted as strikes: a batter could foul off any number of pitches with no strikes counted against him; this gave an enormous advantage to the batter. In 1901, the National League adopted the foul strike rule, and the American League followed suit in 1903.

World War II era[link]

On January 14, 1942, Major League Baseball Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis wrote a letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt regarding the continuation of baseball during the war, called the Green Light Letter. In this letter, the commissioner pleaded for the continuation of baseball in hopes for a start of a new major league season. President Roosevelt responds "I honestly feel that it would be best for the country to keep baseball going. There will be fewer people unemployed and everybody will work longer hours and harder than ever before. And that means that they ought to have a chance for recreation and for taking their minds off their work even more than before."^[24]

With the approval of President Roosevelt, Major League Baseball began its spring training in 1942 with little repercussions. Although some men were being pulled away from the baseball fields and sent to the battlefield, baseball continued to field teams.

Breaking the color barrier[link]

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

Jackie Robinson's number 42 was retired by the Major League Baseball in 1997.

In the mid-1940s, Branch Rickey, president and general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, selected player Jackie Robinson from a list of promising Negro leagues players. After obtaining a commitment from Robinson to "turn the other cheek" to any racial antagonism directed at him, Rickey agreed to sign him to a contract for $600 a month. In what was later referred to as "The Noble Experiment", Robinson was the first black baseball player in the International League since the 1880s, joining the Dodgers' farm club, the Montreal Royals, for the 1946 season.

The following year, the Dodgers called Robinson up to the major leagues. On April 15, 1947, Robinson made his major league debut at Ebbets Field before a crowd of 26,623 spectators, including more than 14,000 black patrons. Black baseball fans began flocking to see the Dodgers when they came to town, abandoning their Negro league teams which they had followed exclusively. Robinson's promotion met a generally positive, although mixed, reception among newspapers and white major league players. Manager Leo Durocher informed his team, "I do not care if the guy is yellow or black... I'm the manager of this team, and I say he plays. What's more, I say he can make us all rich. And if any of you cannot use the money, I will see that you are all traded." After a strike threat by some players, National League President Ford Frick and Baseball Commissioner Happy Chandler let it be known that any striking players would be suspended. Robinson received significant encouragement from several major league players, including Dodgers teammate Pee Wee Reese who said, "You can hate a man for many reasons. Color is not one of them."

That year, Robinson earned the inaugural Major League Baseball Rookie of the Year Award (separate National League and American League rookie of the year honors weren't awarded until 1949).[128]

Less than three months later, Larry Doby became the first African-American to break the color barrier in the American League with the Cleveland Indians. He too faced the same type of discrimination as Robinson and went on to a Hall of Fame career. The next year, a number of other black players entered the major leagues. Satchel Paige was signed by the Indians and the Dodgers added three other black players besides Robinson.

Expanding west, south and north[link]

Dodger Stadium in 2007

For half a century, from 1903 to 1953, the two major leagues consisted of two eight-team leagues. The 16 teams were located in just ten cities, all in the northeastern and midwestern United States: New York City had three teams and Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia and St. Louis each had two teams. St. Louis was the southernmost and westernmost city with a major league team. The longest possible road trip, from Boston to St. Louis, took about 24 hours by railroad. The era of expansion and realignment began in 1953 when the National League's Boston Braves became the Milwaukee Braves. In 1954, the St. Louis Browns became the Baltimore Orioles. In 1955, the Philadelphia Athletics became the Kansas City Athletics. These were three of the least successful major league franchises, even though the Braves were usually an above-.500 team, and they and the Browns had each won a league championship during the 1940s. These three moves were not controversial. The next pair of franchise moves is still controversial.

Baseball experts consider the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers' boss Walter O'Malley to be "perhaps the most influential owner of baseball's early expansion era."^[25] Before the 1958 Major League Baseball season, he moved the Brooklyn Dodgers to Los Angeles.^[26] When O'Malley moved the Dodgers from Brooklyn, the story transcended the world of sport and he found himself on the cover of TIME magazine.^[27] The cover art for the issue was created by sports cartoonist Willard Mullin,^[28] long noted for his caricature of the "Brooklyn Bum" that personified the team. O'Malley was also influential in persuading the rival New York Giants to move west, to become the San Francisco Giants. The Giants were already suffering from slumping attendance records at their aging ballpark, the Polo Grounds. Had the Dodgers moved out west alone, the St. Louis Cardinals—1,600 mi (2,575 km) away—^[29][30] would have been the closest National League team. The joint move would make West Coast road trips economical for visiting teams.^[31] O'Malley invited San Francisco Mayor George Christopher to New York to meet with Giants owner Horace Stoneham.^[31] Stoneham was considering moving the Giants to Minnesota,^[32] but he was convinced to join O'Malley on the West Coast at the end of the 1957 campaign. The meetings occurred during the 1957 season and against the wishes of Commissioner of Baseball Ford Frick.^[33] The dual moves broke the hearts of New York's National League fans but ultimately were successful for both franchises—and for Major League Baseball.^[26] The move was an immediate success as well, because the Dodgers set a major-league, single-game attendance record in their first home appearance with 78,672 fans.^[31]

In 1961, the "first" Washington Senators franchise moved to Minneapolis–St. Paul to become the Minnesota Twins. Two new teams were added to the American League at the same time: the Los Angeles Angels (who soon moved from downtown L.A. to nearby Anaheim) and a new "second" Washington Senators franchise. The National League followed suit by adding the Houston Astros and the New York Mets in 1962. The Astros (known as the "Colt .45s" during their first three seasons) became the first southern major league franchise since the Louisville Colonels folded in 1899. The Mets established a reputation for futility by going 40–120 during their first season of play in the nation's media capital—and by playing only a little better in subsequent campaigns—but in their eighth season (1969) the Mets became the first of the 1960s expansion teams to win a World Series.

Front cover

Inside

5th Annual Major League Baseball hosted at the Emerald Room, Shamrock Hilton Hotel. Front cover features 7 photographs of baseball players: Tim Carver, Dean Chance, Bob Aspromonte, Johnny Keane, Tom Gorman, Ken Boyer, and Chuck Harrison (1-19-1965, Houston, Texas)

In 1966, Major League Baseball moved to the "Deep South" when the Braves moved to Atlanta. In 1968, the Kansas City Athletics moved west to become the Oakland Athletics.

In 1969, the two major leagues added two teams each. The American League added the Seattle Pilots (who became the Milwaukee Brewers after one disastrous season in Seattle) and the Kansas City Royals. The National League added the first Canadian franchise, the Montreal Expos, as well as the San Diego Padres.

In 1972, the second Washington Senators moved to the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex to become the Texas Rangers. In 1977, baseball added a second Canadian team, the Toronto Blue Jays, as well as the Seattle Mariners. This marked the end of the expansion era: no new teams were added and no teams moved until the 1990s. In 1993, the National League added the Florida Marlins in the Miami area (now the Miami Marlins with their 2012 move to the city of Miami proper) and the Colorado Rockies in Denver. In 1998, the Brewers switched leagues by joining the National League and two new teams were added: the National League's Arizona Diamondbacks in Phoenix and the American League's Tampa Bay Devil Rays (now Tampa Bay Rays) in St. Petersburg, Florida.

After the 2001 season, the team owners voted in favor of contraction. The Montreal Expos and the Minnesota Twins were expected to be the two teams which would cease to exist. Due to lawsuits from various parties, this plan was first delayed and finally abandoned in June 2002. The Twins ironically finished in first place in 2002.

The Expos became the first franchise in over three decades to move when they became the Washington Nationals in 2005. This move left Canada with just one team, but it also returned baseball to the United States capital city after a 33-year absence. This franchise shift, like many previous ones, involved baseball's return to a city which had been previously abandoned. Although there are a number of cities which permanently lost major league baseball in the 19th century, since 1901 only Montreal has lost its major league team without eventually getting another one. (This is not counting the short-lived Federal League. However, the two established leagues have only passed over two Federal League markets—Buffalo and Indianapolis.)

Pitching dominance and rule changes[link]

Graph showing, by year, the average number of runs per MLB game

By the late 1960s, the balance between pitching and hitting had swung in favor of the pitchers. In 1968—later nicknamed "the year of the pitcher"^[34]—Boston Red Sox player Carl Yastrzemski won the American League batting title with an average of just .301, the lowest in history of Major League Baseball.^[35] Detroit Tigers pitcher Denny McLain won 31 games, making him the first (and, as of 2011, the last) pitcher to win 30 games in a season since Dizzy Dean in 1934.^[36] St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Bob Gibson achieved an equally remarkable feat by allowing an ERA of just 1.12.^[37]

Following these pitching performances, in December 1968 the rules committee voted to reduce the strike zone from knees to shoulders to top of knees to armpits and lower the pitcher's mound from 15 to 10 inches, beginning in the 1969 season.^[38]

In 1973 the American League, which had been suffering from much lower attendance than the National League, sought to increase scoring even further by initiating the designated hitter (DH) rule.^[39]

Power age[link]

Routinely in the late 1990s and early 2000s, baseball players hit 40 or 50 home runs in a season, a feat that was considered rare even in the 1980s. It has become apparent since that at least some of this power surge was a result of players using steroids and other performance enhancing drugs. Many modern baseball theorists believe that the need of pitchers to combat the rise in power could lead to a pitching revolution at some point. New pitches, such as the mysterious^[40] gyroball, could shift the balance of power back to the defensive side. A pitching revolution would not be unprecedented; several pitches have changed the game of baseball, including the slider in the '50s and '60s and the split-fingered fastball in the '70s to '90s. Since the 1990s, the changeup has made a resurgence, being thrown masterfully by pitchers such as Trevor Hoffman, Greg Maddux, Jamie Moyer, Tom Glavine, Johan Santana, Pedro Martinez and Tim Lincecum. Recently, pitchers such as Lincecum, Jonathan Sanchez, and Ubaldo Jimenez have been throwing changeups with a split-finger grip, creating a dropping movement, dubbed the "split change."^[41][42][43]

Uniforms[link]

A baseball team and its uniforms in the 1870s.

A baseball uniform is a type of uniform worn by baseball players, and by some non-playing personnel, such as field managers and coaches. It is worn to indicate the person's role in the game and — through the use of logos, colors, and numbers — to identify the teams and their players, managers, and coaches.^[44]

The New York Knickerbockers were the first baseball team to use uniforms, taking the field on April 4, 1849, in pants made of blue wool, white flannel shirts (jerseys) and straw hats.^[45][46][47] The practice of wearing a uniform soon spread, and by 1900, all major league teams had adopted them. By 1882, most uniforms included stockings, which covered the leg from foot to knee, and had different colors that reflected the different baseball positions.^[48] In the late 1880s, the Detroit Wolverines and Washington Nationals of the National League and the Brooklyn Bridegrooms of the American Association were the first to wear striped uniforms.^[49]

Caps, or other types of headgear with eyeshades, have been a part of baseball uniforms from the beginning.^[50][51] Baseball teams often wore full-brimmed straw hats or no cap at all since there was no official rule regarding headgear.^[52] Completing the baseball uniform are cleats and stockings, both of which have also been around for a long time.

By the end of the 19th century, teams began the practice of having two different uniforms, one for when they played at home in their own baseball stadium and a different one for when they played away (on the road) at the other team's ballpark. It became common to wear white pants with a white color vest at home and gray pants with a gray or solid (dark) colored vest when away. Most teams also have one or more alternate uniforms, usually consisting of the primary or secondary team color on the vest instead of the usual white or gray. Teams on occasion will also wear throwback uniforms.

Traditionally, home uniforms display the team name on the front, while away uniforms display the team's placename. In modern times, however, exceptions to this pattern have become common, with teams using their team name on both uniforms.

Season structure[link]

Spring training[link]

A Grapefruit League game at the former LA Dodgers camp in Vero Beach, Florida

Spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to audition for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play. Spring training has always attracted fan attention, drawing crowds who travel to the warmer climates to enjoy the weather and watch their favorite teams play, and spring training usually coincides with spring break for many college students. Autograph seekers also find greater access to players during Spring Training.

Spring training typically lasts almost two months, starting in mid February and running until just before the season opening day (and often right at the end of spring training, some teams will play spring training games on the same day other teams have opening day of the season), traditionally the first week of April. Pitchers and catchers report to spring training first because pitchers benefit from a longer training period due to the exhaustive nature of the position. A week or two later, the position players arrive and team practice begins.

Regular season[link]

The current MLB regular season consists of 162 games per team, which typically begins on the first Sunday in April and ends on the first Sunday in October. Each team's schedule is organized typically into 3-game series, with occasional 2- or 4-game series, and the rare 5-game series. Postponed games or continuations of suspended games can result in an ad hoc 1-game or 5-game series. A team's series are organized into homestands and road trips that group multiple series together. Teams generally play games six days per week, commonly having Monday or Thursday as an off day. Frequently, games are scheduled at night, but during the vacation months of June, July, and August, more day games are played. Sunday games are generally played during the afternoon, allowing teams to travel to their next destination prior to a Monday night game.

In one weekend in mid-May and in the last two thirds of June, teams participate in interleague play, allowing fans to see infrequent team matchups between teams in different leagues. From 2013, because of a re-alignment of the teams in each league, there will be at least one interleague game every day. Use of the DH rule is determined by the home team's league rules.

Over the course of a season, teams compete for one of the four playoff berths in their league. They can win one of these berths by either winning their division, or by capturing a wild card spot. In many seasons, post-season teams are not determined until the very end of the season, while in other years, a post-season team can be decided as early as August.^{[citation needed]}

Infrequently, after the conclusion of the 162-game season, an additional tie-breaking game (or games) may be needed to determine postseason participation.

All-Star Game[link]

President John F. Kennedy throwing out the first pitch at the 1962 All-Star Game at DC Stadium.

In early July — just after the midway point of the season — a three-day break is taken and the Major League Baseball All-Star Game is held. The All-Star game features a team of players from the National League (NL) — led by the manager of the previous NL World Series team — and a team of players from the American League (AL), similarly managed, in an exhibition game. From 1959 to 1961, two games were held, one in July and one in August. The designated-hitter rule was used in the All-Star game for the first time in 1989. Following games used a DH when the game was played in an AL ballpark. As of 2010, the DH rule has been in effect regardless of venue.^[53]

The 2002 contest in Milwaukee controversially ended in an 11-inning tie. Since 2003, the league which wins the All-Star game gets home-field advantage in the World Series: the league champion hosts the first two games at its own ballpark as well as the last two (if necessary.) 2010 marked the first time that a National League champion benefited from this rule. The National League did, however, manage to win three out of the seven World Series played between 2003 and 2009.^[54][55]

The first All-Star Game was held as part of the 1933 World's Fair in Chicago, Illinois, and was the brainchild of Arch Ward, then sports editor for The Chicago Tribune.^[56] Initially intended to be a one-time event, its great success resulted in making the game an annual one. Ward's contribution was recognized by Major League Baseball in 1962 with the creation of the "Arch Ward Trophy", given to the All-Star Game's most valuable player each year.^[57] (In 2002, this was renamed the Ted Williams Most Valuable Player Award.)

Beginning in 1947, the eight position players in each team's starting lineup have been voted into the game by fans.^[58] The fan voting was discontinued after a 1957 ballot-box-stuffing scandal in Cincinnati: seven of the eight slots originally went to Reds players, two of whom were subsequently removed from the lineup to make room for Willie Mays and Hank Aaron. Fan voting was reinstated in 1970 and has continued ever since, including Internet voting in recent years.

From the first All-Star Game, players have worn their regular team uniforms, with one exception: In the first game, the National League players wore uniforms made for the game, with the lettering "National League" across the front of the shirt.^[59][60]

Postseason[link]

When the regular season ends after the first Sunday in October (or the last Sunday in September), ten teams enter the post-season playoffs. Six teams are division champions; the remaining four "wild-card" spots are filled by the two teams in each league that have the best record but are not division champions. Four rounds of series of games are played to determine the champion:

1. A one game playoff between the two wild-card teams in each league
2. American League Division Series and National League Division Series, each a best-of-five-games series.
3. American League Championship Series and National League Championship Series, each a best-of-seven-games series played between the surviving teams from the ALDS and NLDS. The league champions are informally referred to as the American and National League pennant winners.
4. World Series, a best-of-seven-games series played between the pennant winners of each league.

Within each league, the division winners are the #1, No.2 and No.3 seeds, based on win–loss records. The team with the best record among non division winners will be the first wildcard and the #4 seed. The team with the second best record among non division winners will be the second wildcard and the #5 seed. In the wildcard round, the 5 seed will play at the 4 seed in a one game playoff. For the division series, the matchup will be wildcard round winner at 1 seed and 3 seed at 2 seed. The team belonging to the league that won the mid-season All-Star Game receives home-field advantage in the World Series.

Because each postseason series is split between the two teams' home fields, home-field advantage theoretically does not play a significant role unless the series goes to its maximum number of games, in which case the final game takes place on the field of the team holding the advantage. Home-field advantage, however, can play a role, if the team with home-field advantage wins the first two games (at home),^[61] thereby gaining some momentum for the rest of the Series.^[62]

Use of the DH rule in the World Series is determined by the home team's league rules.

International play[link]

Since 1986, a team of Major League Baseball All-Stars has made a biennial end-of-the-season tour of Japan, playing exhibition games against the Nippon Professional Baseball All-Stars in the MLB Japan All-Star Series. Starting in 1992 and continuing intermittently, several Major League Baseball teams have played exhibition games against Japanese teams.^[63]

In 2008, Major League Baseball played the MLB China Series in the People's Republic of China. It was a series of two spring-training games played by the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers. The games were an effort to popularize baseball in China.^[64]

In November 2011, Major League Baseball played the MLB Taiwan Series in Taiwan. It was a series of five exhibition games played by a team made up of MLB players called the MLB All-Stars and the Chinese Taipei National Team. The MLB All-Stars swept the series, five games to zero.^[65]

At the end of the 2011 season, it was announced that the Seattle Mariners and the Oakland Athletics would play their season openers in Japan.^{[citation needed]}

Steroid policy[link]

Rafael Palmeiro (batter), one of the Major League Baseball players suspended for steroid abuse.^[66]

The original steroid policy^[when?]provided for a 10-game suspension for a first positive test, a 30-game suspension for a second positive test, a 60-game suspension for a third positive test, a one year suspension for a fourth positive test, and a penalty at the commissioner’s discretion for a fifth positive test. Players were tested at least once per year, with the chance that several players could be tested many times per year.^[67]

A former Senate Majority Leader, federal prosecutor, and ex-chairman of The Walt Disney Company, George Mitchell was appointed by Commissioner of Baseball Bud Selig on March 30, 2006^[68] to investigate the use of performance-enhancing drugs in MLB.^[69] Mitchell was appointed during a time of controversy over the 2006 book Game of Shadows by San Francisco Chronicle investigative reporters Lance Williams and Mark Fainaru-Wada, which chronicles alleged extensive use of performance enhancers, including several different types of steroids and growth hormone by baseball superstars Barry Bonds, Gary Sheffield, and Jason Giambi. The appointment was made after several influential members of the U.S. Congress made negative comments about both the effectiveness and honesty of MLB's drug policies and Commissioner Selig.^[69]

According to the report, after mandatory random testing began in 2004, HGH Treatment for Athletic Enhancement became popular among players, as HGH is not detectable in tests, though the Mitchell report was careful to point out that HGH is likely a placebo with no performance enhancing effects.^[70] Also, at least one player from each of the thirty Major League Baseball teams was involved in the alleged violations.^[71]

On December 12, 2007, the day before the report was to be released, Bud Selig said, regarding his decision to commission the report, "I haven't seen the report yet, but I'm proud I did it."^[72][73]

According to ESPN, some people questioned whether Mitchell being a director of the Boston Red Sox created a conflict of interest, especially because no "prime [Sox] players were in the report." Mitchell described his role with the team as that of a "consultant".^[74] Despite the lack of "prime" Boston players, the report had named several prominent Yankees who were parts of World Series clubs. This made some people feel that there was a conflict of interest on Mitchell's part, due to the fierce rivalry between the two teams. Cleveland Indians pitcher Paul Byrd, along with his teammates, felt the timing of publicizing Byrd's alleged use was suspicious, as the information was leaked prior to the deciding Game 7 of the 2007 American League Championship Series between the Indians and the Red Sox.^[75] Former U.S. prosecutor John M. Dowd also brought up allegations of Mitchell's conflict of interest. Dowd, who had defended Senator John McCain of Arizona during the Keating Five investigation in the late 1980s, cited how he took exception to Mitchell's scolding of McCain and others for having a conflict of interest with their actions in the case and how the baseball investigation would be a "burden" for him when Mitchell was named to lead it.^[76] After the investigation, Dowd later told the Baltimore Sun that he was convinced the former Senator has done a good job.^[77] The Los Angeles Times reported that Mitchell acknowledged that his "tight relationship with Major League Baseball left him open to criticism".^[78] Mitchell responded to the concerns by stating that readers who examined the report closely "will not find any evidence of bias, of special treatment of the Red Sox".^[78]

The current MLB drug policy provides for a 50-game suspension for a first positive test, a 100-game suspension for a second positive test, and a lifetime suspension for a third positive test.^[79]

Since the opening of the 2009 season, Major League Baseball and its fans have been rocked by the steroid allegations against Alex Rodriguez and David Ortiz and the positive test result and 50-game suspension of Manny Ramirez, three of baseball's biggest stars. In early April 2011, Manny Ramirez retired from baseball rather than face a 100 game suspension for his second positive steroid test.

Major League Baseball in media[link]

Blackout policy[link]

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MLB Blackout map in the United States

Major League Baseball has several blackout rules. A local broadcaster has priority to televise games of the team in their market over national broadcasters. For example, at one time TBS showed many Atlanta Braves games nationally and internationally in Canada. Fox Sports Net (FSN) also shows many games in other areas. If the Braves played a team that FSN or another local broadcaster showed, the local station will have the broadcast rights for its own local market, while TBS would have been blacked out in the same market during the game. A market that has a local team playing in a weekday ESPN or ESPN2 game and is shown on a local station will see ESPNews, or, in the past, another game scheduled on ESPN or ESPN2 at the same time (if ESPN or ESPN2 operates a regional coverage broadcasting and operates a game choice), or will be subject to an alternative programming feed. MLB's streaming Internet video service is also subject to the same blackout rules.

Canadian MLB Blackout map

Television[link]

It was announced on July 11, 2006 that Fox Sports will remain with MLB through 2013 and broadcast Fox Saturday Baseball throughout the entire season, rather than the previous May to September format.^[80] Fox will also hold rights to the All-Star Game each season. Fox will also alternate League Championship Series broadcasts, broadcasting the American League Championship Series in odd-numbered years and the National League Championship Series in even-numbered years as part of the new contract. Fox will continue to broadcast all games of the World Series, which will begin on a Wednesday evening rather than the current Saturday evening format.

ESPN will continue to broadcast Major League Baseball through 2013 as well, beginning with national Opening Day coverage.^[73] ESPN will continue to broadcast Sunday Night Baseball, Monday Night Baseball, Wednesday Night Baseball, and Baseball Tonight. ESPN also has rights to the Home Run Derby at the All-Star Game each July.

TBS will air Sunday afternoon regular season games (non-exclusive) nationally from 2008 to 2013. In 2007, TBS began its exclusive rights to any tiebreaker games that determine division or wild card champions at the end of each regular season in the event of a tie with one playoff spot remaining and exclusive coverage of the Division Series round of the playoffs.^[81] TBS carries the League Championship Series that are not included under Fox's television agreement; TBS shows the National League Championship Series in odd-numbered years and the American League Championship Series in even-numbered years as part of the new contract through 2013.^[82]

In January 2009, Major League Baseball launched the MLB Network, featuring news and coverage from around the league, and airing 26 live games in the 2009 season.^[83]

As the country only contains one team, Sportsnet broadcasts Toronto Blue Jays games nationally in Canada (the channel is owned by Rogers Communications, who is also the parent company of the Blue Jays). Additionally, it also airs Fox's Saturday afternoon games, other regular season games, and the post-season.

Radio[link]

ESPN Radio holds national broadcast rights and broadcasts Sunday Night Baseball weekly throughout the season in addition to all playoff games. The rights to the World Series are exclusive to ESPN.

In addition, each team employs its own announcers, who broadcast during the regular season. Most teams operate regional networks to cover their fan base; some of these supposedly regional networks (such as the New York Yankees Radio Network) have a national reach with affiliates located across the United States.

Major League Baseball has an exclusive rights deal with XM Satellite Radio, which includes the channel MLB Home Plate and live play-by-play of all games.

Internet[link]

All games are available via subscription to MLB.tv at Major League Baseball's website, MLB.com. Blackout rules are still applied.

International broadcasting[link]

• ESPN America televises a large number of games in Europe.
• ESPN Deportes televises a large number of Major League Baseball games in Spanish and Portuguese, which air throughout Latin America.^[84]
• Five previously screened MLB on Sunday and Wednesday in the United Kingdom, (including the All-Star Game and the postseason games, but not including Spring Training) usually starting at 1 am BST. It was most recently presented by Johnny Gould and Josh Chetwynd as "MLB on Five".^[85] Their coverage began on the channel's opening night in 1997, but for financial reasons, the decision was made not to pick up MLB for the 2009 season. As of June 2009, no decision has been made by Five about the 2010 season.^[86] As of July 2009, no free-to-view channel in the UK shows MLB.
• ESPN America and ESPN UK show live and recorded games several times a week — it is available with Sky Digital and (on a subscriber-basis) Virgin Media in the UK.
• Rogers Sportsnet televises Toronto Blue Jays games in Canada as well as numerous other regular season Major League Baseball games, the All-Star Game, most playoff games, and the World Series.
• TSN2 carries ESPN Sunday Night Baseball in Canada.
• MLB Network.
• In Australia, MLB games are regularly shown on ESPN Australia (subscription), Fox Sports (subscription) and One HD (free-to-air).
• Digital+ broadcasts several matches (mostly delayed) a week in Spain.
• Wapa 2 In Puerto Rico.

Current franchises[link]