It's All-Star night, and here's a reminder that once upon a time, you could manage the Orioles AND the American League All-Stars. In fact, Earl got to hold the reins of the A.L. squad four times in his illustrious career. One such occasion was the 1971 Midsummer Classic in Detroit, which was notable for the presence of 22 future Hall of Famers. Six of these legends hit home runs: Johnny Bench, Hank Aaron, Reggie Jackson (whose blast may have left Tiger Stadium if it hadn't struck a light tower on the roof), Frank Robinson, Harmon Killebrew, and Roberto Clemente. For the only time in a 20-year span, the American League bested the National League by a 6-4 score. Aside from Frank Robby's homer, other Orioles contributing to the effort included Brooks Robinson, who singled once in three at-bats and caught a Johnny Bench pop-up for the final out; Jim Palmer, who turned in two scoreless innings; and Mike Cuellar, who earned a hold with two shutout innings of his own. For more details on the 1971 All-Star Game, check out the
Fleer Sticker Project, where there are several great full-color screencaps from the original TV broadcast.
Good Stuff, Kevin. That link was great (everyone looking so young, even Earl and Sparky!).
ReplyDeleteInteresting that Reggie not only didn't start, but that pinch-hit HR was his only AB, as he pinch hit for Vida Blue, but didn't play the field.
In fact, Yaz, Brooks, and Aparicio played the whole game for the AL, and Bench caught the whole game for the NL. You never see that anymore.
And a final note on how stacked those teams were (with the 20 future HOFers) - Pete Rose was a defensive replacement, and never even got an at bat (but then again, after his actions in '70, maybe Sparky didn't want him getting beaned or taking out someone on the basepaths - lol).
Tim - I could see Sparky holding Pete out for his own good. Of course, knowing Rose, he probably would have driven his manager nuts sitting on the bench!
ReplyDeleteKevin,
ReplyDeleteThanks for linking to the 1971 All Star Game post. There were certainly a number of O's highlights from the game as you pointed out.
Fleerfan - You're welcome! Your screencaps of old games are fascinating.
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