The 2013 ALL STAR GAME IN NEW YORK

This week Major League Baseball takes its annual mid sumer break to salute the All Stars of the American and National Leagues play against each other this year at New York's Citi Field.

Considered the mid point of the season by many this is an opportune time to take a look at our national pasttime.  In our area both the Mets and the Yankees have over achieved.  The Metropolitans have been bouyed by the promise of Harvey and Wheeler to the pitching staff  and at press time are on the fringes of contention for a post season wild card.  Most have thought that a .500 season in Flushing would be above expectations.  Equally the Yankees have suprised as well, badly decimated by injuries to 4 All Star players the Bombers are alive and in the AL East pennant race mainly due to the strong arms of the starting and relief pitching and I must say an excellent job by manager Joe Girardi.

Elsewhere the game has seen some pleasant surprises, another great start in Pittsburgh where the Pirates have not finished at .5oo or in the playoffs for over 20 years and a frantic race in the American League East where everybody is in the pennant race.  There's also been a resurrgence in Los Angeles that probably saved Donnie Baseball aka Don Mattingly's job as Dodger manager.

With the game in our area for the 2nd time in 4 years its been in vogue to recall the last time the game was played in Flushing when Johnny Callison hit a game winning home run in 1964.  Of course I dont see it that way.  To me, my earliest all star memory was the great game of 1971 at Tiger Stadium in 1971.  Its been said that more Hall of Famers played in that game than any other all star game.  This was the game where Reggie hit one off of Doc Ellis that hit the light structure on top of the roof at Tiger Stadium.  The ball was hit so hard,fast, and high that NBC's cameras couldnt catch up to it.  Curt Gowdy wasnt sure where it had went.

In alot of ways baseball is continueing to struggle.  Performance Enhancing Drugs continues to cast a shadow over all accomplishments and at press time AROD and others face long suspensions for the cause.  Also teams continue to make patsies of fans most recently Friday night in New York as the Yankees made its fans sit through a monsoon in a boring 2-0 win over Minnesota so they wouldnt have to make a doubleheader available to its fans--- a double admission double header at that