1979 MLB All Star Game

 

I was perusing YouTube, and came across the MLB 1979 All Star Game. I watched this game on TV, 14 at the time. This is my favorite, and the best All Start Game I have watched. So,Isat and watched it in its entirety, commercials included.

Some of those commercials I had forgotten. The Chrysler Corporation commercials, the Polaroid commercials, with James Garner, and Mariette Hartley, and Indy Car racer Kevin Cogan with the SX-70 Camera. The Bell Telephone commercials, and all the catchy slogans.  Bell with their “the system is the solution.” Coke a Cola, and the catchy; “Have a Coke and Smile,” and “Coke is addsLife” memories.

Some of my favorite players, played in this game. Fred Lynn hit a two run homer off of Steve Carlton, on a too high fastball with two out in the first inning. Nolan Ryan blew fastballs past everyone, including Garvey that was called a ball, and a walk that turned out to be the first run of the game. Tom Sever talking to Joe Garagiola about the Split Finger Fastball that Bruce Sutter was throwing I the 8^th inning, and how he didn’t understand it. Bob Boone my favorite catcher. Boone did an interview with his sons, Aaron and Brett. With Aaron being pretty shy. Bob is from San Diego, as is my family since 1893. My uncle’s wife dated and went to school with Bob Boone. I am a third generation Padre Fan, and my son is 4 generation Padre fan. For 25 years most of those years of my youth, the Padres came to my hometown for Spring Training. It was fun.   

Dave Parker making the two best plays in All Star history throwing out Jim Rice at third in the 4^th inning, and Brian Downing at the plate in the 8^th. It was quite an adventure for Parker, because he lost three balls in the dome, including that Rice hit.

It is interesting that both the starters in this game, Nolan Ryan, and Steve Carlton would become more dominate. They would compete with each other for the strikeout record a few years later. But in this game, both got roughed up pretty bad in the first inning. What is also interesting that during the introductions, the field announcer Reggie and Ron Guidry mixed up, and completely forgot to mention Joe Sambito altogether. One of the better All Star Games. Morgana made an appearance, as did the San Diego Chicken, and a guy running around on the field upsetting Joe Garagiola. So a good time was had by all in Seattle.  I remember that game, and those commercials. I was there for the baseball. Hope we can get back to a place where we can og out the ball park and take in all that is baseball. Remember; “Baseball fever, catch it.”