President Ronald Reagan Broadcasts MLB All-Star Game

On July 11, 1989, President Ronald Reagan sportscasts the Major League Baseball All-Star Game.

The 1989 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the sixtieth playing of the midsummer classic between the all-stars of the American League (AL) and National League (NL), the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball.

 

The game was held at Anaheim Stadium in Anaheim, California, the home of the California Angels of the American League.

The game resulted in the American League defeating the National League 5-3. The game is remembered for Bo Jackson's monstrous lead-off home run to center field. Jackson was named the game's MVP.

The game also featured former U.S. President and former baseball announcer Ronald Reagan sharing the NBC broadcast booth with Vin Scully for the first inning.

The pregame ceremonies featured Disney characters joining this year's players in sprinting onto the field for the introduction of the starting lineups. Doc Severinsen later led The Tonight Show Band in the playing of the Canadian and U.S. national anthems.

Severinsen and The Tonight Show Band's performance of the U.S. National Anthem was the last non-vocal performance of the Anthem at the All-Star Game to date.

The ceremonial first pitch was thrown by longtime Angels coach Jimmie Reese.

This would not be Reagan’s first time on television as Reagan moved first to Iowa after graduating college to work as a radio broadcaster and then, in 1937, to Los Angeles where he began a career as an actor, first in films and later television.

Reagan served as President of the Screen Actors Guild and later as a spokesman for General Electric (GE); his start in politics occurred during his work for GE.

Though an early critic of television, Reagan landed fewer film roles in the late 1950s and decided to join the medium. He was hired as the host of General Electric Theater, a series of weekly dramas that became very popular.

His final work as a professional actor was as host and performer from 1964 to 1965 on the television series Death Valley Days.

Check out the video below of Ronald Reagan broadcasting the 1989 MLB All-Star Game:

2001 MLB All-Star Game

On July 10, 2001, the MLB All-Star game took place and the Seattle Mariners were well represented. Eight members of the team that would win a record 116 games played at hometown Safeco Field, yet it was Cal Ripken Jr. who stole the show. Before the game, Ripken was offered his old shortstop position by Alex Rodriguez (Ripken had been a third basemen for several years). Then, in the third inning, Ripken sailed the first pitch he saw from Chan Ho Park over the left-field wall for a home run, making him the oldest player (40) to hit a homer in an All-Star game.

The American League won 4-1 and Ripken Jr. was named the MVP. It was both he and Tony Gwynn's final season, and the two were honored after the game. For Ripken it was the perfect sign off for what was a tremendous career in Baltimore. Gwynn had been named as an honorary All-Star and was unable to play in the game, to the disappointment of many.

Also making headlines was honorary third base coach Tommy Lasorda, the former Dodgers manager. In the sixth inning, Vladimir Guerrero's shattered bat flew out of his hands and right at Lasorda. It knocked the former Dodger to the ground, where he tumbled on his back. Initially, everyone was nervous when the old man hit the grass, but the masses erupted in laughter when they saw he was okay.

The humor in seeing Lasorda fall on his backside was that he was an explosive manager who, among other things, was not timid when it came to dropping obscenities.

Cleveland Indians' Sandy Alomar Jr. Wins All-Star Game MVP

On July 8, 1997, the 68th annual Major League Baseball (MLB) All-Star game was played.  

The game took place at Jacobs Field in Cleveland, Ohio and hometown hero, Cleveland Indians catcher, Sandy Alomar Jr., was named the game’s Most Valuable Player. 

Alomar Jr. is the only player to win an All-Star game MVP and have his brother win the All-Star game MVP the next year, as Roberto Alomar did in the 1998 All-Star game.

Sandy Alomar Jr. (left) taking a curtain call at the 1997 MLB All-Star Game.

The American League went on to win 1997 All-Star game by a score of 3-1, it was one of the lowest scoring games in All-Star game history.

Edgar Martinez of the Seattle Mariners opened the scoring with a solo home run in the third inning.  The game remained 1-0 until the seventh inning, when Javy Lopez of the Atlanta Braves tied it with a solo shot of his own.  

However, in the bottom half of the inning Sandy Alomar Jr. would hit the game winning home run, a two-run shot off San Francisco Giants pitcher Shawn Estes.

Sandy Alomar Jr. became the first player to be named All-Star Game MVP while playing in his home stadium. MLB CEO Paul Beeston awarded Alomar with the trophy, as the MLB commissioner position was vacant at the time.

Alomar Jr. put together a solid career in MLB playing 20 seasons, earning the 1990 AL Rookie of the Year and also earning the 1990 American League Gold Glove for catchers, and being selected to six All-Star games between 1990 and 1998. He finished his career with a .274 batting average, 112 home runs and 588 RBI’s.

In 2008, Alomar Jr. began his coaching career starting with the New York Mets acting as the catching instructor. He filled that role in 2008 and 2009. After the 2009 season Manny Acta the Indians manager hired Alomar Jr. to be the teams first base coach. He filled that role during the 2010 and 2011 season. After the completion of the 2011 season Alomar Jr. was promoted to being the Indians manager, a position he held for one year, but since he has taken over the duty as being the teams bench coach, the position he currently resides in.

 

Alomar Jr. was inducted into the Cleveland Indians Hall of Fame in August of 2009.