I just completed my 25th vote for this year’s All-Star Game. Unlike the NCAA Tournament for which I believe one should only submit one bracket,I use my full allotment of 25 online votes (per email address). Back in the day, I was the guy getting handfuls of ballots from ushers,littering the aisles with chads,and stuffing the Gillette ballot boxes at the ball park. My philosophy is to vote for the most deserving from this season with a nod to career numbers and a touch of home team bias. I usually try to pick a dark horse candidate from a lesser known team in hopes that my ballot stuffing could work. Back in 1984,I recall stuffing ballots for Minnesota’s Tom Brunansky. He finally made it in 1985,his only selection though not as a starter by the fans. Oh yeah,one more self-imposed rule post-1996,no Yankees.
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Currently Reading:      |  Frank Howard is a first time All Star starter with a first half performance that had the Capital Punisher in Triple Crown contention. There have been two consecutive Triple Crowns in the American League - Frank Robinson (1966) and Carl Yastrzemsk (1967). Howard leads the majors with 18 home runs,leads the AL with 50 RBI,and is second in the AL with a .322 average. The 1968 All Star Game will be played on July 9th in the Houston Astrodome. My selections from the replay vary a little from those of the players and managers back in 1968. Fan voting was not reinstated until 1970. The main difference between my replay and reality are the starters. Denny McLain (14-4,1.68) and Bob Gibson (14-2,1.24) are the clear choices to start the replay All Star Game. Real life starter Don Drysdale did not have the consecutive shutout inning streak to boost his All Star starting selection,and Luis Tiant (9-4,1.99) is having a fine replay,but not better than McLain. Harmon Killebrew is second in the AL with 16 home runs,but is batting only .188. Baltimore’s Boog Powell is third with 12 HR with an above average .265 mark,but I stayed with Killebrew in deference to his career thus far (and for sentimental reasons with his recent passing). Another .265 batter,Luis Aparicio of the White Sox,does get a starting nod over his real life counterpart,Jim Fregosi of the Angels. Two-time replay All Star Fregosi started my 1967 All Star Game in front of his home fans,but this season Jim is scuffling at .211 and is skipped over for the team in favor of a replay favorite,Detroit’s Dick McAuliffe,who is only a .222 hitter but is second in the AL with 43 runs scored. California’s lone representative is bonus baby outfielder Rick Reichardt,an inspirational story as Rick had his kidney removed in 1966. Other real life American League All Stars who will be missing from the replay are Boston’s Gary Bell and Jose Santiago,Detroit’s Don Wert,and Baltimore’s Davey Johnson. In their stead are Detroit’s Earl Wilson,1967 AL replay Cy Young winner,Boston’s Reggie Smith,the leading hitter in the American League,and McAuliffe. Continue reading 1968 Replay All Stars Announced »»  Angels'rookie Tom Murphy,the sixth overall pick in the January secondary draft,pitched the first no-hitter of my 1968 replay. After many close calls,a no-hitter has finally been registered in my replay of 1968,the famous “Year of the Pitcher”. A rookie,Tom Murphy of the California Angels,wins his first major league game in style with a no-hitter against boyhood hero Mickey Mantle and the New York Yankees. The feat draws comparisons to starlet magnet Bo Belinsky in the Angels clubhouse,and one can only imagine what would have been going through teammate Rickey Clark’s mind. Two and a half weeks earlier,Clark missed out on no-hit glory by one strike. But this remarkable feat is no guarantee of future glory,Murphy joins St. Louis Browns’pitcher Bobo Holloman as winners of their first major league game with a no-hitter. Holloman’s no-hitter came in 1953,the first of only three victories against seven defeats in his only major league season. So where did the first no-hitter of the season rank in game scores? Murphy’s gem registered a 77,not even in the top ten pitching performances to date,by pitching game score standards. Earlier,I took a look at pitching game scores in the 1968 and 1967 replays. On June 8th,Sam McDowell surpassed JIm McGlothlin’s season-best effort with a two-hitter against the defending champion Tigers which scored an 84. By the way,only one no-hitter in this replay to date,but ten one-hitters have been pitched. The replay site has been updated through games played on Wednesday,June 19th. The June 20,1968 edition of the New York Times noted that major league players voted for the All-Star game starters yesterday. The sealed votes will be forwarded to the Commissioner’s office where the ballots will be counted. The results will be issued next Tuesday,coinciding with the next scheduled update of the web site. The managers in my replay,Mayo Smith of the Tigers and Red Schoendienst of the Cardinals,will pick the pitchers and the rest of the 25-man squads. Fan voting for the All-Star starters,discontinued after the 1957 Cincinnati ballot stuffing incident,would not start again until 1970.  Philadelphia's Dick Allen,then called Richie,connects for a home run at Connie Mack Stadium. Despite a MVP trophy two replay seasons ago,Allen is not a fan favorite due to his off-field antics,non-conformity,and a perceived lack of respect to managers,namely Gene Mauch. Allen was Rookie of the Year in 1964,and posted MVP-like numbers in 1966 despite missing time due to injuries. In my replay,Allen was named Most Valuable Player of the National League with a .314 average,41 home runs,and 125 RBI in 142 games. Yet,Allen is no Philadelphia fan favorite. In an interview for Life magazine in 1969,Allen blamed the Phillies and the release of popular veteran Frank Thomas in 1965 after a pre-game fight with Allen. Afterwards,Mauch told Allen that he was looking for a reason to dump Thomas,and Allen said he tried to convince Mauch otherwise. “Frank has seven kids. But Gene told me he’d fine me $1,500 if I told the story. I couldn’t afford that then. Mauch just told the press,‘I had to choose between a 36-year-old and a 23-year-old.’”The next day,the Philadelphia fans let Allen have it for the loss of one of their favorite players. The booing never stopped. In 1967,an off-the-field injury questioned in the media ended his season,and the frustration of Phillie fans with their non-conforming hero continued. It seems as the backlash in the stands grew against Allen;the more brash he became. In the era of the counterculture,this was more conforming behavior than anyone likely realized at the time. My 1968 baseball replay has been updated through Monday,June 17. The trade deadline passed with a couple of minor trades,including the trade of Milt Pappas to the Braves. Another manager besides Mauch is shown the door,but this move is a reflection of poor play on the field. In the National League,the Pirates,despite a subpar start from MVP Roberto Clemente,slip past the Dodgers for second place behind the Cardinals. Bucs’fireman Elroy Face has not allowed a run in 27 innings pitched spanning 17 appearances. In the American League,the Tigers are holding a 2 1/2 game lead over the Indians as the surprising Oakland A’s have slid down the standings.  Professor Roy Hickley could make a radio out of a coconut on Gilligan's Island but he learned some interesting lessons years earlier as William Corrigan in the Twilight Zone. One Twilight Zone episode drew my interest in particular. Russell Johnson,the Professor from Gilligan’s Island,played a socialite,William Corrigan,who travels back in time to the day of President Lincoln’s assassination. Once Corrigan realizes where,or when,he is,he unsuccessfully warns everyone of the impending danger to the President. The episode,entitled Back There (click the link to watch its conclusion),originally aired January 13,1961. Corrigan’s summation of his journey was “in the matter of time travel,gentlemen,some things can be changed. Others can’t.”It is with this premise that I replay baseball seasons. Some things —the lineups,the transactions,the beaning of Tony Conigliaro,the attack of Roseboro by Marichal —these things all remain true despite the different outcomes of the replayed games. Other things do change —records,champions,award winners,perceptions. Case in point,Norman Dalton Cash of the Detroit Tigers. |  | |||
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