Baseball has always been more than just a game. As John S. Bowman and Joel Zoss stated in The Pictorial History of Baseball "As part of the fabric of American culture, baseball is the common social ground between strangers, a world of possibilities and of chance, where 'it's never over till it's over.'" It is an American tradition rich in legends, folklore and history, a never-ending story where every game is a new nine-inning chapter and every player has the chance to be the hero. Through the years, every franchise has had its share of superstar players that stand out above the rest. They are the ones that bring the fans out to the ballpark and only one game brings them all together at once, The All-Star Game.

The first Major League All-Star Game was played on July 6, 1933 at Comiskey Park in Chicago. It was initiated at the insistence of Arch Ward, a sports editor for the Chicago Tribune, to coincide with the celebration of Chicago's Century of Progress Exposition. For over seventy-three years, the "Midsummer Classic" has remained a fan favorite showcasing the top talent in baseball.

All-Star teams were originally selected by the managers and the fans for the 1933 and 1934 games. From 1935 through 1946, managers selected the entire team for each league. From 1947 to 1957, fans chose the team's starters and the manager chose the pitchers and the remaining players. From 1958 through 1969, managers, players, and coaches made the All-Star Team selections. In 1970, the vote again returned to the

World Series History

Each year, the primary focus in any professional sport is the race for a championship. Every sport has their pinnacle trophy, but none is as coveted as baseball's World Series; a best of seven contest that celebrates our national pastime. An event as important as any holiday on the calendar, it is as traditional as Thanksgiving, as patriotic as the Fourth of July and as anticipated as Christmas morning. Over the last century, the World Series has been woven into the fabric of America's culture evolving far beyond a mere baseball tournament. It has become the game of all games and has continued to provide us with an endless highlight reel of magical moments evoking childhood memories of agony and ecstasy.

How would one define the World Series? It's Willie Mays catching what can't be caught and Don Larsen being perfect where perfection is simply not possible. It's Babe Ruth telling the fans and media where he is going to deposit the next pitch and a heavily outscored team of Pirates beating the unbeatable Yankees off a ninth inning Bill Mazeroski blast. The World Series is the crushing blow of Fred Snodgrass dropping a routine fly ball and Willie McCovey hitting the final out straight to Bobby Richardson. It's the Curse of the Bambino, when loyal Red Sox fans live their entire lives without witnessing a championship and when Yankees fans witness four in five years...

Although the "Fall Classic" as we know it didn't begin until 1903, Major League Baseball had several versions of a post-season championship series before that. In 1884, the Providence Grays of the National League outplayed the New York Metropolitan Club of the American Association in a three game series for what was originally called "The Championship of the United States." Several newspapers penned the Grays as "World Champions" and the new title stuck. Over the next six years, different variations took place between the National League and American Association pennant-winners, ranging in length from six to fifteen games. The American Association folded unexpectedly after the 1891 season forcing a suspension of the series. The following year, the National League absorbed four of the American Association's former franchises and expanded to twelve teams in an effort to promote the growth of baseball and maintain the public's interest. They played a split season in which the first-half winner played the second-half winner for the league championship. Many fans did not support the new system and the split season was promptly dropped in 1893.

In 1894, Pittsburgh's owner William C. Temple offered a championship trophy to the winner of a best-of-seven-game series between the National League's first and second-place teams. In addition, he stated that the winning franchise would receive 65% of all ticket sales and the losing team would pocket 35%. Temple's novel idea would last for the next three years and helped to build the foundation for baseball's post-season popularity. More changes were on the horizon and in 1901, the American League was established much to the dismay of the senior circuit. Suddenly, baseball found itself engaged in a "civil war" as both rival leagues competed separately for the fan's loyalty and attention. Two years later a truce, previously known as the "National Agreement", was redefined outlining baseball's employment, salary and travel requirements. The 1903 compromise produced the business blueprint for major-league baseball and resulted in a merger that has lasted to this day. Once again Boston and Pittsburgh, the top American and National League teams, found themselves competing against one another in the first official "World Series".

The Umpires

Baseball is a simple game played by nine, managed by one, and kept under control by an umpire. An unattributable quotation summed up the profession nicely with, "It's the only occupation where a man has to be perfect on Opening Day and improve as the season goes on."

During one of those seasons, Hall of Fame Manager Casey Stengel actually become so enraged that he laid on the ground and continued yelling at umpire Beans Reardon — who after a few moments laid next to Stengel and yelled back. Stengel recalled the incident, "When I peeked out of one eye and saw Reardon on the ground too, I knew I was licked."

Baseball Humor

1 You can play baseball as much or as little as you want, YOU get to decide.

2 In baseball, the other team pays attention throughout, even if they're done scoring.

3 If you have to take a piss during a baseball game, you can say "Excuse me, I gotta drain the swamp" and you don't lose style points.

4 In baseball, nobody comments on the size of your bat, as long as you know what to do with it.

5 In baseball, you don't have to compliment the other team on their new uniforms.

6 In baseball, you can play the same team every day for a year and it's never the same twice.

7 You don't have to buy the other team dinner to get a game.

8 In baseball, you don't feel guilty about winning the ugly ones.

9 After an unusually long and difficult baseball game you can still ride your bike home.

10 The other team never has to forfeit a game because they're on their period.

11 If you get all scratched up in a baseball game, you can brag about it to your wife.

12 In baseball, you can go a couple months without scoring and your balls won't hurt.

13 You don't mind if your parents come to watch you play baseball.

14 You can play three, maybe four baseball games a day.

15 In baseball, you don't care if the other team has had marital relations with diseased livestock.

16 In a good weekend of baseball, you can play six or seven different teams and it only costs you twenty bucks and you may get a prize at the end.

17 Playing the wrong baseball team won't get you shot.

18 You can be absolutely certain that, nine months after a baseball game, the other teams lawyers won't call, asking for half of your pre-tax income for the next eighteen years.

19 Rest assured that the other team will not invite you to the ballet.

20 The other team doesn't demand that you shave before the game.

21 The other team can smell like road kill and you'll never know it.

22 If you don't score in a baseball game, the other team doesn't ask you if you've had that problem often.

23 No matter how drunk the other team is they never throw up in your bed.