Cincinnati To Host 2015 ASG

[Rudi]

WE OUT HERE :notanallstar:

Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game will return to Cincinnati in 2015, baseball sources confirmed.

Commissioner Bud Selig is scheduled to make the announcement when he is in town Wednesday to also say that the newest Major League Baseball Urban Youth Academy will be built in Cincinnati

It will be the fifth All-Star game in the city, the first at Great American Ball Park and the first since 1988.

The Reds had no comment on the matter Monday night.

Team Chief Executive Officer Bob Castellini said on Opening Day 2012 that the All-Star Game was coming to Cincinnati, but he would not say when.

The All-Star Game is a much bigger event than it was in 1988, when it was held at Riverfront Stadium.

The Home Run Derby on the eve of the game – which was rained out in 1988 – sells out each year. The FanFest, a five-day fair featuring such things as exhibits, clinics and free autograph sessions with former players, is a massive event that draws thousands.

“The commissioner has talked about it before. It’s gone from asking cities to host to everyone wanting to host,” Major League Baseball spokesman Patrick Courtney said last week. “It’s become such a big deal with the five or six events.”

All-Star week includes the showcase game between National and American League stars, typically on the second Tuesday in July. The Home Run Derby is the night before. Besides FanFest, the week also features a Futures Game featuring minor league prospects, among other events.

The game alternates between National and American League cities. This year’s game will be at Citi Field, the home of the New York Mets. Next year’s game will at Target Field, home of the Minnesota Twins. Both parks are newer than GABP, which opened in 2003.

The Reds have pushed to host the game since Castellini took over ownership of the club in 2006.

Besides the 1988 game, won 2-1 by the American League, Cincinnati has been the site of the game in 1938 and 1953 at Crosley Field and in 1970 at Riverfront.

The 1970 game was among the most memorable of the so-called Midsummer Classics. The National League won 5-4 in 12 innings, with the Reds’ Pete Rose plowing over the Cleveland Indians’ Ray Fosse for the winning run. The throw from the outfield easily beat Rose, but the ball came loose as Rose collided with Fosse.

The game was played at Riverfront just two weeks after the park opened. Because of the concerns about the park being ready, Commissioner Bowie Kuhn did not guarantee that Cincinnati would host until June 1.

The National League won in 1938 and 1953 as well. The 1953 game is noteworthy in that longtime Negro Leagues star Satchel Paige played in it as a 46-year-old, the oldest All-Star in history.

SOURCE: Cincinnati.Com

 

[Woy]

Can't wait to see the HR Derby record set that year.