Major League Baseball All-Star Game

The Major League Baseball All-Star Game is an annual exhibition baseball game between the best players from the National League and the American League. The All-Star Game usually occurs in early to mid-July and marks the symbolic halfway point in the Major League Baseball (MLB) season.

The Teams

The manager for each league's team is the manager of the previous year's league champion. Note that this honor is applied to the person, not the team, so it's possible that the All-Star manager could no longer be with the team he won with (as happened in 2003, when Dusty Baker managed the National League team despite having moved from the champion San Francisco Giants to the Chicago Cubs in the off-season). The coaching staff is selected by the manager.

Related Topics:
Manager - 2003 - Dusty Baker - San Francisco Giants - Chicago Cubs

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Each team consists of 32 players, selected in one of the following ways, listed in order:

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• Fan Voting: Baseball fans vote on the starting position players for the All-Star Game, with ballots distributed at baseball games before mid-season and, more recently, on the Internet. When the game is played at an American League park, the Designated hitter for the AL team is also selected in this manner.
• Player Voting: As of 2005, pitchers and one back-up player for each position are elected by the other players. If the top vote-getter at a certain position is also being voted in via Fan Voting, then the second-place finisher in this category is chosen for the team.
• Manager Selection, Part One: The manager and the Commissioner's Office will fill the roster up to 31 players.
• Final Vote: After the lists of 31 players for each league is announced, fans will vote for one additional player, chosen from a list of 5 players provided by the manager and the Commissioner's Office.
• Manager Selection, Part Two: After the Final Vote, the manager and the Commissioner's Office will replace players who are injured or declined to participate. Each major league team is guaranteed to have at least one player selected to participate.

Between 1935 and 1946, the manager of each all-star squad selected the entire team. Fans received the right to vote on the eight starters (excluding the pitcher) starting in 1947. In 1957, fans of the Cincinnati Reds mounted a campaign to stuff the ballot box, and elected a Red to every position, except first base. The Commissioner, Ford Frick, stepped in and removed two Reds from the lineup. Fans thus lost the power to elect the non-pitching starters until 1970. From 1958 through 1969, players, coaches, and managers made the choice.

Related Topics:
Cincinnati Reds - Ford Frick

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