All Star Game Blog

Tony LaRussa is going to come out of retirement for one game to manage in the 2012 All Star Game.  This year’s game will be in Kansas City, MO and while that’s on the other side of the state, it’s still in the same area as his World Champion St. Louis Louis Cardinals play in.

This will be LaRussa’s sixth All Star Game.  He won all three when when he was in the American League but he has yet to win since moving over to the National League.  This will tie him with Joe Torre for the fourth most All Star Game managing appearances of all time. John McGraw is the only other manager who was retired that came back to coach in an All Star Game.

The 2012 MLB All Star game will be taking place in Kansas City, MO at Kauffman Stadium on July 10. St. Louis’ Mike Matheny has been named the National League manager while Texas’ Ron Washington has been named the American League manager. Kauffman Stadium recently underwent a $250 million renovation, making it a great place for the best players in the MLB to take the field. The last time Kansas City hosted the All Star Game was in 1973 at then named Royals Stadium.

If you are looking to purchase MLB 2012 All Star Game tickets, now is the time! The date and location are set, and the game will undoubtedly feature baseball’s greatest current players. Be there for the most action-packed game of the season.

One thing that hasn’t been mentioned much in the new Collective Bargaining Agreement is that if a player is selected to play in the All Star Game, they’re obligated to play in the game.  In order to get out of playing, they must either be injured or they have to be excused from the league.

The All Star Game has taken a decline of late because of the saturation of baseball coverage out there.  I can subscribe to MLB.TV and watch any game and player I want.  In the 1980s, this wasn’t the case and the All Star Game was one of the rare times you could see stars from the other league in a game.  Now the game means something (home field in the World Series, which is stupid) but we’re less interested where as before, it meant nothing yet held public appeal.

This should make All Star Game tickets and Home Run Derby tickets an easier sell.  Assuming everything works as it should, you’re going to have the best teams out there. This will solidfy the rosters and make it so you know you’ll be seeing.

Now that the World Series is over, the next big MLB event is Opening Day.  After that, it’s the All Star Game so Kansas City has to get going to make sure it’s a seemless event.  I’ve even heard rumors that the Royals may try to capitalize on it a little bit by selling the naming rights to the ballpark.  The Royals have some solid cogs on the team now so lets see if they can get it done.

Another interesting story will be who manages the NL All Star team.  Tony LaRussa retired so you wonder if they’ll bring him back one last time for the All Star Game or if someone else will get the nod.  Of course we’ll have to just wait and see.

So plenty of All Star Game stuff should be on the way.  I’m just waiting for individual All Star Game Tickets and Home Run Derby Tickets to go one sales.  Stay tuned for more developments.

The All Star Game can be an All Star logistical nightmare which is why there’s usually a few (okay a few thousand) volunteers that pitch in to make sure the entire slate of activities are a success.  If you’re interested in volunteering, Fox 4 in Kansas City has the details for you.  The first step is to apply for a job.  Your record also has to be fairly clean because they’ll be doing a background check.  I wonder what the chances are of getting into the game without having to buy All Star Game tickets.  I’m thinking not very good with all of the activities going on that week.

The logo for the 2012 All Star Game was unveiled yesterday.  It’s pretty sharp and Royals fans should be proud.  It mixes the crown as well as the Royal’s colors and mixes it in with the crown at the top and the All Star Game information in the middle.  Of course Kansas City got the game because of their recent renovations, but I still wonder, with a smaller market in the Midwest, how much All Star Game tickets end up going for.  Kauffman Stadium is a nice place and it should make for a fun setting next year at the big game.