This is a history of major league baseball’s first All-Star game, originally conceived in 1933 as a one-time “Game of the Century” (including greats such as Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Carl Hubbell and Lefty Grove) to lift the spirits of the nation and its people in the midst of the Great Depression. The game was so successful that it became a yearly event and an integral part of the baseball season. The work covers the game, from the Chicago Tribune’s early advocacy for the contest through every play, and the later accomplishments of many of the individuals involved.

Lew Freedman is a long-time, prize-winning journalist for such newspapers as the Philadelphia Inquirer, Chicago Tribune and Anchorage Daily News. Specializing in sports and the outdoors, he has written more than 100 books. He lives in Columbus, Indiana.

Lew Freedman
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 231
Bibliographic Info: 11 photos, appendices, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2010
pISBN: 978-0-7864-4708-4
eISBN: 978-0-7864-5775-5
Imprint: McFarland

Introduction      1

1. The First All-Stars      5

2. A World-Class Sport at a World’s Fair      13

3. And the Fans Go Crazy      22

4. Picking the Team      30

5. Getting Ready      40

6. Comiskey Park Belongs      49

7. The Players      55

8. First Inning      62

9. Second Inning      71

10. Third Inning      79

11. Fourth Inning      87

12. Fifth Inning      93

13. Sixth Inning      102

14. Seventh Inning      110

15. Eighth Inning      119

16. Ninth Inning      129

17. Post Game      139

18. East-West Classic      148

19. Here to Stay      161


20. Arch’s Brain Keeps Whirring      171

21. What Happened to Everyone      179

Appendix 1: 1933 All-Star Box Score      195

Appendix 2: Player Voting for the First All-Star Game      198

Appendix 3: All-Star Game Scores, 1933–2010      201

Chapter Notes      207

Bibliography      213

Index      219