Only Me: ’67 “Star” Game Notes

It is say B12, third sackers Brooks (Robinson) and Rich Allen have exchanged “solos” and the ’67 All-Star tilt, at the second year Anaheim Stadium is knotted at 1.

Brooks (yesterday I viewed my interview with this great, classy, friendly player), is batting vs Mike Cuellar (Blattner accented the second syllable of Mike’s surname, eventually ’twas the first that was accented–ode to my mother who used Accent seasoning).

Ok to the point(s)–3 plus years later, Brooks and Cuellar would hug as the O’s won a second title, Brooks dominating the ’70 series, fielding and throwing out Pat Corrales to end it.

Cuellar’s catcher (the great Joe Torre started), was Tim McCarver, as good a player, likely better than he was annoying and non stop talking, as a commentator and he produced sizable portions in both, goes out to remind Mike to keep the ball down.

In later innings Bill Freehan and McCarver, who often joked/been serious about the great, great Cards’ pitcher, Bob Gibson telling him not to come to the mound, but later in ’67 as was the case in ’64 in another #7, he and McCarver celebrated a title as Cuellar and Brooks did after another 3 year interval, would make consecutive outs.

The interval was only one year, McCarver popped out to Freehan–’twas Detroit and Lolich/Freehan clearly hugging, as the Tigs 7’d the Redbirds.

There is more, but I am in a veritable desert, alone empty and maybe this is boring or meaningless but it is (strangely?) factual.

The great Dick Allen, pictured below. Regarding astroturf, not one of my big objections as baseball has eroded exponentially, if a horse can’t eat it I am not playing on it.

If that deteriorated, largely phony shrine (Alexander Cartwright anyone?) will not allow Pete (a ’67 N.L. reserve as was Willie Mays), I want no part of it.

In it, as a way of marking those great, at least better times, (after all so what if you can hit a baseball), eight of the nine N.L. ’67 All-Star Game starters (I was up late, watching with N.L. rooter, Dad seeing “Doggy” (Tony Perez) hit the decisive 15th inning “solo,” and rookie George Thomas Seaver save it–bottom), are in that shrine. Only Gene Alley, that year’s leading vote getter and a superb shortstop is not.

Greats Orlando Cepeda, Bill Mazeroski, Rich Allen, Lou Brock, Henry Aaron, Roberto Clemente, Joe Torre and pitching great, Juan Marichal are in.