Red Carpet Rolled Out For Baseball All-Stars

17 Jul

The 84th annual mid-summer All-Star baseball classic was held in Queens for the first time in over 49 years in the new Citifield Stadium in Flushing on July 16th. Before the game started that evening, the red carpet was rolled out on 42nd St. in NYC style…over the top. The parade of baseball players gave fans a chance to cheer on their favorite team and players. There were plenty of kids watching the parade but mostly people on their lunch break took the opportunity to catch a glimpse of some of the best players in the game today. Some of these players will be future Hall of Famers and Cy Young Award winners. Two notable players are the best at their position. Red Sox slugger DH, David Ortiz, has the most hits of any DH ever…a record he accomplished earlier this month and hometown hero, NY Yankee closer, Mariano Rivera, has the most saves of any pitcher ever. Mo is a class act that represents all that is good in baseball. In this his final year pitching, his legacy of broken bats and a nasty cutter will endure for years to come. And as it turns out Rivera won the All-Star Most Valuable Player award..what a fitting way to end a magnificent career. Caps off to you Mo for bringing baseball fans 18 years of excellence.

David Ortiz – Big Papi

Jason Grilli

Mariano Rivera – Mo

Some of these athletes endured personal challenges to bounce back and become some of the best in the game. Take Pirates closing pitcher Jason Grilli who suffered a devastating knee injury where he was told he might not ever come back to play baseball again. In his rehabilitation, he met a female amputee soccer player determined to get back on the field and play again. That’s when Jason realized his problems were not as big as what others are facing. She turned out to be his inspiration and motivation to overcome those obstacles and make it back… and make it back he did and now is playing for a team with one of the best records at the All-Star break. Although many see baseball as a kids game, it really is more than that. It’s about being on team and doing your best to help a team. It’s about picking up your teammate when they fall down. It’s about having fun. It’s about learning from your mistakes and getting better. In many ways baseball mirrors life and that’s why it has endured for as long as it has.

Yu Darvish

Grant Balfour

Bryce Harper – far left

This years version of the All-Star game had more non-US born players than in previous years including two Japanese players, Yu Darvish and Hisashi Iwakuma. An Australian player, Grant Balfour, and enough Dominican players to make up their own All-Star team. Probably the best thing to see was that there were 4 players age 22 or younger playing. With likes of Manny Machado, Matt Harvey, Jose Fernandez and Bryce Harper in the All-Star line-up, it’s clear the future of baseball is in really good hands. The parade closed out with the coveted World Series trophy on display. One or more of the All-Star players in the parade will be holding that prize over their heads at the end of their championship season. I can only hope it stays where it has for many years.. in NY.