The four legends introduced before the All Star game bring back great memories

Published 3:20 pm Friday, July 17, 2015

I watched Tuesday night’s major league baseball All Star game from Cincinnati and I really enjoyed it.

Before the game was won by the American League All Stars 6-3 over the National League All Stars, four legendary stars, former Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame catcher Johnny Bench, former Atlanta Braves and Milwaukee Brewers Hall of Fame outfielder Hank Aaron, former New York and San Francisco Giants Hall of Fame outfielder Willie Mays and former Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers Hall of Fame left handed pitcher Sandy Koufax, were introduced to the crowd. Koufax threw the ceremonial first pitch to Bench.

I saw all four of those stars play, and in my opinion, they are as great a group legendary stars as the great game of baseball has ever seen.

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As a youngster growing up in Keyport, New Jersey, before moving to Cairo in 1956, I saw Aaron and Mays play against each other at the Polo Grounds in New York.

As a young man on April 8, 1974, in Cairo, I remember my late dad, who instilled in me my love of baseball and all sports, sitting with me in front of our television. We watched Aaron hit the home run to left field at old Atlanta Fulton County Stadium off Los Angeles Dodgers left hander Al Downing that broke the late Babe Ruth’s all time home run record of 714. The Braves went on to win the game 7-4.

I also saw Sandy Koufax, who was said to have the best curve ball of all time, pitch against the Braves at old Atlanta Fulton County Stadium and Bench play against the New York Mets at old Shea Stadium in New York while visiting my cousins in New Jersey.

In conclusion, I would just like to say that, while I enjoy watching the major league baseball All Star baseball game each year, I do not like the rule, put in a few years ago, that gives the winner home field advantage in the World Series. That rule would be fine if the two managers were allowed to select the top 25 players from each league and the rule that at least one player from each team must be selected was done away with.