Major League Baseball’s Five Most Awkward All-Star Moments of the Past 25 Years

Trust me…these aren’t the kind of moments that you’ll see on any MLB-sanctioned DVD. And you won’t get the chance to participate in online balloting to nominate your own selections. But, funny things happen when baseball’s All-Stars get together…and I take great pleasure in documenting them.

Moment #5 – John Kruk vs. Randy Johnson, Baltimore 1993 – You’ve no doubt seen the replays of John Kruk’s at-bat against the Big Unit dozens of times. And while there is still some debate about whether the whole thing was a setup, the at-bat did underline an important point: at that point in his career, no left-handed hitter in his right mind wanted anything to do with hitting off of the Big Unit. Remember, this was the not-yet-refined version of Randy Johnson…this was still the version that averaged 148 walks per season in 1991-92 and who still gave most people the impression that he didn’t quite know where the ball was going when it finally left his hand at what seemed like twenty feet in front of home plate. Of course, Johnson would go on to win five Cy Young Awards, but I still think the 1993 version of the Big Unit – the version that made some hitters actually fear for their lives – was more fun to watch.

Moment #4 – Roberto Hernandez vs. Cal Ripken, Philadelphia, 1996 – Put yourself, for a moment, in the shoes of then-White Sox reliever Roberto Hernandez. You’re standing on some temporary bleachers about to pose for your first ever All-Star team photo. A lifetime of hard work is now being recognized for everyone, as you’re about to be photographed as one of the best players in the American League for 1996. But suddenly you lose your balance. And as you try to regain your balance, you violently swing your arm backward. And you hit the guy behind you. Luckily, you don’t fall – gee, wouldn’t that have been embarrassing? – but you suddenly realize that the player standing behind you is Cal Ripken, Jr. And, yes, you’ve broken his nose. The man who only a few months earlier had broken a seemingly unbreakable big league record for longevity has just had his nose broken – on a night when the nation was about to salute him one more time – all because you couldn’t stand up straight. Nice…very nice.

Moment #3 – Roger Clemens and Mike Piazza, Houston, 2004 – There’s nothing I enjoy more when reading the morning sports page than seeing a player lie through his teeth. The kind of lie that is so completely ridiculous, you almost have to step back and respect it, rather than condemn it. Yes, I’m talking about the kinds of lies told by Roger Clemens and Mike Piazza prior to the 2004 All-Star Game, when they learned that they would have to work together as the National League’s opening battery. We all know the history between these two – Clemens had, over the years, thrown fastballs at Piazza’s head and a shattered barrel of a bat at Piazza’s body. So it was a bit beyond ridiculous to hear Clemens tell reporters, “I’m looking forward to it; I’m glad I’m throwing to him” before the game. And it was equally humorous to hear Piazza say, “I think it’s funny; I’ve been laughing about it” about the prospect of catching his least-favorite pitcher. These two put on such a great performance – in lying directly to the cameras before the game – that they may have cemented their future jobs after baseball…as actors.

Moment #2 – Garry Templeton’s Famous Quote, Cleveland, 1981 – The 1981 baseball season was an absolute mess. A player’s strike lasted for 50 days during the middle of the season, causing fans everywhere to feel betrayed by both owners and players alike. It was in the midst of this horrible relationship between players and fans that perhaps the most selfish – and perhaps funniest, as well – quote ever uttered by a player was given to us. This tremendous gift was not bestowed upon us fans by the great Rickey “I am the greatest” Henderson, but instead by then-Cardinals shortstop Garry Templeton. Templeton, you see, felt he was deserving of being the starter for the National League at shortstop. In fact, he felt so strongly that he should start that he essentially delivered an ultimatum to the fans, saying, “If I ain’t startin’…I ain’t departin’.” Truly a classic quote…and it was delivered in the middle of what – at the time – was the most contentious season between players and fans in the history of the game. As they used to say at the time, “Baseball Fever…Catch It!”

Moment #1 – Bud Selig vs. Himself, Milwaukee, 2002 – In a way you had to feel sorry for baseball commissioner Bud Selig. After all, there is no question that the man loves the game of baseball…and he loves his hometown of Milwaukee. So the 2002 All-Star Game – held at the beautiful new stadium that Selig had pushed for – was supposed to be the commish’s finest hour. Only someone forgot to tell managers Joe Torre and Bob Brenly, who ran out of pitchers after 11 innings of play. So a simple announcement was made over the public address system that the game would end in a tie. And television cameras caught Selig sitting in the stands with a befuddled look on his face, almost as if to say, “How on earth could this happen?” Well, it did happen, Bud…and what had been a spectacular game up until that point would be forever remembered as Bud’s Greatest Blunder. The truth of the matter is that the tie game had little to do with Selig – after all, he’d have been criticized as a “huckster” if he had asked to settle the matter with a Home Run Derby – but as the man in charge, he absolutely took the fall. To put it in the simplest terms possible, it was clearly the wrong night to be a Bud inside Miller Park.

So there you have it…my list of the five most awkward moments in the last 25 years of Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game. Do you have any favorites? If so, e-mail them to me at jodymadron@sportsgrumblings.com.