There was a time

PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - The National League won the 1974 major league baseball all-star game on this date, making it twelve of the last thirteen (the other ended in a tie). Write-in first baseman Steve Garvey was named MVP. The Los Angeles Dodger's first baseman's two hits including an RBI and run scored helped the National League continue its winning ways over the American League by winning 7-2.

The NL's dominance over the AL in the 1960's, 70's and early 80's was astounding. From 1963 to 1982 the National League was 19-1. It was tough being an American League fan during those years. Here are the results:

Year--Played in--winner--score
1963 Cleveland - National 5-3
1964 New York (NL) - National 7-4
1965 Minnesota - National 6-5
1966 St. Louis - National 2-1
1967 California (AL) - National 2-1
1968 Houston - National 1-0
1969 Washington, D.C. - National 9-3
1970 Cincinnati - National 5-4
1971 Detroit - American 6-4
1972 Atlanta - National 4-3
1973 Kansas City - National 7-1
1974 Pittsburgh - National 7-2
1975 Milwaukee - National 6-3
1976 Philadelphia - National 7-1
1977 New York (AL) - National 7-6
1978 San Diego - National 7-3
1979 Seattle - National  7-6
1980 Los Angeles (NL) - National 4-2
1981 Cleveland - National 5-4
1982 Montreal - National 4-1

The American League turned the tables on the NL in the late 80's. From 1988 to 2009 the AL won 18 to the NL's 4 with one tie. Could the tide be turning again? The National League won the last two - 2010 and 2011.

Choosing the All-Stars has created as much debate over the years as the game itself. As of this writing, starting position players are chosen by the fans. The pitchers and back-ups are chosen by a combination of fans, players, managers and the commissioner's office. The dilemma is keeping the fans involved while not having the teams dominated by the Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers and Cubs - the most popular big-market teams. The other dilemma is requiring that every team have at least one representative, which means more deserving players are left off the squad.

CONTRIBUTING SOURCES:
The Sporting News, July 13, 2009
All-star game history

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