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Wish granted: Reds to host 2015 All-Star
Game
Midsummer Classic will be fifth played in Cincinnati, first since 1988
CINCINNATI -- Amid a large crowd of Reds owners, players, management,
fans and local corporate and civic leaders, Cincinnati heard the words
Wednesday it has long hoped would come from the mouth of Major League
Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig.
The Reds will get to serve as hosts of the 2015 All-Star Game.
Joined on a stage that featured Reds CEO Bob Castellini, Selig revealed
the news during an afternoon news conference at Great American Ball
Park. The stadium will be the site of the Midsummer Classic -- one of
the game's biggest showcase events -- for the first time.
"I have every confidence that this will be a great event," Selig said
of what will be the 86th edition of the All-Star Game.
It will be the fifth All-Star Game played in Cincinnati, having
previously been at Riverfront Stadium in 1988 and 1970 and Crosley
Field in 1953 and 1938.
"The fans of Cincinnati, you're not going to recognize the event that
you last saw in 1988," Selig said. "The All-Star Game remains a
celebration of all that's the best in baseball ... but the scale of our
festivities today is stunning. The growth of the All-Star Game has
mirrored the remarkable growth of the National Pastime itself."
Great American Ball Park, which opened in 2003 and seats more than
42,000 fans, was built next door to its predecessor -- Riverfront
Stadium/Cinergy Field -- along the banks of the Ohio River in downtown
Cincinnati. When Castellini and his group bought the Reds in 2006, one
of his top priorities was to land an All-Star Game for the city.
"This is a red-letter day for us, and we couldn't be more proud,"
Castellini said. "You've picked the sweet spot of locations for 2015,
given that Cincinnati is a baseball town sitting in the middle of
baseball's heartland in what we refer to as 'Reds Country.'"
Not only will the game itself be played, in July 2015, but Cincinnati
will also be on display for the world in several events that are part
of All-Star Week. Those typically include the Home Run Derby, MLB
All-Star Futures Game and a fanfest.
"It's a six-day event," Selig said. "The last time you had it here,
people came in, they played the game, and then they left. No more. This
will start on Thursday before the Tuesday game and that weekend, it'll
be remarkable. You'll have people come in from all over to see it."
"The fans of Cincinnati, you're not going to recognize the event that
you last saw in 1988. The All-Star Game remains a celebration of all
that's the best in baseball ... but the scale of our festivities today
is stunning."
-- Commissioner Bud Selig
It's expected that the All-Star Game will not only be a boost for the
profile of Cincinnati, but also be a boon economically.
"People make different projections, but I would say to you that in the
last five or six years, you're talking anywhere from $80-100 million,"
Selig said. "It is just amazing. All of our recent hosts have seen how
the game has been a common thread for the community. It's hard for me
to articulate it today. You will see it."
By the time the 2015 All-Star Game is played, it will have been 27
years since it was last played in the city.
When Riverfront Stadium hosted the annual clash between American League
and National League players on July 12, 1988, the AL won the game that
year by a 2-1 score in a brisk 2 hours, 26 minutes. A's catcher Terry
Steinbach was named the game's Most Valuable Player for hitting a home
run and having a sacrifice fly...
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