Reflections on a Starry Night from Half-a-Lifetime Ago



1973 All-Star Game Program

The eyes of baseball fans everywhere will be on Kansas City Tuesday night.  Baseball's elite will suit up and take the field at Kauffman Stadium, aka "The K".  The last time the All-Star game was held in KC the stadium was known as Royals Stadium, and Ewing Kauffman, the man for whom it is now named, threw out the first pitch.  It was brand-new then - the crown jewel of baseball stadiums everywhere.  United Press International called it "the finest facility for the game ever erected."  That was in 1973, half  a lifetime ago.  I attended that All-Star game.  I didn't know what a bucket list was then, but attending an All-Star game would definitely have been on mine if I had.

It was an amazing time to live in Kansas City. Probably the best ever.  The Chiefs won the Super Bowl on January 11, 1970.  Kemper Arena and Hallmark's Crown Center opened in 1971.  Kansas City International airport and the Truman Sports Complex opened in 1972. 

Married on August 18, 1972, my new bride and I moved to KC where I started a new job with Allstate Insurance Co. on September 5.  My new office was located at 4800 E. 63rd Street in Kansas City, across the street from Swope Park.  Four years earlier members of my National Guard unit had camped out in Swope Park after being activated to quell race riots in KC in the wake of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King.  The small-town Springfield boy had officially moved to the big city.

On April 10, 1973, the Royals opened their brand-new stadium, just across a parking lot from also brand-new Arrowhead Stadium, with a 12-1 thrashing of the Texas Rangers.  On April 27, rookie pitcher Steve Busby threw a no-hitter against the Detroit Tigers.  On August 2, a rookie whose name wasn't even on the opening day roster got his first hit in the majors.  His name was George Brett.  He would rack up an additional 3,153 hits as a Royal before retiring in 1993.  Everything really was up-to-date in Kansas City.

I was in a remarkably good seat at the 1973 All-Star game thanks to my best friend at the time, Larry Stone.  If I had been so inclined I could have shaken hands with the stadium organist between songs.  Unfortunately, my most enduring memory of the game is being in an extra-long, extra-slow line at the concession stand when Johnny Bench homered.  The NL won the game 7-1.  In the 8th inning Willie Mays batted as a pinch-hitter.  It was Willie's 25th, and final, All-Star game.  Sparky Lyle struck the 42-year-old Mays out on 4 pitches.    I can still say I got to see the legendary Mays play in person.

Quite a bit has happened since July 24, 1973, the last time the All-Star game was held in Kansas City.  My friend who got me the tickets, Larry Stone, died of kidney disease in 1978.  (Note:  If you haven't yet done so, sign the organ donor authorization on the back of your driver's license).  LBJ died in 1973 and Monica Lewinsky was born in 1973.  Both influenced politics in the United States in their own special way.  I've still got the same wife and still work for the same company.  We've added a son, a daughter-in-law, and a couple of grandkids.  We lost both of my wife's parents and her older brother along the way. 

Baseball is still pretty much the same as it was in 1973, the year the designated hitter rule was added.   The the biggest change is player salaries.  In 1973, the average player salary was $36,500.  In 2011, it was $3.1 million.  I've heard it said that in 1973 the players were dumb and the owners were greedy, while today it's the other way around.

I'm sure I'll watch the game on TV and reminisce about when Royals Stadium and I were young.  As usual, I'll root for any players from the Royals and Cardinals.  I'll also root for Chipper Jones, 3rd baseman for the Atlanta Braves.  Born April 24, 1972, Chipper is the only player I could find on either roster who was alive the last time the All-Star game was in KC.