DonS picks up his dice at last year’s IAL All-Star Game
The All-Star Weekend is coming up this month in the Illowa APBA League. We’ll be meeting up in the suburbs of Chicago the weekend of September 23-25. I’d have to say next to draft day, the IAL All-Star Game is the most intense, fun time of the year for our league. For one, it’s the only other time of year, that we’re all assembled around a table focused on one thing (well, there’s the league meeting but we won’t go there).
Second, the All-Star Game and the process that involves it, is one more thing that gives us the idea that we’re “managers” and “shoot, we could do this better than the real life guys”.
The ballots will no doubt be coming with next the newsletter. Since our league prohibits voting for your own position players, many IAL managers send out “nomination” articles with glowing recommendations for their players. That, or “if no else is any good, my player isn’t doing too bad and he’s got a heckuva card”.
All-Star managers for each division are determined by highest standings from the previous year. In addition to managing the actual game, they have the honor of choosing all pitchers second string players for the All-Star roster. Depending on the manager, each one does it differently. Some choose their roster and keep it secret till the last possible moment. Others choose a democratic approach and contact their division mates and ask for nominations. This is our chance to tout that C pitcher who’s having a great year and may get overlooked. Then there’s always the question of “team representation”. Managers like a chance to roll in the All-Star Game, right?
The game itself is pretty intense as I said. A few managers are keeping score and everyone is rolling for their own players. The managers usually make the final calls but sometimes will delegate others as “bench coach”, “bullpen coach” and the like. “Pay attention, we need a reliever!”
There’s plenty of good-natured trash talk before and during the game but it is indeed good-natured and hearty congratulations are paid at the end no matter who wins.
Stay tuned… I’m sure you’ll get more updates on our September Classic.
