All-Star Baseball – A New Kind of Game

Well, the 2023 Major League Baseball All-Star game has come and gone. Of all the major sports (MLB, NFL, NBA, and NHL) the baseball All-Star game is the most watched best of the best showcases in America. And this year was no different… except for one of the pre-game festivities.

In the past, the day before the MLB All-Star game consisted of the Home Run Derby and the classic Old-Timers game. The Old-Timers game consists of the top baseball players from the past getting together to play a 6-inning game where the stars of yesteryear come out to show what they’ve still got in the tank. But this year there was a new kind of game…

The Alzheimer’s game: where old-timers who THINK they may have been great baseball players got together to show what they could do. And what an interesting game it was.

We spoke with Randell Berg who told us about his days in the Negro League playing along side of Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, and Cool Papa Bell. It was a very interesting discussion. Unfortunately, Randell is actually an 82-year-old white Jewish man from Philadelphia. His son told us that Randell never actually played baseball but was an avid golfer in his youth. The whole family was there to cheer him on.

Eddie Harris ran out to shortstop with great speed at the start of the first inning. Eddie had told us that he played for the Riverdale Seahawks when he was younger. After further fact checking, there has never been a major league baseball team in Riverdale, nor could Eddie actually confirm which state Riverdale was located in.

First baseman, Ed Larson, was more than ready to scoop up and catch any throw coming his way as he wore a baseball glove on both hands.

The first batter was Gary Shultz. Before his at-bat, Gary made it a point to explain to our on-the-field color commentator how much he really enjoyed bacon. After stepping up to the plate and taking the first pitch from right-hander (and then left-hander, and then back to right-hander, and then under-hander), Donald Tanner, Gary tipped his hat to the crowd and headed back to the dugout.

Connor Tidwell, second baseman, Larry Falkland, second baseman, Daryl Shorman, second baseman, and Levi Weissman, second baseman, made sure the right side of the field was fully covered.

Team Manager, Johnny Ripley, apparently made the decision to not use a third baseman or any outfielders. He decided on 4 second baseman, a first baseman, a shortstop, a pitcher, and 2 catchers.

Johnny told us, “Baseball is like a doughnut. A doughnut has a hole. So does a bagel. Bagels are good. They go with cream cheese or butter. But I like cream cheese best. My mother makes eggs with bagels. And not always for breakfast. Have you met my mother? She likes doughnuts, too. But not as much as bagels. Hi. I’m Johnny. I like doughnuts. Bagels are good, too.”

Sadly, the game never got past 8 pitches. Donald Tanner, after his first pitch to Gary Shultz, then threw 3 right-handed pitches, 2 left-handed pitches, and 2 under-hand pitches to the catcher, Johnny Bench (who’s son told us that his name is actually Howie Burton), while no one was actually up to bat.

MLB Commissioner, Robert Manfred, Jr., was asked how he thought the game went. “This was a terrible idea that my mother begged me to try. After I committed to the idea and the plans were in place and set in motion, she was diagnosed with Dementia 8-days later. But she got to see her idea happen. Which was important to me.”

When asked how she thought the game went, Maxine Manfred told us, “Baseball is like a doughnut.”