Midwest League 1972

All-Star Game

All-Stars 1, Wisconsin Rapids 1

Wisconsin Rapids, Monday, July 24, 1972

The 1972 Midwest League All-Star Game was played at Witter Field in Wisconsin Rapids on July 24, 1972. The game pitted a team of the league's best players, selected by the league's managers and sports writers, against the Wisconsin Rapids Twins, who led the league in wins for the first half of the season.

Officially: The All-Stars tied the Twins, 1-1, in ten innings in a classic pitcher's duel. WR's Ken Dempsey had three hits and scored his team's run. No pitchers got any decisions, of course.

Alternatively, and widely reported: The All-Stars beat the Twins, 6-1, in eleven innings. Mike Buskey knocked in two runs for the winners, including the ninth-inning run that put the game into extra innings. Tony Velazquez got the win as pitcher of record in the top of the eleventh; Twins manager Jay Ward was the losing pitcher.

How this came to pass: League VP Roger Crow, who'd originally persuaded everyone on the field to agree to play the eleventh with the managers on the mound, made the decision to discard the last inning, perhaps after consulting with others. WR Tribune Sports Editor Bob Des Jarlais called the outcome "Wisconsin Rapids' biggest baseball farce." Seems fair.

Box Score for Official Game

ALL-STARS                    AB R H BI      WISCONSIN RAPIDS              AB R H BI
Duane Espy (DAN/MIL) 2B       3 0 1 0       Randy Beach (WR/MIN) CF        5 0 0 0
 Bob Breitzman (QUI/CHC) 2B   2 0 0 0       Ken Dempsey (WR/MIN) RF        5 1 3 0
Pickle Smith (WAT/KC) LF      5 0 0 0       Frank Grundler (WR/MIN) 1B-LF  5 0 2 0
Frankie George (QC/CAL) CF    3 1 1 0       Moe Hill (WR/MIN) LF           3 0 0 1
Kim Cates (CLI/DET) 1B        2 0 0 0        Mike Smith (WR/MIN) 1B        2 0 1 0
 Lamar Johnson (APP/CWS) 1B   1 0 1 0       Mike Uremovich (WR/MIN) C      4 0 1 0
Ron Jackson (QC/CAL) 3B       4 0 1 0       Jeff Kalish (WR/MIN) 3B        3 0 1 0
Mike Reynolds (APP/CWS) C     3 0 1 0       Frank Cappiello (WR/MIN) 2B    2 0 0 0
Tom Smith (DEC/SF) SS         2 0 0 0        Randy Atchison (WR/MIN) 2B    2 0 0 0
 Mike Buskey (APP/CWS) SS     2 0 0 0       Dale Soderholm (WR/MIN) SS     4 0 0 0
Kirk Allison (BUR/OAK) RF     2 0 0 0       Frank Schuster (WR/MIN) P      0 0 0 0
 Sixto Lezcano (DAN/MIL) RF   1 0 0 0        Avery Morris (WR/MIN) PH-P    1 0 0 0
Carl Austerman (DAN/MIL) P    1 0 0 0        Sam Hess (WR/MIN) PH          1 0 0 0
 Frank Siedlecki (QUI/CHC) P  1 0 0 0        Tom Hroncich (WR/MIN) P       0 0 0 0
 Charlie Moore (DAN/MIL) PH   1 0 0 0        Reginald Rowe (WR/MIN) P      1 0 0 0
 Tony Velazquez (CR/STL) P    1 0 0 0        Mark Connor (WR/MIN) P        0 0 0 0
                                             Harold Dixon (WR/MIN) P       1 0 0 0
 TOTALS                      34 1 5 0                                     39 1 8 1

All-Stars         000 000 001 0 - 1 5 2
Wisconsin Rapids  100 000 000 0 - 1 8 3

 E - Soderholm, Cates, Buskey, Uremovich, and Atchison. LOB - All-Stars 7, WR 9.
 2B - Dempsey, Jackson, Grundler. SB - Reynolds.

ALL-STARS         IP H R ER BB SO
Austerman        3.0 4 1  1  0  5
Siedlecki        4.0 1 0  0  0  1
Velazquez        3.0 3 0  0  0  4

WISCONSIN RAPIDS  IP H R ER BB SO
Schuster         2.0 1 0  0  0  2
Morris           3.0 2 0  0  1  2
Hroncich         1.0 0 0  0  2  1
Rowe             1.0 0 0  0  0  1
Connor           1.0 0 0  0  0  1
Dixon            2.0 2 1  0  1  2

 WP - Morris, Hroncich, Velazquez. HBP - By Siedlicki (Kalish). PB -
 Uremovich.

 Umpires - Ron McDowell, Les Tritell, Eldon Moritz, James Peterson,
 Gary Brooks, Chris Drikakis.

Time: 2:45.  Attendance: 1,565.

Notes, Issues, Sources, and Mysteries

• Based on the box score in the 1995 Midwest League Yearbook, with help from the (very different) game accounts in the July 25, 1972, editions of the Wisconsin Rapids Tribune (tie game) and Appleton Post-Crescent (Stars win), both of which contained box scores. There's also an account of the game--or, more accurately, the situation--in The Sporting News for August 12. The team selections were published in the July 17 edition of the the Trib and the July 16 Burlington Hawk-Eye.
• Danville Manager Joe Nossek led the All-Star squad, with coaching assistance from Steve Boros (Waterloo). Wisconsin Rapids manager Jay Ward was also selected as an All-Star coach, but was (as we've seen) otherwise occupied.
• Besides manager Ward, four Wisconsin Rapids players--catcher Mike Uremovich, outfielder Ken Dempsey, and pitchers Frank Schuster & Bill Barnes--were selected to the All-Stars, regardless of their team's participation as the Stars' opposition. All except Barnes appeared in the game for Wisconsin Rapids.
• Although ten pitchers were selected for the All-Star squad, manager Nossek only had three available for the game.
• No official game MVP was selected. Probably a good thing.
• Selected, but did not play: Fred Bruntrager (P, Clinton), Paul Sands (P, Appleton), Mark Littel (P, Waterloo), Ray Brown (P, Waterloo), Paul Patterson (P, Appleton), and Bill Barnes (P, Wisconsin Rapids).

Alternate Reality Box Score

ALL-STARS                    AB R  H BI      WISCONSIN RAPIDS              AB R H BI
Duane Espy (DAN/MIL) 2B       3 0  1 0       Randy Beach (WR/MIN) CF        5 0 0 0
 Bob Breitzman (QUI/CHC) 2B   3 0  0 0       Ken Dempsey (WR/MIN) RF        5 1 3 0
Pickle Smith (WAT/KC) LF      6 0  1 1       Frank Grundler (WR/MIN) 1B-LF  5 0 2 0
Frankie George (QC/CAL) CF    4 2  2 0       Moe Hill (WR/MIN) LF           3 0 0 1
Kim Cates (CLI/DET) 1B        2 0  0 0        Mike Smith (WR/MIN) 1B        2 0 1 0
 Lamar Johnson (APP/CWS) 1B   2 1  2 0       Mike Uremovich (WR/MIN) C      5 0 1 0
Ron Jackson (QC/CAL) 3B       5 1  2 1       Jeff Kalish (WR/MIN) 3B        4 0 1 0
Mike Reynolds (APP/CWS) C     3 1  1 0       Frank Cappiello (WR/MIN) 2B    2 0 0 0
Tom Smith (DEC/SF) SS         2 0  0 0        Randy Atchison (WR/MIN) 2B    3 0 0 0
 Mike Buskey (APP/CWS) SS     3 1  1 2       Dale Soderholm (WR/MIN) SS     4 0 0 0
Kirk Allison (BUR/OAK) RF     2 0  0 0       Frank Schuster (WR/MIN) P      0 0 0 0
 Sixto Lezcano (DAN/MIL) RF   1 0  0 0        Avery Morris (WR/MIN) PH-P    1 0 0 0
Carl Austerman (DAN/MIL) P    1 0  0 0        Sam Hess (WR/MIN) PH          1 0 0 0
 Frank Siedlecki (QUI/CHC) P  1 0  0 0        Tom Hroncich (WR/MIN) P       0 0 0 0
 Charlie Moore (DAN/MIL) PH   1 0  0 0        Reginald Rowe (WR/MIN) P      1 0 0 0
 Tony Velazquez (CR/STL) P    1 0  0 1        Mark Connor (WR/MIN) P        0 0 0 0
 Joe Nossek (DAN/MIL) P       0 0  0 0        Harold Dixon (WR/MIN) P       1 0 0 0
                                              Jay Ward (WR/MIN) P           0 0 0 0
 TOTALS                      40 6 10 5                                     42 1 8 1

All-Stars         000 000 001 05 - 6 10 2
Wisconsin Rapids  100 000 000 00 - 1  8 3

 E - Soderholm, Cates, Buskey, Uremovich, and Atchison. LOB - All-Stars 8, WR 9.
 2B - Dempsey, Jackson, Grundler, George, Jackson. SB - Reynolds. SF - Velazquez.

ALL-STARS         IP H R ER BB SO
Austerman        3.0 4 1  1  0  5
Siedlecki        4.0 1 0  0  0  1
Velazquez (W)    3.0 3 0  0  0  4
Nossek           1.0 0 0  0  0  1

WISCONSIN RAPIDS  IP H R ER BB SO
Schuster         2.0 1 0  0  0  2
Morris           3.0 2 0  0  1  2
Hroncich         1.0 0 0  0  2  1
Rowe             1.0 0 0  0  0  1
Connor           1.0 0 0  0  0  1
Dixon            2.0 2 1  0  1  2
Ward (L)         1.0 5 5  5  1  0

 WP - Morris, Hroncich, Velazquez. HBP - By Siedlicki (Kalish). PB -
 Uremovich.

 Umpires - Ron McDowell, Les Tritell, Eldon Moritz, James Peterson,
 Gary Brooks, Chris Drikakis.

Time: 2:59.  Attendance: 1,565.