MLB All-Star Game Tickets

As North American all-star spectacles go, Major League Baseball's All-Star Game is the prototype for all the others. Unlike the NFL's Pro Bowl, which wandered aimlessly and was almost discontinued until it landed in Honolulu, baseball's version of showing off has been a midsummer hit since its inception in Chicago's Comiskey Park in 1933. And unlike the NBA and NHL games, baseball's All-Star Game has not been cancelled because of labor disputes. (It was not held in 1945 because of World War II travel restrictions.)

The concept of an all-star game owes itself to Arch Ward, a Chicago Tribune sports editor, who wanted baseball to participate in the 'Century of Progress' Expo being held in the summer of 1933 in Chicago. He nagged enough to get the leagues to set up a vote for the all-stars, and managers and fans chose a good gathering of the nation's hottest players, with Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Frankie Frisch among them.

Though Babe Ruth was in the twilight of his career, he hit the first All-Star home run. The game was an economic success; Comiskey Park sold more than 49,000 tickets. (If you have one of these tickets now, you can cash it in for a whole lot more than it cost your grandfather.)

Read the full MLB All-Star Game Article