1973 ALL-STAR GAME
West Blanks East For Fourth Straight Win
Moose and Co. Combine for Four-Hitter
DALLAS (June 29) - Eight West pitchers combined to shut out the East, allowing just four hits, to extend the West Division's era of dominance to four years.  Starter Bob Moose of San Francisco allowed two walks and a hit in his two innings, but struck out four, and the next six West pitchers allowed just one hit in seven innings.  Only Pedro Borbon allowed two hits in an inning, in the top of the ninth, but the Los Angeles closer induced a double-play grounder from Bobby Bonds to end the game and wrap up the shutout.

Boston led the league with nine All-Star nominations and three starters (Cepeda, Petrocelli, and Allen).  Los Angeles led the West with eight nominations and Chicago had three starters (Taylor, Mazeroski, and Otis). (see team capsules below for complete All-Star listings).

Rod Carew led off the bottom of the first with a double, and later scored on Joe Torre's RBI groundout.  Richie Zisk doubled the lead with another RBI groundout in the third to plate Carl Taylor, who had singled, and Ken Singleton made it 3-0 with yet another RBI groundout in the fourth, scoring Amos Otis.  Otis later led off the sixth with a double and scored on Bill Freehan's RBI groundout.  Colts Amos Otis and Carl Taylor accounted for half of the West's four hits (including three doubles) and three of their four runs scored, and shortstop Bill Mazeroski initiated two double plays, including the game-ending DP that preserved the shutout.

The West Division once trailed the East 5 games to 2 in the Midsummer Classic, but has won every All-Star Game since 1970 and now leads the all-time series for the first time, 6-5.  Next year's classic will be hosted by either Brooklyn or expansion Montreal, depending on the progress of upgrades to Stade Parc Jarry.

Outlaws Close on Colts
CHICAGO (June 27) -- The Los Angeles Outlaws lost today, 2-1, ending a 10-game winning streak that saw them beat the West-leading Colts five times in a row, helping lift L.A. from 4th to 2nd and from 8 to 2 games behind.  Ken Henderson homered six games in a row, lifting himself to 1st in the league in home runs with 21.  Henderon batted .398-9-22 in June to lift the Batter of the Month trophy for the second time this year.  Ron Santo (.351) and Mike Epstein (.349) also had hot months at the plate, Larry Dierker extended his unbeaten streak to nine starts, and Pedro Borbon had six saves and a 0.84 ERA in 9 appearances.

Maroons Hit New Low
The St. Louis Maroons, pegged as a preseason favorite with one of the most fearsome lineups in the league, finished the first half with the fewest runs scored in the league, just 295 (3.6 per game).  Injuries to key hitters Boog Powell, Mickey Mantle, and Dick Howser, and slumps by Reggie Smith (.242-8-37) and Jim Fregosi (.248-4-22) have condemned the Dark Reds to fifth place in the West.  GM Timothy J. Smith is hoping the imminent return of Boog and catcher Ellie Rodriguez will change the club's fortunes, but is already shopping free-agent eligibles Mantle and Howser.  The Maroons have finished lower then 7th in batting only twice in their 22 years.

Every Day Is Like Survival
Rivalry Week Preview
Circuit Clouts ranks this year's top series

1. CLEVELAND vs DETROIT
First place is on the line when the Great Lakes Series returns this week, as Detroit’s third ranked offense battles Cleveland’s second-ranked pitching.  With a combined 44 seasons in the league and only two pennants between them, both teams will be hungry for a quick start to the second half.  Detroit has had the better of the Barons in recent years--both overall and head-to-head--but Qualls’ nine are 4-3 against the Griffins in ‘73 and sit atop the division for the first time in years--at least for now.

2. BOSTON vs WASHINGTON
The only rivalry week meeting between perennial contenders over the past three seasons, Boston and Washington will close the books on their somewhat contrived East Coast rivalry after this season, as Washington looks south and Boston looks north in '74.  Washington narrowly leads the 3-year series, 23-21, but Boston has won 5 of 9 meetings this year.  Once again this year the series takes on added significance as the clubs sit two games apart near the top of the tightly packed East Division.

3. LOS ANGELES vs SAN FRANCISCO
The Golden State is home to the most even and hotly-contested rivalry in recent years.  Only 12 wins separate the two teams over the last three years, and the I-5 Series stands at 23-21, with the Outlaws holding a narrow edge on both counts.  LA's recent surge gives this opening series of the second half added urgency for the SoCalers.

4. CHICAGO vs ST. LOUIS
The Maroons used last year’s I-55 Series as a springboard to a 19-9 July that launched them from fourth place into pennant contention, but the Colts have finished ahead of St. Louis three years in a row.  The teams duelled for the division title last year until the Colts knocked St. Louis out of the race in the final week.  This series would rank higher were it not for the Maroons' dreadful first half.

5. BROOKLYN vs MANHATTAN
Not the rivalry it once was, but any meeting between two New York clubs is bound to be compelling, even if the two clubs are in the bottom four in winning percentage over the last three years.  Sadly for Brooklyn fans is that the series has been dominated by their
cross-town rivals in recent years, 26-15, making it the second most lopsided rivalry in the league, after Atlanta-Dallas.  But perhaps the tide is turning.  The Bas lead this year’s series 3-2, and climbed into a fifth place tie with the Sox on the last day of the first half.

6. ATLANTA vs DALLAS
Maybe it's the 800-mile distance between cities, or that one is an expansion team and the other a relocated one, or that it's the most lopsided of the pairings, but Toppers-Texans brings up the rear for rivalry week excitement.  The Toppers have finished ahead of Dallas six years in a row, have 40 more wins over the last three years, and have the most lopsided head-to-head record (27-16) of the six matchups.  So perhaps it's for the best that this rivalry will be retired after this year.  Loving would be easy if your colors were like my dream.

New Ar-Rivals
Starting next year the Atlanta-Dallas and Boston-Washington rivalries will be broken up to accommodate expansion.  The Boston-Washington rivalry was always a bit contrived, as the two cities sit 500 miles apart, and have several major cities and two UL teams between them.  Beginning next year, Boston will look north of the border to Montreal for their regional bragging rights, while Washington will pair up with Atlanta in a new Southeastern rivalry, and Dallas and Denver will forge a new Western rivalry.