Elten Schiller revolutionized the All Star Game

by jbox on Jul 10, 2007 8:59 AM PDT in News

I was reading Bob Chandler's Tales from the San Diego Padres last night. It's good book and an extremely quick read. I've already read it twice, but every once in awhile I'll pick it up and re-read a few stories.

Bob Chandler tells the story of how Elten Schiller changed the All Star game in 1978. Schiller was in charge of bringing the All Star game to San Diego, so in the summer of 1977 he went to Yankee Stadium to observe and learn from the preceding game. He noticed that thousands of fans crowded the fences of the stadium in the hopes of seeing some of the players coming to the closed batting practice session.

A little light bulb appeared over his head. Why not allow the fans to watch batting practice the day before the All Star game? It might just work. He opened San Diego Stadium and concessions, expecting 15,000 fans. Thirty thousand showed up! It was a big hit, become yearly tradition and all started right here in San Diego.

An interesting side note is that during batting practice. The NL used juiced balls. They pounded balls deep into the seats. The AL team watched and became intimidated by the power that the NL posessed. When the AL team took the field they were given normal balls. They felt weak in comparison and ended up losing the game.

This and a thousand other stories in Bob Chandler's book.

Elten Schiller who became Senior Vice President is also the person responsible for halting beer sales after the seventh inning. He was one of the great thinkers of our time.

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1978

I was actually at batting practice that day. I was 8. Totally different atmosphere then - almost all of the players when they weren't hitting would hang out alongside the stands and talk to the fans. I met Dave Concepcion, Willie Stargell,

by Winfield's Ghost on Jul 10, 2007 9:39 AM PDT reply actions

oops

(hit the post button before I finished)

Anyway met a bunch of the players and they all signed autographs - I had this totally lame autograph book that I still have buried in a box somewhere.

The other thing I remember is Ron Cey coming over and people getting all excited. I started to move down the railing to get him to sign the book and my dad held me back.

"We don't want his," he said. "He's a Dodger and we don't like Dodgers."

I remember more about that day than I do going to the actual game the next night. It was awesome.

by Winfield's Ghost on Jul 10, 2007 9:44 AM PDT up reply actions

Lol

Good call by your dad.

by osbug on Jul 10, 2007 9:47 AM PDT up reply actions

Go Pops!

What a great experience/memory!

by ABY on Jul 10, 2007 9:54 AM PDT up reply actions

My dad

His distaste for the Dodgers is comical. Two other Dodger related notes from the game - my dad was furious that Rick Monday was voted into the starting lineup over Winfield - just drove him crazy and he let Monday have it as they came in to the dugout after the top of the 1st (we were about 10 or 12 rows behind NL dugout), yelling about how he was "stealing Dave's spot!" Monday, to his credit, just looked up and laughed.

And then when Garvey was named MVP, my dad just went thru the roof.

"Garvey??? Garvey??? Carew hit two triples! No one's ever done that! I don't care that the AL lost! Garvey doesn't deserve ANYTHING!"

Of course, this was before 1984...

by Winfield's Ghost on Jul 10, 2007 9:58 AM PDT up reply actions