Rawlings 2010 Official All-Star Game Baseball in Production…

Images of the Official 2010 Rawlings Major League Baseball (MLB) All-Star Game Ball have just been released. The California Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim will be hosting the game on July 13, 2010 along with all the festivities and hoopla surrounding the event.

As predicted by many baseball collectors, the ball is practically a mirror image of the 2009 St. Louis Cardinals All-Star ball. It features Blue and Red laces and the all-too familiar dark blue print found on nearly all Special Event and Commemorative Game Baseballs today (the annual gold-stamped World Series baseballs being the obvious exception).

It’s exciting to see the very first commemorative game ball released for 2010, and we look forward to getting a few dozen boxes at Big League Baseballs. However, this news is unfortunate for those who anticipate a new and unique ball each year. Back to back years of the same model of ball is especially disappointing to those collectors who watched for each year’s All-Star baseball release since the mid-90′s. From 1995-1997, avid baseball collectors saw three identical color patterns in a row of red and blue lace plus blue ink, and a monotonous five in only six years from 1995-2000 (Texas, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Boston and Atlanta). Bleh! Perhaps some uniform color changes are in order.

Hey, at least there’s a positive for Rawlings Sporting Goods, which probably has plenty of extra bulk blue yarn spools lying around the factory. They’ll certainly have no concerns about keeping up with production for this one, at least as far as materials’ inventory is concerned. They probably have thousands of blanks already stitched up from last year as well.

First shipments of cases of the 2010 All-Star ball should begin arriving at retail outlets in late March or early April. BigLeagueBaseballs.com will offer a few.

Notes:

• The Angels previously hosted the game in 1967 and 1989.
• According to a release from Major League Baseball,  after 2007, MLB Commissioner Bud Selig said he was determined to go back to the traditional rotation of one year at an AL site and the next at an NL site.
• The Angels applied for the 2008 game, but Selig opted for the sentimental value of playing that one at old Yankee Stadium, since new Yankee Stadium was set to open in time for the 2009 season.
• The Angels will have hosted the last two All-Star Games in Los Angeles. The Dodgers haven’t hosted an All-Star Game since 1980.
• The last time the Angels hosted the game Bo Jackson and Wade Boggs hit back-to-back homers to open the bottom of the first inning. Jackson, who was also a star running back for the NFL’s LA Raiders, was the MVP.
• The 1989 All-Star Ball – the Angels last time hosting the Midsummer Classic, was the only time MLB Commissioner Bart Giamatti’s (Angelo Bartlett “Bart” Giamatti) signature made it onto an ASG ball. He also appeared on the ’89 WS ball, despite passing away on Sept. 1, a month and a half prior to the series.