I'm still a sucker for the MLB All-Star Game (watered as it may be). Bob Ryan had a nice piece today giving some perspective to how much more competitive the game used to be. There was one tidbit in the article that I was not aware of:
Do younger fans even realize that there was no such thing as interleague trading until 1959, and then it was initially allowed only for one 3 1/2-week period? The only way for a player to change leagues in the first six decades of the 20th century was by a waiver deal or outright release.
Rest of article:
http://tinyurl.com/mwlzaa