1944 All-Star Game Score Card

By virtue of holding the best record in the American Association at the season's midway point, the Brewers had won the right to host the league's All-Star Game. This is the score card that was handed out at Borchert Field on that day.

Magnificent cover. The title gives us a clue as to the format of the game; the complete Brewers squad would take on a road team of All-Stars.

That is, of course, Brewer president Bill Veeck, who had enlisted in the Marines the previous November and was spending the summer on duty "somewhere in the South Pacific" while his Brews welcomed the cream of the Association to Borchert Field.

This cover, by Milwaukee Sentinel cartoonist Lou Grant, imagines PFC Veeck listening to the game on his service radio. Outstanding.

On the inside front cover, we're welcomed by Brewer announcer Mickey Heath.

In 1944, Brewer games weren't broadcast in full, but Heath hosted a 15-minute review of game reviews and highlights Mondays through Saturdays at 5:30 on WISN (courtesy of the Miller Brewing Company), and a half-hour review every night at ten thirty on WEMP (this time by Gimbels).

Next up, an introduction to the home Brews:

Most of the following pages play out the same as a regular game score card.

There's the guest of honor, Minneapolis Millers president and owner Mike Kelly, celebrating 50 years in organized baseball (nearly all in the American Association):

In the middle, our newsprint lineups.

And we start to meet the Brewers' opponents:

Next up are the two managers. Casey Stengel was the Brewers' pilot that day, and the All-Stars were managed by Nick Cullop, skipper of the Columbus Red Birds. Milwaukee faithful would have done well to watch the opposing skipper carefully; he would become very important to the club in the off-season.

Ah, the Moor Mud Baths. An important part of the Brewers' Spring Training camp in Waukesha.

And there we go. All printed up and ready for the game.