The 2011 Major League Baseball All-Star Game goes down tonight at Chase Field in Phoenix. Most people will probably get tired of Tim McCarver’s nonsensical rambling after 3 innings and flip over to America’s Got Talent. However, I will be watching the whole game, and not just because I can’t stand Sharon Osborn. No, I’ll be watching the whole game because, even though the format is stale and the definition of “star” is pretty loose these days, you still never know when something truly memorable will happen. Sure, I’ll probably be let down when Jhonny Peralta of the Detroit Tigers is batting against Tyler Clippard of the Washington Nationals in the top of the 9th, but a guy can dream, can’t he? So, in honor of tonight’s Midsummer Classic, whatever it holds in store for us, here are 9 of the most memorable moments in the history of the All-Star Game.

9. The Battle of the Mullets in 1993

Menacing lefty Randy Johnson was about 7’15” and threw the ball about 125mph. He was an intimidating foe no matter where his pitches went, but he was especially intimidating when they happened to sail over a batter’s head. Just ask John Kruk.

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8. Cal Ripken’s Home Run in 2001

As Bob Costas explains in the video, “[In a totally spontaneous, entirely unscripted moment that happened to be caught on tape by the mic he was wearing,] Alex Rodriguez insisted [Cal Ripken] take his place at shortstop, the position where he’d become a legend.” Of course, you know if A-Rod wasn’t mic’d up, the convo would’ve been more like “hey, they said I have to let you play shortstop, so, like, whatever.” But, hey, at least A-Rod was on the field at all. If it were the bottom of the 4th he would already have been in his Benz on his way to a strip club. Luckily, not even A-Rod could ruin this nice moment from Cal Ripken, Jr., one of baseball’s true class acts.

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7. The Babe Hits the First Ever All-Star Game Home Run in 1933

The Great Bambimo’s career was winding down when Major League Baseball introduced the All-Star Game in 1933. But that didn’t stop him from hitting the very first ASG home run off National League pitcher Bill Hallahan in the bottom of the third inning at Chicago’s Comiskey Park. There couldn’t have been a more fitting person to achieve this feat than the Sultan of Swat. Not a bad piece of trivia, either.

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6. Reggie’s Bomb in 1971

The 1971 ASG at Tiger Stadium in Detroit featured home runs from five other Hall of Famers, but the most impressive came off the bat of the future “Mr. October,” Reggie Jackson. His monstrous bomb in the bottom of the third was still rising when it hit a light standard above the right-center field roof, 380 feet from home plate. They estimate the ball would have gone about 520 feet if the tower hadn’t gotten in the way.

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5. Williams’ Walk-Off Home Run in 1941

Ted Williams had one of the most storied careers in Major League Baseball history; however, he never won a World Series with the cursed Boston Red Sox. That’s probably why Williams, the Splendid Splinter, the last man to hit .400 in a season, has called this walk-off ASG homer one of the finest moments in his career. Of course, it also helps to remember that back in 1941 the All-Star game was important to players and fans alike.

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4. Musial’s Walk-Off Home Run in 1955

Stan the Man’s walk-off bomb in 1955 just narrowly beats out William’s walk-off shot in 1941 for three little reasons. First, Stan’s home run came in extra innings, which is just a tad more exciting than William’s 9th inning home run. Second, this is the greatest All-Star Game moment from the man who played in more All-Star Games (24) than anyone else in the history of the game. Third, in addition to being a baseball legend, Musial is by all accounts an exceptional human being, whereas Williams had the reputation of being somewhat of a cur. So, when it’s all said and done, advantage Musial.

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3. Carl Hubbell Strikes Out 5 Hall of Famers in a Row

People talk a lot about the dominant performance of Pedro Martinez in the 1999 ASG, when he struck out four consecutive players (Barry Larkin, Larry Walker, Sammy Sosa, and Mark McGwire) to start the game. But in 1934, in just the second ASG ever played, pitcher Carl Hubbell struck out five consecutive players who later made it to the Hall of Fame, including perhaps the greatest hitter of all time. That’s right, Hubbell struck out none other than Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, Al Simmons, and Joe Cronin.

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2. Pete Rose Collides With Ray Fosse in 1970

Good old Charlie Hustle never played a baseball game he didn’t try his damnedest to win. Case in point: the 1970 All-Star Game. The NL and AL were knotted up at 4-4 in the bottom on the 12th. Pete Rose of the hometown Cincinnati Reds was on second base when Jim Hickman of the Chicago Cubs smacked a base hit to center field. Rose rounded third and chugged toward home, where he completely flattened catcher Ray Fosse of the Cleveland Indians. Game over, National League wins 5-4. As for Fosse, well, he fractured his shoulder on the play and would never be the same again.

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1. Tie Game in 2002

Is this moment of infamy really more memorable than all the others? Well, it’s certainly not the greatest moment—in fact, it is almost certainly the worst moment in the history of the All-Star Game. But the end of the 2002 game is memorable in the sense that more than any actual game highlight in recent years, it represents what the MLB All-Star Game has become: a softball game at a company picnic. Only one or two players take the game seriously, and everybody gets a turn no matter what. And that’s how the game ended in a tie: trying so hard to make sure every player got to play. The managers used up all their pitchers by the 11th inning. But I’ll make a deal with MLB: you let Pete Rose in the Hall of Fame, and I’ll remove this moment from the top spot on this list. Deal?

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Thank God for the All-Star game. Without it, what would baseball use to track mid-season trends, stats, and standings? Without the All-Star game, we would be forced to say things like “at the halfway point,” or “midway through the season.” That would seriously be hell on Earth.

The All-Star break can also be seen as a short regrouping period in which players and teams can turn their fortunes around. However, that’s not always a good thing. For every inspirational talk, for every instance of increased focus and teamwork, there’s a manager that loses his team, or a player whose focus drifts. So let’s enjoy the breakdowns for a moment or two with the worst second-half collapses.

I based collapses on the differences in winning percentages in the first half of the season and the second half of the season. These are listed as the top 5, but there are a handful of entries that supersede these, but they’re from teams that were playing on polo fields in the 1880’s and such. Not the most fun. Fortunately someone else did the statistical heavy lifting with this list that I used as my benchmark.

5. Angels – 1983
Back when they were known as the “California” Angels, rather than the “Los Angels Angels of Anaheim” or “Anaheim Angels” or any of the other modern-day permutations, these guys were getting the attention of baseball by staging a monumental meltdown after the All-Star break. The Angels went from .543 to a miserable .321 on the back end. Reggie Jackson was in the twilight of his career and, though he played 116 games at DH, was only able to muster a .194 batting average. If someone can’t crack the Mendoza line over the course of 116 games, you might not want to play him in a position called “designated hitter.” They fell to fifth in their division and, of course, sat on the sidelines during the playoffs. Metaphorically speaking.

4. Brewers – 1975
In 1975, Milwaukee went from slightly over .500 with a .531 winning percentage to WAY under with a .309 run in the second half of the season. This team, owned by now-commissioner Bud Selig, ended up a worse-than-mediocre 68-95. It’s no easy feat to start the way the Brewers did and end up fifth in their division. Ugh.

The team’s collective ego was further marred by the fact that this was Hank Aaron’s inaugural year with the team. An auspicious start, Mr. Aaron.

3. Nationals – 2005
Hey! It’s a team from just yesterday. The upstart Nationals hung out to that famous Expo spirit in this effort, going from .617 in the first half of 2005 to .383 in the second half, which left them…back. It was the Nats first season in Washington, and to give you some idea of the legacy they were trying to shake in Montreal, the team had the 3rd biggest breakdown in MLB history, but was still able to pull one of the best finishes of the decade for the Expo/Nats. It’s nice to see you can have the wheels come off in epic fashion and still have a banner year for your team. Lowered expectations, I guess.

2. Philadelphia A’s – 1943
Congrats Philadelphians, you took a good run, but you couldn’t quite make it to the top here. The A’s went from a meager .443 winning percentage in the front half of the season to a nauseating .199 in the second half, which put them in 8th place in the American League in 1943. That doesn’t seem so bad until you realize that there were a lot less teams back then. Their most impactful pitcher was Don Black who went 6-16 in 33 starts. Rough. Poor Connie Mack. He had so much success, but not enough. It’s like the movie Major League, but in reverse.

1. Cubs – 1977
The dubious distinction of being first on this list of course belongs to the Cubs, whose breakdown in 1977 left the whole country and Cubs fans in particular saying “What just happened?” They went from a .630 winning percentage during the front nine to a .370 on the back nine, not only blowing an 8.5 game lead at the half, but blowing it so badly as to finish in fourth place IN THEIR division. Not great work, guys.

Maybe it had to do with utility player Dave Rosello switching positions 12 times, or team leader Bobby Murcer switching roles eight times. It’s a little hard to find a groove when every day finds you rotating around the diamond to fix a problem that wasn’t so prevalent in the first 81 games.

President Obama came out to what seemed to be a mixture of cheers and boos.  We are still trying to figure out if the boos were a response to the continued recession or his Chicago White Sox jacket.

A lefty, like Mr. T, Obama hurled in a short-hop to the Cardinals Albert Pujos, who was behind the plate.  Not a bad effort, and one that should save him from embarrassment.  Thankfully he refrained from following in Mr. T’s footsteps and steered clear of singing “Take Me Out To The Ball Game” during the seventh inning stretch.  That could have cost his a second term.