My 100 favorite collectibles ... No. 92 — Baseball's All-Star Game

Babe Ruth appropriately put an indelible stamp on the inaugural All-Star Game in 1933 at Comiskey Park by hitting the first home run in All-Star Game history — a two-run shot off the Cardinals' Wild Bill Hallahan in the third inning of a 4-2 victory for the American League. But it's lesser known that Cubs pitcher Lon Warneke hit the first triple in All-Star Game history — a hit to right field in the bottom of the sixth inning — and scored the first National League run in All-Star Game history.

Warneke, who went 109-72 in six full seasons with the Cubs from 1931-36, also earned the save in the National League's first victory in the All-Star game in 1936. He pitched the final 2 1/3 innings of a 4-3 victory, retiring Joe DiMaggio — then a Yankees rookie outfielder — with the tying run on second for the final out. Cubs teammate Augie Galan homered in that game to help the NL win the All-Star Game after losing the first three.

Baseball's All-Star Game — "The Game of the Century" — was the brainchild of Tribune sports editor Arch Ward, to coincide with the 1933 Century of Progress Exposition in Chicago. It was an immediate success, with Ruth's home run paving the way to a 4-2 victory before 49,000 fans at Comiskey Park.

Cubs and White Sox players have had moderate impact in the All-Star Game. When Miguel Vargas homered in the All-Star Game last week at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, he was just the third Sox player to homer in an All-Star game. The others are Frank Thomas in 1995 and Magglio Ordonez in 2001. Only five current teams have fewer All-Star Game homers, and all of them entered MLB in 1969 or later — the Padres, Brewers, Blue Jays, Marlins and Diamondbacks.

Other notable Chicago All-Star Game moments:

— White Sox Hall of Famer Al Simmons was the first player with three hits in an All-Star Game. Simmons, an All-Star in each of his three seasons with the Sox from 1933-35, had two doubles and a single in 1934 at the Polo Grounds, a 9-7 American League victory. He's the only Sox player to have two hits in an All-Star Game.

— Cubs third baseman Bill Madlock is still the only Chicago player to win MVP honors in the All-Star Game, sharing the award with Mets pitcher Jon Matlack in 1975. Madlock's two-run, bases-loaded single off Sox reliever Rich Gossage in the top of the ninth inning broke a 3-3 tie

and led the NL to a 6-3 victory at County Stadium in Milwaukee.

— While Pete Rose bowling over Ray Fosse to score the winning run in the 12th inning is the most memorable moment of the 1970 game, it was Cubs outfielder Jim Hickman who hit the single to set that play in motion. Hickman was an unremarkable player for seven seasons with the Mets and Cubs until 1969. He had a breakout season at 33 in 1970 and made the All-Star team for the first (and only) time, when he was hitting .335 with 19 home runs and 59 RBIs in July. He was chosen over teammate Billy Williams, who somehow did not make the All-Star team despite hitting .321 (ninth in the NL) with 26 home runs (third) and 80 RBIs (second).

— Cubs reliever Bruce Sutter was the winning pitcher in the 1978 and 1979 All-Star Games. Sutter's victory in 1979 at the Kingdome in Seattle was a bit fortunate. He allowed the base hit to Graig Nettles in the eighth inning that led to Dave Parker's unreal throw from right field to nail Brian Downing at the plate and preserve a 6-6 tie. The NL scored the lead run in the ninth inning and Sutter pitched a scoreless bottom of the ninth to earn the victory.

— Four White Sox pitchers have been the winning pitcher in the All-Star Game: Early Wynn (1958), Jack McDowell (1993), James Baldwin (2000), Mark Buehrle (2005) and Chris Sale (2013).

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Fans have selected the All-Star starters intermittently since the game's inception. After Reds fans stuffed the ballot box and helped seven of their starters win starting All-Star spots fan voting was removed but returned in 1970, with Gillette sponsorship.

This 1970 all-star ballot is notable for being the first fan balloting since 1957, but also for being loaded with 21 Hall of Famers (not including six pitcher who were selected by the managers), including several first-ballot all-time greats: Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Ernie Banks, Johnny Bench, Roberto Clemente, Reggie Jackson, Frank Robinson and Carl Yastrzemski, plus Pete Rose.

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Chicago has hosted the All-Star Game seven times. The White Sox in 1933, 1950, 1983 (Comiskey Park) and 2003 (U.S. Cellular Field); the Cubs in 1947, 1962 and 1990 (Wrigley Field). The Cubs will host the All-Star Game in 2027.

The 1983 All-Star Game at Comiskey Park was notable for a 13-3 rout that ended an uncanny run by the National League — 11 straight victories and 19 of 20 since 1963. The highlight was Fred Lynn's grand slam off the Giants' Atlee Hammaker that was the first (and still only) grand slam in All-Star Game history.

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The 1983 All-Star Game at Comiskey Park celebrated the 50th anniversary of the inaugural All-Star Game at the same ballpark. One highlight was an Old-Timers All-Star Game that included some of the game's all-time greats. Among the players attending was 90-year-old Ed Roush, a former Reds outfielder who played in the 1919 Black Sox World Series. It was a tremendous collection of baseball royalty.

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I attended the All-Star Game workouts as a fan in 1983 and took these pictures during the media availability portion of the day.

The Dodgers' Pedro Guerrero, interviewed by ESPN's George Grande.

The Orioles' Eddie Murray.

The Athletics' incomparable Rickey Henderson.

The Orioles' Cal Ripken, Jr. — in his first All-Star appearance after winning the AL Rookie of the Year Award in 1982. He was in the midst of an MVP season in leading the Orioles to the World Series championship.

Royals closer Dan Quisenberry, interviewed by a young David Schuster, the longtime radio reporter for 670 The Score.

Expos catcher Gary Carter, with Royals third baseman George Brett in the background.

Twins outfielder Tom Brunansky.

Expos pitcher Steve Rogers, interviewed by NBC'S Joe Garagiola.

Rollen Stewart, the eccentric "Rainbow Man" and religious fanatic gained celebrity status as a fixture at major sporting events in the late 1970s and early 1980s. He's currently serving three life sentences for kidnapping after a 1992 arrest.

Longtime Kansas City star sportswriter Randy Covitz, my sports editor at the Columbia Missourian when I was a journalism student at Missouri in 1979-81. He taught me lessons that have served me well in my career as a sportswriter.

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Coverage of the 1947 All-Star Game at Wrigley Field in the Chicago Sun, the forerunner to the Sun-Times.

Picture page from the Chicago Sun from the 1947 All-Star Game. You can never go wrong with a panaramic shot of Wrigley Field. Despite all the modernization in recent years, it's still looks remarkably similar to what it was 79 years ago. The All-Star Game will be at Wrigley Field in 2027, the 80th anniversary of the first All-Star Game to be played at what is now a cathedral of American sport.