[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 97 (Tuesday, June 26, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Page S4640]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    SENATE RESOLUTION 509--RECOGNIZING MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL AS AN 
IMPORTANT PART OF THE CULTURAL HISTORY OF AMERICAN SOCIETY, CELEBRATING 
THE 2012 MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL ALL-STAR GAME, AND HONORING KANSAS CITY, 
          MISSOURI, AS THE HOST CITY OF THE 83RD ALL-STAR GAME

  Mr. BLUNT (for himself and Mrs. McCaskill) submitted the following 
resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 509

       Whereas Major League Baseball's All-Star Game, the 
     Midsummer Classic, occurs once a year between players from 
     the American and National Leagues, allowing baseball fans, 
     players, and managers to select players to represent each 
     league;
       Whereas the first All-Star Game, held as part of the 1933 
     World's Fair in Chicago, Illinois, at Comiskey Park was 
     intended to be a one-time event, yet its widespread success 
     led to the establishment of the game as an annual tradition;
       Whereas the Major League Baseball All-Star Game showcases 
     the best baseball players in the major leagues and all across 
     the world, giving baseball fans the opportunity to select the 
     starting players;
       Whereas, since 1933, the Major League Baseball All-Star 
     Game has taken place every year but one, 1945, in the midst 
     of World War II;
       Whereas the 83rd edition of the Major League Baseball All-
     Star Game for the 2012 season will be held on July 10, 2012, 
     at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, the home of the 
     Kansas City Royals;
       Whereas the event will mark the third time the All-Star 
     Game has been played in Kansas City, with Kauffman Stadium, 
     then named Royals Stadium, last hosting the event in 1973, 
     the stadium's inaugural year;
       Whereas the event was also held at Municipal Stadium in 
     1960, when it was the home of the Athletics;
       Whereas the illustrious baseball history of Kansas City, 
     Missouri, includes the Royals' 1985 World Series 
     Championship, the contributions of Jackie Robinson, Buck 
     O'Neil, and others to the Kansas City Monarchs, and Lou 
     Gehrig's final three innings of play in a 1939 exhibition 
     against the Kansas City Blues;
       Whereas, as part of Major League Baseball's All-Star Summer 
     celebration, Major League Baseball will host a number of 
     events in the Greater Kansas City region leading up to the 
     All-Star Game, benefitting the Kansas City community as a 
     whole;
       Whereas Major League Baseball and the Kansas City Royals 
     will hold numerous charity events throughout the region, 
     including an All-Star Game Charity 5K & Fun Run, with all 
     Major League Baseball proceeds being donated equally between 
     three cancer charities, Stand Up To Cancer, the Prostate 
     Cancer Foundation and Susan G. Komen for the Cure, Greater 
     Kansas City;
       Whereas, as part of the All-Star Summer celebration, Major 
     League Baseball will provide funding to help renovate two 
     baseball fields owned by the Kansas City Missouri Parks and 
     Recreation Department, Mulkey Square Park and Satchel Paige 
     Stadium;
       Whereas the fields will be used regularly by local Reviving 
     Baseball in Inner Cities leagues and by Guadalupe Center 
     Youth Baseball;
       Whereas Kansas City, Missouri, has worked to preserve the 
     history of the Negro Baseball Leagues by establishing the 
     Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, and as part of the All-Star 
     Game summer events, funding will be provided for a new 
     traveling exhibit focusing on Negro League Players who, after 
     Jackie Robinson broke the baseball color barrier, began 
     participating in All-Star Games in 1949;
       Whereas Kansas City, Missouri, known for world-class 
     barbeque, rich jazz history, and a legacy of professional 
     sports, including the Royals' 1985 World Series Championship, 
     will play host to the 83rd All-Star Game, and will be 
     showcased in the forefront of baseball history as the All-
     Star Game is broadcast world wide; and
       Whereas the 2012 Major League Baseball All-Star Game in 
     Kansas City, Missouri, will be a unique and unforgettable 
     experience for baseball fans across the State of Missouri and 
     throughout the country: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) recognizes Kansas City, Missouri, as the host city for 
     the 83rd Major League Baseball All-Star Game and supports 
     efforts to achieve an unforgettable Midsummer Classic 
     baseball experience for all fans; and
       (2) recognizes Major League Baseball for sponsoring the 
     All-Star Game and for its efforts in energizing the Kansas 
     City community by hosting a number of baseball-related events 
     that benefit numerous charities, focusing on fan appreciation 
     and youth involvement, and emphasizing the continued 
     appreciation of baseball as America's favorite pastime.

                          ____________________