It’s not ’94 anymore

A lot has changed since 1994.

The last time Pittsburgh hosted Major League Baseball’s… A lot has changed since 1994.

The last time Pittsburgh hosted Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game, the Pirates were only two years removed from a substantial playoff run. Barry Bonds had just recently split for the coast and Lloyd McClendon wore a Bucco uniform as a player.

Twelve years is a long time in professional sports – especially baseball.

Tell anyone in 1994 that the Florida Marlins would win two World Series by now and you’d be laughed at. And don’t even think about mentioning the Diamondbacks or Devil Rays, because they didn’t exist yet.

With the All-Star Game returning to Pittsburgh next week, I can’t help but reminisce about the last time it was here. Sure, I was only 7 years old, but I remember running the exhausting 360 feet around the game-sized bases at the All-Star Fan Fest like it was yesterday. I also remember Randy Johnson striking me out three consecutive times via the video batting cages.

Although my memory gets a little hazy from there, I found something I’ve hung on to over the years to help jog it.

I pulled open my desk drawer and took out the program from 1994’s All-Star Game at Three Rivers Stadium and was warped back to the beginning of the steroid era before it was known as such. Needless to say, the technology from ’94 is fun to laugh at now.

On page nine, ESPN took out a full-page advertisement to promote its new baseball video game-“ESPN Baseball Tonight” for Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis, the cutting-edge gaming systems. A few pages further, Timex spent its money advertising the sharp new Timex Ironman watch with Indiglo nightlight. Do I even need to detail the ad for Bushnell’s binoculars? I didn’t think so.

Sports pop culture was a lot different in ’94 as well. Movies like “Remember the Titans” and “The Rookie” that shape the world’s perspective on sports today would have been easily passed over by the new releases “Angels in the Outfield” and “Little Big League.”

And if the above doesn’t quite do it for you as far as dating the pop-culture aspect of 1994, Ace of Base had two of the top-five pop hits that year.

OK, stop laughing.

Now, think of yourself as the CEO of Cadillac in 1994. Wouldn’t you want to promote your hottest new cars that the big stars like Boyz II Men are driving? Well, you wouldn’t have seen R. Kelly bumpin’ and grindin’ in an Eldorado or Fleetwood Brougham.

However, you would have most likely seen Warren G. and Nate Dogg rocking their Starter brand jackets in the “Regulator” video. I also heard that Jon Secada wore Russell Athletic religiously.

But the most significant change from the 1994 All-Star Game to this year’s is undoubtedly the players. Jason Bay and Freddy Sanchez will be representing the home team this year, the same number as on ’94’s roster when Doug Drabek and Carlos Garcia were the only Pirates. Drabek’s son, Kyle, was recently drafted by the Phillies in this year’s Major League Baseball Draft.

As for Garcia, well, he’s been MIA since 1999.

But fear not, there are many other notable names on the 1994 All-Star Game roster that are still prominent 12 years later. Mickey Tettleton is having a great year. The same can be said about Chili Davis, Wilson Alvarez, Ken Hill, Jose Rijo and Darrin Fletcher.

Although history is said to repeat itself, the 1994 All-Star Game was pushed to extra innings by a Fred McGriff home run before Moises Alou drove in Tony Gwynn to win it for the National League in the bottom of the tenth.

History will not repeat itself in this case.

Nevertheless, baseball fans must pay homage to the ’94 All-Stars still with us today. Both Bonds and Griffey were on the roster along with Mike Piazza, Greg Maddux, Kenny Lofton, Mike Mussinaand Ivan Rodriguez, to name a few.

So even though Three Rivers is gone, Jim Leyland manages the Tigers and the Pirates haven’t been back to the playoffs since two years prior, the 1994 All-Star Game can still act as a model for this year’s.

You can run the mock bases inside the David L. Lawrence Convention Center at Fan Fest. Hey, you might even be able to try and hit a video of Randy Johnson, even though I still believe it can’t be done. All in all, enjoy the All-Star Game experience.

Just leave your black-and-gold tiger-stripe pants at home.