MLB Commissioner Bud Selig yesterday officially announced that the ‘15 All-Star Game is “coming to Cincinnati,” and the league also has “pledged $1.5 million to the development of a Reds MLB Urban Youth Academy,” according to John Fay of the CINCINNATI ENQUIRER. The day “belonged to” Reds Owner Bob Castellini, the “driving force behind landing the 86th Midsummer Classic.” Selig made a point of “signaling out Castellini for his determination.” Selig said, “I’ll say this for Bob: Man, he is persistent. I could use a couple of other terms. One starts with ‘a pain in.’ Tenacity is a great virtue.” It will be the “first time the Reds have hosted the game since 1988 and the first time it’s been played at Great American Ball Park, which opened in 2003.” It also marks the “fifth time that the Reds will play host” to the event (CINCINNATI ENQUIRER, 1/24). The AP’s Joe Kay wrote the Reds “lobbied hard for years to get the game” (AP, 1/23). In Cincinnati, Paul Daugherty in a front-page piece writes Castellini “doesn’t want a lot of credit,” as he “prefers that others do the talking.” Daugherty: “Forceful personalities don’t need public acclaim, only private respect.” Still, it should be known that “this was the The Big Man’s Deal.” Daugherty: “It was the father’s vision and persistence that drove it. When Castellini fights for something, his personality can be just this side of brawling. He hounded Bud Selig for years” (CINCINNATI ENQUIRER, 1/24).
