mlb softball games at end of spring training, probably late 80s?

The Game Room
1

My memory is that for a few years around the late 80s (or possibly early 90s) NBC would broadcast a softball game at the end of spring training. It might have had AL stars on one team and NL stars on the other. Heavy on the sluggers. Around the peak of Jose Canseco fame.

And it would be very relaxed and fun, a lot of smiles and playing around, and I liked that quite a bit as a contrast to how deadly serious the regular games were treated.

But I’ve never had the google skills to find any mention of this… Sound familiar at all?

2

I don’t remember the NBC games. I do remember MTV had softball games around this era (known as MTV Rock N Jock) similar to what you describe:

Jose Canseco is listed as one of the participants. I think they aired in early spring (shortly before the start of the regular season). There was also a basketball version of the same concept.

3

Oh, that’s interesting that MTV had a similar concept. We didn’t have cable, so I didn’t know what was going on in that world…

4

Ha, I finally managed to stumble upon the right search words or something.

Pizza Hut All-Star Softball Classic.

According to a couple of web pages, one in 1989 was the 8th annual, and at least the one in 1985 was in February before spring training and was a one-hour broadcast. The game being too short does sound familiar.
And there’s a link to a youtube video for 1985, which I can’t look at here…

5

Here is that youtube link.


Pretty cool stuff. I’m surprised how much effort was put forth by MLB players. And this was after spring training?