THE 1986 ALL-STAR GAME : Notebook : NL Has More Wins, but AL Has More Stars

Get this. The National League has won 13 of the last 14 All-Star games, but some of the managers here believe the American League has more talent.

Detroit’s Sparky Anderson (who used to work in the NL): “There’s no question that the American League has more stars. I don’t think there’s any question anymore of what league is the strongest.”

Cleveland’s Pat Corrales (formerly of the NL): “There’s definitely a lot more guys over here in the AL who are power hitters. I’ve got 5 or 6 on my own team. Teams like the Tigers and Yankees also have that many guys who make you uncomfortable when you have a one-run lead in the ninth. There isn’t any NL team with five home run hitters like some of the AL teams.”

St. Louis’ Whitey Herzog (formerly of the AL): “The big stats are all in the AL. The parks have a lot to do with it, and the DH has a lot to do with it. I don’t suppose there are any first baseman the Yankees would trade (Don) Mattingly for. And I suppose the only way Boston would trade Wade Boggs would be for Mike Schmidt and a real good prospect.”

More from Anderson: “The AL can roll out enough All-Star caliber hitters to fill three starting squads. There’s no way the NL can do that.”

Anderson went on to compare the Oakland A’s, a last place AL team, to the Dodgers, a last place NL team that just won its division.

“If the Dodgers can have Alfredo Griffin playing short and Tony Phillips playing second, you don’t think they wouldn’t find some place else to put (Steve) Sax? You think Carney Lansford (a former batting champ) couldn’t play third for the Dodgers? (Jose) Canseco? There’s also Dwayne Murphy and Mike Davis.”

Anderson said there are better young players in the AL.

“You name me one great young player other than a pair of legs--(Vince) Coleman--that the NL has come up with in the last three years. I’m talking about a guy 22 years old like Canseco. You know without a doubt five years from now all you’re going to hear is ‘Canseco, Canseco,’ every time you look at homers and RBIs. The AL has got (Wally) Joyner, Canseco, (Pete) Incaviglia.”

Where the NL holds the edge is pitching.

“The AL never turned down a hitter, and look what happened?” Anderson said. “I think Dallas Green (Cub General Manager) said it the other day. The NL has to change their scouting habits. They can no longer worry about their arms and their legs. They’ve got to start worrying about the bat. The NL forgot one thing--that cat with those legs better have lumber in his hands.”