2018 All-Star Game logo, date and details revealed

Washington officially was on the clock as host of the 2018 All-Star Game the moment this year's Midsummer Classic in Miami ended two weeks ago. But what's a big event without a logo or a press conference with important people sitting at the dais?

So consider today the unofficial start of an 11 1/2-month countdown to an event many people in this town have anticipated for decades.

"It's been 49 years since we had an All-Star Game here in Washington," Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred said this afternoon. "That's far too long. We're very excited to be back in the nation's capital."

The Nationals were named as hosts of the 2018 game two years ago, but today marked the unveiling of the event's logo and an opportunity for officials to discuss planning that already has taken place and what still needs to be done before next summer's event.

The All-Star Game will be held Tuesday, July 17, making it the latest date for a Midsummer Classic since the 1981 game in Cleveland was pushed back to Aug. 9 in the wake of the players' strike.

The look of the logo shouldn't come as much surprise. It features the U.S. Capitol dome, set in front of red and white stripes, encircled by a navy blue ring featuring six stars (one for each MLB division). The word "All-Star Game" runs across the front, with a red banner reading "Washington, DC - 2018" underneath. The bottom portion of the circle is red with two stars (one for each league) and the iconic MLB logo in the Nationals' red and blue colors.

This is the fifth time Washington is hosting the All-Star Game, with the original Senators hosting in 1937 and 1956 at Griffith Stadium, then the expansion Senators hosting in both 1962 and 1969 at what eventually was named RFK Stadium.

As Manfred pointed out today, the Midsummer Classic has dramatically changed since then, with the game now the culmination of a five-day event that includes the Home Run Derby, the All-Star Futures Game and the Legends and Celebrity Softball Game inside the stadium, plus a number of fan events elsewhere in the District.

Officials from both the Nationals and the city attended this month's game in Miami to get a sense of how the event is coordinated and emerged confident they'll be able to pull off the latest large-scale event in a city that has hosted plenty of them over the years.

"You should know, the fans should all know, that we know how to do big events," mayor Muriel Bowser told Manfred. "I don't have to tell you, we host all of the national special security events, just about, in the nation. We just recently welcomed the pope, put on the inauguration, had a million women, you name it. We know how to manage traffic, events and people and have a lot of fun."

The series of events is expected to bring tens of thousands of visitors to Washington, making traffic and transportation a major concern. Asked specifically today about longstanding concerns with late-night Metro access, Bowser sought to alleviate concerns.

"I'm not sure what the team is going to need, but we'll certainly look to hear what is needed so that transportation issues are accommodated," she said. "I know that question especially comes up if we're expected to go into the late night. So I know that all of the MLB team and Metro and us will make sure that it's taken care of."

Nationals manager Dusty Baker, right fielder Bryce Harper, right-hander Max Scherzer, second baseman Daniel Murphy and first baseman Ryan Zimmerman (all multiple-time All-Stars) attended today's press conference and shared their own All-Star memories.

Harper confirmed what he has said in the past: If he's selected for the All-Star team he will participate in the Home Run Derby. Harper finished runner-up to Yoenis Cespedes in the 2013 Derby at Citi Field in New York, but has sat out the annual event each year since.