Larry Brown Sports

Is there any out there who really, truly enjoys watching the Home Run Derby? Sure, some of the player antics can be entertaining. It’s fun to watch the camaraderie between some of the game’s best sluggers, but that’s pretty much where it ends. Obviously most of the players across the league are not fond of the event, which is why it seems like more and more hitters turn down the invitation every year.  I don’t think any of them hate the Derby as much as Buck Showalter.

Showalter, who has never been afraid to voice or show his displeasure with something, had some harsh words when asked about the Home Run Derby on Thursday.

“It’s hard to watch the home run hitting contest,” Showalter said. “Obviously, the balls are juiced. Those aren’t normal balls that they’re hitting. I’ve been in Arizona for a long time and you don’t hit balls where they’re hitting them. Trust me. And that’s not a well-kept secret that those aren’t the normal baseballs. But they can’t do anything to baseballs to make them go further, right?”

“I was looking at some of those places they were hitting those balls and I was going, ‘No, I don’t think so.’ But it was entertaining I hear. Did anybody watch it from start to finish?” he continued. “I didn’t think so. It’s unwatchable.”

Easy, killer.  It’s just a game.

Those of us who have watched the Home Run Derby in the past are familiar with the concept of the gold ball. When a batter is down to his last out, the gold balls are put into play and every homer that is hit with a gold ball means a certain amount is donated to charity. This year, State Farm will donate $18,000 to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America for each gold ball homer that is hit.  Along with benefiting charity, the gold balls will also be a great snag for the lucky fans who catch them considering they are made with actual gold.

The balls will be infused with 24-karat gold leather and are worth about $150 each.  I wonder if this will lead to more agressiveness in the stands.  People opt for sitting in the outfield at the Home Run Derby for the chance to catch a home run ball.  The mystique was already there to begin with, but what will the nut jobs do now that its actual gold they’re trying to get their hands on?  Maybe a couple swings will be thrown.  To Bud Selig’s credit, it’s one more reason to tune into an event that most find to be extremely boring and by no means a must-see.

H/T to Big League Stew for the picture.

This year’s MLB All-Star Game will be played at Chase Field in Arizona, home of the Diamondbacks. While the captains for the Home Run Derby teams have already been selected (whatever the heck that means), the rest of the rosters have yet to be determined. So who will join Prince Fielder and David Ortiz in the Derby in two weeks? Home town favorite Justin Upton would love to be a part. The youngster who infrequently updates his twitter account posted this note Thursday evening:

With so many athletes who whine that the derby messes with their swing, it’s great to see an athlete who wants to participate to entertain the fans. And you know what? Upton would be the perfect addition.

Justin has hit the second-longest home run of the season, a 478-foot blast at home. He routinely hits some of the farthest home runs we’ve seen this year, right up there with Prince Fielder and Mark Trumbo. According to ESPN’s Hit Tracker, Upton has clubbed four of the longest 22 home runs of the season, far more than anyone else in that top group.

Though it’s a different sport, we saw what happened when a top youngster participated in the Slam Dunk Competition at NBA All-Star weekend and how exciting that was. Justin Upton could add a similar spice to the MLB game.

Even at a time of year when there’s no basketball, no hockey, and no football to watch, people aren’t tuning in to the MLB All-Star festivities. Despite Marlon Byrd’s efforts, Tuesday night’s 2010 MLB All-Star Game registered the lowest overnight ratings of any Midsummer Classic in history. The previous evening, the Home Run Derby’s ratings hit a five-year low and were down 22 percent from 2009.

What’s going on here? The answer with the Home Run Derby is a simple one; no one wants to participate. It was fitting that a high-profile slugger like David Ortiz took home the crown this year, but look at the rest of the field. I don’t care how many home runs they’ve hit at the All-Star break, fans don’t want to see players like Corey Hart, Chris Young, and Vernon Wells hitting the long ball. They want to see Ryan Howard, Albert Pujols, and the rest of the game’s elite home run hitters belting moon shots.

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It’s no long basketball or hockey season. NFL training camp has yet to begin. The World Cup has ended. If you don’t get excited for the All-Star break, that three-day span where you have nothing to watch has arrived. What’s the best way to make the Home Run Derby somewhat intriguing? Gamble.

I’m not here to encourage people to blow their bank account on a meaningless event. If you’re against gambling, that’s your prerogative. If you’ve already watched this week’s Entourage and don’t feel like watching it On Demand four or five more times, you can always bet on the 2010 Home Run Derby.  Of course it’s nearly impossible to predict the winner, but that’s part of what makes it so fun to act on. For that reason, the payout for choosing any hitter to win is pretty decent. Here’s each hitter’s odds of winning the event from one sports betting site:

David Ortiz +250 ………………….. Nick Swisher +500
Miguel Cabrera +250 …………….. Vernon Wells +650
Corey Hart +500 …………………… Chris Young +800
Matt Holliday +500 ……………….. Hanley Ramirez +1000

Any of these eight sluggers — none of which is afraid to mess up his swing — could win the event. Why can’t Hanley Ramirez hit the most homers in a glorified batting practice session? Why not take a chance to spice things up a bit? If you ask me it’s worth at least $10 to have something exciting to watch, especially when you can potentially turn it into $100.  Sports Interaction also carries odds for each individual round for those of who who’d like to take it one step further. So give it a go. You might even thank me later.

Source:
Sports Interaction

Lance Berkman is absolutely mashing this year, so much so that he won the fan vote to start as the NL first baseman over sluggers like Albert Pujols, Derrek Lee, Ryan Howard, Adrian Gonzalez, and Prince Fielder. He also got invited to participate in the Home Run Derby at Yankee Stadium and happily accepted. Lots of players are invited to participate in the Derby and choose not to because they think it will screw with their swing, or worse yet, get them injured or tired. Lance Berkman, who finished second to Miguel Tejada in 2004, is having none of that. As he told The Monty Show on Sporting News Radio Wednesday, the Home Run Derby doesn’t screw up your swing:

“I don’t know that there’s a whole lot to that. I know some guys really think that it messes your swing up and I guess some people have dropped off in performance in the second half, but I doubt very seriously that it was because of the Home Run Derby. I think that when you get to the Major Leagues and you spend so much time taking swings the right way, if you take 45 minutes or an hour trying to hit the ball out of the ballpark, I don’t think it’s going to permanently flaw your swing for the rest of the season.”

Not to say that I don’t understand players being reluctant to perform in the Derby, because I do, but I agree with Berkman that it shouldn’t ruin your swing. If player performance drops off in the second half of the season after they participated in the Home Run Derby, it’s likely because the player wasn’t much of a slugger to begin with but still was in the Derby because nobody else wanted to do it (e.g. Bobby Abreu, Garret Anderson, and Alex Rios). Besides, many All-Stars got there because they had tremendous first halfs and were due for drop-offs anyway. I think that’s the biggest factor, more than anything else. I agree with Berkman, but I can speak from experience to say that sometimes simple games due impact swings.

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