I wasn't going to post anything, but I guess Joe Vavra is pitching, so people will be intrigued. I think that the HR Derby is kind of interesting as a novelty, but it could definitely use a format tweak. I'd much rather see players go head-to-head in 3 "innings" of 3 "outs" each, or something like that. As unnatural as a HR competition is, it's even more unnatural to have hitters up there swinging away for 20-30+ pitches at a time. Even in BP they take turns.
Oh, yeah, I guess they're planning on demolishing New York at the end of the season, so this is the last time anyone will ever be in New York. Or something like that.
Also, it's amazing how much slower I type when I can't use my right thumb.
(Closed circuit to SBG: I wasn't sure how to categorize this under the new system, so feel free to change the category.)
I'm all for your format changes, ubes. Also, I'd be for scrapping all the pre-game hype, and the live music. And ESPN.
Really, these guys are going to have some pretty sore ribcages tomorrow, no matter what kind of condition they're in. That's a lot of hard swings in a row. Makes me hurt just thinking about it.
MLB is the correct tag, sir.
It's the LAST HR DERBY IN YANKEE STADIUM, EVER!!!!!1!!!!one!!!!
Morneau looks to have them all on height, so he's got that working for him. Which is nice.
aw, cr@p! HR Derby, and we still can escape Jeter.
And I would just like to thank Mr. Jeter for letting me know that "older" is spelled the same as "old" but with "-er" added. That was clutch spelling.
Derek Jeter teaches us spelling! Is there anything that man doesn't do? No wonder he's the captain!
/sarcasm
Josh Hamilton has an awesome story, but if he wins this competition, it'll be his power and not his story that will be the key. It seems pretty apparent watching these talking heads describe the reasoning behind their picks which of them should stick to reporting and which might make reasonable analysts.
heh - "but Berkman hits his HRs to left field when he bats lefthanded." "uh..."
I'm thinking Berman needs to be taken out to a super remote deserted island somewhere to never return. Then he could bakbakbakbakbak all he frickin wants and I wouldn't want to punch kittens.
Yeah, Berman is sporting a negative VOSB (Value Over Silent Broadcast).
+1 Mom's Basement
Dan Uggla is putting on a Show! Get that HR swing back before regular play starts up again!
Why in the heck didn't Justin get Bert to toss to him?
+50
"wow - who needs steroids?"
what an incredibly stupid remark to make. who said that? Nothing like bringing that up at an event like this.
We might as well just associate that comment to "all" and fire the lot of em.
Get Bert and John Madden in that booth! I'm not a scientist, but I'm pretty sure that would create a black hole.
seconded. All in favor? Opposed? Motion carries.
That was Rick Rielly, formerly of Sports Illustrated
ESPN has too many talking heads to cover this event. Peter Gammons was there, but i think I heard one sentence from him all night.
Bad idea for a drinking game? Shots any time you hear someone say, "I mean..."
Or every time you see a baseball
The ESPN radio announcers aren't Chris Berman, so it's better. But they're spending way more time interviewing people than describing what's happening. They're announcing about four or five swings per batter. Too bad I don't have ESPN, or I'd mute it and simulcast
See, now if they'd do that for tv, I think it would be an improvement.
Best part of the TV coverage is the flatscreen TV here in the hotel room. Enough said.
Dammit, they're showing the George Brett thing. It reminds me that I could have bought an autographed picture of that for like $300. I had the money, but I passed on it.
Nice little finish by Berkman, who has a first-half VORP of about 10,000 or so.
I was going to correct you, but I realized you rounded it off.
Heads up folks -- Canadian Thunder on deck
Evening folks, I'm depressed to see that MLBtv is charging 2.99 to see this. A free sample would possibly have helped separate me from 39.99 for the rest of the season. Their loss.
Really? That seems extrememly short sighted.
Probably has to do with ESPN carrying the game.
Hope Varva has a sweet four seamer.
Morneau is not good enough for Rick Reilly because of his skin color.
Well, Rick Reilly is also a douchebag, if that helps.
Maybe it is just Canadians?
I love Canadians. My first project for my job was for Canadians, and I screwed it up pretty bad. But they're Canadian, so they didn't know how to yell at me.
Worse, he's Canadian white. That's Procol Harem territory.
What did he say that drew such ire?
He suddenly went on a big rant about how all the contestants are white guys this year, and what a crime it is that Junior (?) and Ryan Howard weren't invited.
I wasn't listening super carefully, but I think that all the guys he mentioned may have been NL guys, which would have made them ineligible for Morneau's spot anyway.
Rick Reily hates white people.
Vavra wild high.
Morneau: Six pitches before they even tell us what's going on
Decent showing so far from Morneau--he's had acoupla nice upper deck shots.
And he's in the 2nd round!
this will get him into the next round.
Steve Philips is creepily obsessed with their legs.
Okay, dude! Did the team proud.
I hope when broadcasts all go digital next year, that they offer an additional audio channel without the commentary - just the stadium noise.
Boy, Ryan Braun looks like his old man.
Yes! I would absolutely watch that one.
They won't ever do that because they would lose too many advertising tie-ins without the announcers.
Question for the citizens. Are there players out there that you think would dominate a home-run derby, but just don't hit for much power in games because they're not good batters? I was just thinking that you could randomly pick eight guys from the majors and most would get between 3 and 8 homers in a contest.
Would Adam Dunn count? Or are you looking for someone lesser known?
He does hit for power in games. I mean guys who hit less than ten homers a season but could easily hit ten during a derby
Delmon. Probably wouldn't swing at the first pitch, though.
Let me take a look at some strat o matic cards and i will get back to you.
I remember David Ross' card in 06 was really, really great.
joe mauer?
Strat really likes Alex Escobar.
When I've seen Mauer in BP he hasn't driven that many over the fence, but if he was really trying for HR, he might be able to.
Rondell White had good pop in BP even when he was awful, but I don't know that he would "dominate."
Matt Stairs.
everytime I have seen him take batting practice at the Dome, his shortest hit is in the upper tank. ive seem him hit it parallel to the giant white curtain many times.
If you got Morgan Freeman to announce home videos, he could make "Baby's First Poop" sound awesome.
Super slow-mo HD replay thing is cool - love that you see the bat slow down at contact. Physics is a gas.
Another bad drinking game: shots when someone says "Josh Hamilton" and "story" in the same sentence.
Are you trying to get us all killed?
well, no, that's why they're BAD drinking games!
I'm surprised that you haven't started the shot when ever someone mentions "last all star game at this stadium", or 'biggest star here is the stadium". alcohol poisoning would abound.
Hamilton is a manimal!
JH = Pronk + (Thome / 2)
"He has everybody on his feet!" Ouch.
Well, it looks like Hamilton will be in the finals.
This is amazing.
It sure is a great story....
And selfishly, Hamilton helps none of the Boys & Girls Clubs by putting up a goosegg with nine outs
I can't believe him. What a jerk.
Maybe he's just a regular firejoemorgan reader, and heard Morgan saying how much he wanted to get to the gold ball? (for those subjecting themselves to the television version.)
I like your thinking. He just likes a lil' JoeBait.
*whoops, this was supposed to be a new comment*
The House That Josh Hamilton Tore Down.
Unbelievable. And to think I was stoked when Morneau hit 8.
Lets go Justin
baby jeebus sighting.
Not a great pitch for Morneau to end on, but a very respectable showing.
Agreed. I like when he said he's tired on camera. He looked tired.
Yeah, now we just have to hope he doesn't start hitting like Punto in the second half again.
If Rick Reilly says 'heroin' or 'cocaine' one more time, I'm going to seriously entertain thoughts that he has a drug problem himself.
Maybe he has money on Braun and is trying to work Hamilton into a tizzy?
Reilly really keeps sounding like a dick every time he opens his mouth.
Well now I have to stay up to watch it.
Joe!
Mauer's head of the MLB Players Association? Really?
Why is Hamilton hitting? His pitcher is 71. That arm is going to get tired reaaaaaaaaal fast.
Mauer is going for Morneau over Hamilton--clearly Joe supports the use of drugs by America's youth.
No, my thinking is that he's not a patriot, and doesn't support America.
Obviously. He'd hit more home runs if he did.
It would also be great if they didn't continue to waste time on what they are currently wasting time on.
It would be great to see Morneau win this thing after Rick Reilly was talking about how Morneau shouldn't have even been invited.
I could not agree more.
Rick Reily hates Morneau even MORE now.
Damn. It's too bad Morneau wasn't more hispanic--all that extra pigment would have really jacked up his count in the final round.
On the bright side, Hamilton is also white...
this from the MLB official HR derby blog
Man, no love for Morneau even from the MLB blogger
Sounds more like Yankees fans are just jerks, to me.
To be fair, after a 28 HR round, it's going to be really tough to impress the crowd.
It's not the crowd support that bothers me, it's the blogger's attitude.
exhibit 'A'
Argh.
You know, Joe Morgan might be a sanctimonious blowhard, but he knows a lot about baseball. Reilly is just a sanctimonious blowhard.
You know, Joe Morgan might be a sanctimonious blowhard, but he thinks knows a lot about baseball. Reilly is just a sanctimonious blowhard.
No, Morgan really does know a lot about baseball. Smartest player ever to play the game if you ask Bill James.
He does know a lot. It just doesn't always come out of his mouth right, and never his fingers.
Play the game sure, talk about the game? I dont know if I would say that.
I've seen Joe Morgan make interesting observations. Is the signal-to-noise ratio good? No, Morgan also says a lot of crap. I don't think I'll ever hear something insightful about baseball from Rick Reilly, though. That's my point--for as bad as Morgan can be, there are significantly worse options sitting right in front of us.
Hamilton has GOT to win this one, or ESPN and Berman's head will explode. He has a story, man!
Well, if my memory serves me correctly, didn't Morneau used to have a real drinking problem until Gardy sat him down in Seattle in 2006?
Why cant the crowd get behind this guy?
Morneau might have spent a bit too much time partying and not concentrating on his job, but I don't think he had a drinking problem any more than bS has a drinking problem.
Hey, I am just grasping at straws. I am trying to get the crowd behind Morneau.
that bad, huh?
I don't have a problem drinking
and thankfully you don't have a problem with a joke at your expense
btw, HBD, dude!
Hey, if I can't laugh at myself...I'd feel left out.
If Morneau wins do you think that the crowd will boo him?
Alright, Milton Bradley you suck. This thing takes long enough already without you coming out every ten damn minutes with Hamilton hitting.
This is shaping up to be a rather underwhelming finish.
slow and steady wins the race
Wow--Rocky Music...
Mountie Power!!!
Mountie!
A Canadian won in YANKEE STADIUM?!
Good thing they didn't interview Morneau first. I mean, he only won the derby.
The Mountie, story killer.
Now if he can just kill Rhubarb's headache in the morning from all the shots.
I've never had a shot in my life. But to quote Chauncey Gardner, "I like to watch."
Now if he can just kill
Rhubarb's whoever Rhubarb is making take shots for his bad drinking games's headache in the morning from all the shots.There, fixed it.
fair enough. Advil's on me!
ESPNRadio doing their best to give Justin his due credit, but they definitely seemed depressed that Hamilton didn't win. Heck, even Justin sounded a bit annoyed that Hamilton lost
Rangers: can't even win the home run derby.
Pitching and defense are the keys to victory--even in the HR Derby--let this be a lesson to everyone.
Well, that and Justin really did battle his tail off. He's so scrappy.
It's all about the fundamentals with the Twins, you know?
So glad Justin won, if only to listen to whatever the hell that was about from so on and so forth and new eras instead of 'such a great story'.
...and then for his 'interview', they practically ask him why he had the nerve to rain on everyone's parade. I love it.
The worst part is, you can tell he actually felt bad that he won. Everyone asked him to talk up Hamilton. Throw the Mountie a bone.
I thought he handled the whole thing very well. I was delighted to see him win, even happier that he did it with class, even when ESPN couldn't be arsed to show him any.
Morneau was all class.
Watch the SportsCenter recap. only 2 of Justins HR's were shown.
He won..right?
My friend and I were watching it and were screaming at everyone of those Hamilton HR's in the first round. They were not wallscrapers..
As my friend said 'it was a win win tonight. Win: Justin Morneau won. Win: got to see a great show from Hamilton'
Hopefully, there can be one more win out of it, if enough people got upset enough by the terrible, terrible announcing that some changes get made. Something like the end of using so many windbags, and the official dissappearance of Berman and Reilly. That's not to much to ask for, is it?
"Oh man, I sure do miss that 'back back back back back back' call from Berman! They oughta bring him on a lot more often. And did he make up a nickname for Hamilton? I didn't hear it."
Not enough intelligent viewers out there to cause a sea change. We can wish, though.
Any odds on whether Mountie gets booed when he gets in the game?