YanksBlog.com » Losing Interest in the Home Run Derby

07/11: Losing Interest in the Home Run Derby

Posted by: Patrick

We have the guy (Alex Rodriguez) who is T5th in the MLB and 2nd in the AL in home runs. And he didn't even get an invite.

The country thing just doesn't appeal to me. I'm hoping that it's only a one year thing in promotion of the World Cup thingy. They may pick up viewers in South Korea and Canada, but they might have lost one here. The top 8 home run hitters (or the top 4 home run hitters from each league) that made the all star game (I guess, if they can only invite people that are there already) should be invited. Of the top 10 home run hitters in the MLB, only 3 are participating. Here is the run down:

Andruw Jones - 27 home runs
Mark Teixeira - 25 home runs
Carlos Lee - 22 home runs
David Ortiz - 21 home runs
Bobby Abreu - 18 home runs
Jason Bay - 16 home runs
Hee-Seop Choi - 13 home runs
Ivan Rodriguez - 6 home runs

How close were Tony Womack and Tino Martinez to making this team?! Seriously?

Baseball is an International game. You don't need to divide the participants of the MLB home run derby into countries. If this were the olympic or world cup home run derby - fine, cool. I'm with you. But, otherwise... this is the MLB home run derby. What they do in the MLB matters. Not just where they are from.

I might not completely skip it (as I boldly predicted to Seamus last night), but... I might. Will I be curious to see who won? Sure. It is fun to see the guys swing for the fences because they're having fun, laughing, etc... no matter who it is. So, I might watch a little bit - or I might just have other things to do.

All told, I'd rather watch the top 8 living career home run leaders. Or Royce Clayton against Tony Womack. (0 home runs between them - how funny would that be?)

Comments

Seamus wrote:

Haha, Tino Martinez actually has the same amount of home runs as Hee-Seop Choi and more than twice as many as pudge and probably has about half as many at-bats. He'd also be the only person in the group who has won a Home Run Derby before. ;)

07/11 15:56:07

J.R. wrote:

GO CANADA!

Jason Bay is the darkhorse. ;)

07/11 17:41:48

Seamus wrote:

Well I must say, I didn't watch most of it, but I did catch a glimpse of the show Bobby Abreu put on. 24 home runs in the first round. Pretty incredible.

07/12 01:00:03

Patrick wrote:

Yeah. I didn't watch any of it. But, I didn't think they wouldn't hit any home runs... I just thought the selection methods were a bit off, that's all.

07/12 08:15:48

J.R. wrote:

Abreu really did put on a show hitting 41 total home runs.

It was disappointing that neither of the North American guys hit even one homer.

I think you guys missed out on something special. Bud Selig said during the broadcast that the whole reasoning behing pitting country versus country was to promote the Major League game to the international market. Judging by the national pride displayed by many of the players and fans, it worked.

07/12 14:04:14

Seamus wrote:

I think it was more to promote the "World Baseball Classic" that they are having next March. Not that I have a problem with it, I would rather just watch the best homerun hitters. I think the game is already pretty popular in the countries that were represented last night.

07/12 14:44:44

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07/11: Losing Interest in the Home Run Derby

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