Sorry, but the Home Run Derby is a Bore

I thought about just making this comment in the Chris Davis HR Derby thread, but it deserves separate discussion. It has been years since I watched more than a few minutes of the HR Derby, which I had decided was overly long and tedious. I made an exception last night because Chris Davis was in it. And you know what? The HR Derby is overly long and tedious. So overly long and tedious, in fact, that during the second round they weren't even showing the competiton half the time, instead training their cameras on Mike Pizza or whatever other current or former player they happen to be interviewing. The interviews are fine, but couldn't they at least do a PIP so that anyone who actually cares about the competition can watch what's going on.

And another thing -- Chris Berman's shtick has gotten very old. You can't treat every 400 foot HR off a BP pitcher as if it's some once-in-a-lifetime shot, and then do it again 30 seconds later.

If they are going to continue the HR Derby, it needs to be no more than 90 minutes long. In the second round, give everyone 10 swings, not 10 outs. Or, give them a set number of swings and decide who goes to the finals based on distance, not the number of homers. Or, use a pitching machine set on 95 mph. Anything to shake this up a little.

Yeah use a machine. Give them a limited number of pitches.

I DVR'd the show and watched it after it had been on for an hour. I do this so I can FF and skip boring stuff and the commercials. I watched maybe half the first round. Saw Davis and Harper in the second and just turned it off after that.

I watched Davis and the first Cespedes AB. Anything else was impossible bc of Berman. Though, even with someone else calling it, it's boring. Like the dunk contest.

Agreed.

However, as long as they get ratings and are able to charge $250 for the cheap seats, they'll continue to drag this thing out.

I'd like to see a mano-a-mano HR derby with the leaders from each league. One round. That I would be interested in.

Chris Berman is probably the only person in the world who doesn't think that Chris Berman is a grade A ass clown. He's just awful in everything he puts his stamp on. And he's way too over the top in the HR Derby. I get that you have to keep up the excitement to an extent but there has to a middle ground. A homerun that just makes it over the fence is not a bomb on it's way to Buffalo or something. I seriously don't get why Chris Berman is still employed by ESPN all of these years later...everyone hates him. I really can't think of one person who thinks even remotely highly of him accept for maybe Tom Jackson.

Did you think it was boring when Chris Davis was holding his hand watching from the side?

As for your suggestions, pretty good. Berman being replaced would be a better suggestion.

When I was 20 or so I loved Berman, Madden, Vitale, etc. Now they just make my head hurt.

It's plausible that ESPN is mainly interested in attracting the 12-25 male demographic.

It's impossible to overstate how pointless the Home Run Derby is.

My wife and I were calling Berman a duck last night because when he does the annoying " back back back" call he sounds like he's quacking.

It's absolutely a bore. Watching these guys take pitch after pitch until the perfect one comes up is horrible.

Here's my solution. AL vs NL. Four batters per team, three outs per inning. Bring out a pitching machine so there's no concerns over BP pitchers. If a batter let's a strike go by it's a strike. If he let's three strikes go by in his inning it's an out. Every batter gets two innings (2-6, 3-7, 4-8) but your best one gets a third inning in the 9th (1-5-9). Make it a game and it might be fun again. If it's tied, it goes into extra innings with the number two hitter now taking over the 10th, 3 in the 11th, 4 in the 12th and so on until the tie is broken.

I'd watch this.

It's absolutely a bore. Watching these guys take pitch after pitch until the perfect one comes up is horrible.

Here's my solution. AL vs NL. Four batters per team, three outs per inning. Bring out a pitching machine so there's no concerns over BP pitchers. If a batter let's a strike go by it's a strike. If he let's three strikes go by in his inning it's an out. Every batter gets two innings (2-6, 3-7, 4-8) but your best one gets a third inning in the 9th (1-5-9). Make it a game and it might be fun again. If it's tied, it goes into extra innings with the number two hitter now taking over the 10th, 3 in the 11th, 4 in the 12th and so on until the tie is broken.

I'd watch this.

I like it.

It's impossible to overstate how pointless the Home Run Derby is.

It's simply supposed to be a fun event.

My wife and I were calling Berman a duck last night because when he does the annoying " back back back" call he sounds like he's quacking.

[video=youtube;NZaJ94x9p9E]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZaJ94x9p9E

When I was 20 or so I loved Berman, Madden, Vitale, etc. Now they just make my head hurt.

It's plausible that ESPN is mainly interested in attracting the 12-25 male demographic.

Madden is good.

I never got Berman or Vitale though. I'd rather hear Maryland shout F*** DUKE or HEY, YOU SUCK over their blathering. (I understand if as a Hokie you have different chants in mind.)

Resurrecting this old thread to share audio of my call in to The Weekend Playbook with Scott Wetzel today.

He said the Home Run Derby is setting up to be a ratings flop this year and went on to mostly blame Mike Trout. Even exclaiming, "Trout has no guts, and not showing up on the big stage when you're the designated Golden Boy of baseball is the exact reason he will NEVER win a WS title."

So naturally I called in. On hold for 30 minutes I almost hung up but while I was on hold he was complaining about his wife not having dinner ready last week when he came back from a four day road trip. My response is kinda funny:

http://soundcloud.com/nathan-parker-28/mad-dog