Home run derby time!!!

bluemarlin

GO MORNEAU!!

goose3

the people leading the league in HR's should actually be the participants....

Estil

That'd be like saying only the greatest players in the NBA should do the slam dunk contest; but they don't because they don't want to risk injury in an exhibition.

Also, are there any baseball video games that let you do Home Run Derby using the original rules from 1959-60; that is, nine innings per player, called strikes counted as outs, and so on?

LWMM

<< <i>the people leading the league in HR's should actually be the participants.... >>



Agreed---remember 2 (?) years back when it was done by nationality? A bunch of the leaders (including Rodriguez, who I believe was #1 at the time) were left out.

fandango

did they dump kenny maine in the water?

fandango

Pujols youngest all-time to 255 career HR's

leftofdial

I hope Justin wins too! Now I'm a North Dakota/ Minnesota boy, but Morneau is a really great kid. For those of you who don't know, the participants get to pick their own pitcher. Justin let the 2 most likely canidates (one of who of I believe is the normal BP thrower) NOT pitch to him so that they could enjoy the 3 days off w/their families. Insetad, he chose Gardy, who he jokingly rejected at first due to his inablilty to pitch a straight ball. And I seriously doubt that you'll ever see Justin Morneau in the police reports either. So yes, I'm a homer, but I'm pulling for a real down to earth kid who is worried about letting everyone down and putting up a goose egg.
Go Justin!

fandango

morneau is a great kid but......Pujols is Pujols...

maybe this Derby will snap him out of his HR funk (although he gets pitched around more than Bonds due to zero supporting cast)...

Skinpinch

This thing is waaaaay toooooo looooong!

kcballboy

I fell asleep right before Ordonez came up in the first round. I agree that it's too long, and the players aren't the mashers I used to watch growing up. When the derby was guys like Griffey, Thomas, Belle, Gonzalez, McGwire, etc. it was worth watching. I just can't get excited to seeing a guy like Alex Rios hitting HR's. Nothing against him, but when I think of the top bruisers in the game, I don't think of him or Holliday or Ordonez.

prscott933

<< <i>morneau is a great kid but......Pujols is Pujols...

maybe this Derby will snap him out of his HR funk (although he gets pitched around more than Bonds due to zero supporting cast)... >>



Pujols sure made the end of the second round interesting!

Carew29

Mad Vlad does it with the most vicious swing next to Sheff!!

stitzen

Jayson Stark wrote an interesting piece on the derby, and argued that derby participants shouldn't necessarily be all stars. Make it a big purse to contend for, and you'd have more willing players.

kmnorton

Man, that dude has a viscious swing...



The best part is he does it bare handed...



A lot of fun to watch, but it takes way, way, way too long in person.

kmnorton

Oh yeah, he hit one 503 feet that almost went into the little playground there at the park. During batting practice, Pujols hit the longest one I've ever seen (and I saw the Gallaraga blast way back when). Pujols is amazing. Fielder also put on a display during BP as did Junior.

MooseDog

<< <i>The best part is he does it bare handed... >>



And he also had two blisters on his fingers. Amazing...

I wasn't paying full attention...was Vlad still using David Ortiz' "Wonder Boy" bat after the first round? That was pretty funny when he delivered the bat in a wooden case then Vlad proceeded to hit Big Fly after Big Fly.

fandango

looks like the derby snapped Pujols out of the line-drive hitting groove he was in. now he is lofting the ball....

4 HR's in 3 games.....

we may be seeing the start of a Mattingly-esque like streak.....