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Showing posts with label Home Run Derby. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Home Run Derby. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

5 ways to make the Home Run Derby more interesting

Don't get me wrong, I loved watching Josh Hamilton hitting bombs. Other than that, it was rather bland. So how about we spice things up a bit.

1. Pay the kids in the outfield money for each ball they fetch.
Wouldn't kids giving choke-holds and arm bars to each other while fighting over the ball be cool? It will teach kids the lesson of survival of the fittest, while also bringing more entertainment to the viewers.

2. Use metal bats.
I was a bit disappointed, while all night they were talking about hitting out of the stadium it didn't happen. The easy fix, metal bats. Let's bring the ping of college baseball that everyone loves to the Home Run Derby. If they had metal bats last night, there is no doubt that a ball would have went out. Farther hits= more entertainment.

3. Use Erin Andrews more.
You can never have too much Erin Andrews. Not only is she pleasant to the eyes (unlike Berman), but she also was the one last night who knew their stuff. Between Chris Berman and Joe Morgan, that was awful. They should put her intelligence in the commentators seat.

4. Zap Chis Berman each time he says back.
We all know those collars that people put on dogs that zap them each time they bark. Strap one of those to Berman and we won't be hearing that repetitive "back, back, back" much longer.

5. Actually have home run hitters.
This choice is the most obvious. It's no fun watching Evan Longoria trying to hit home runs. Watching Ryan Howard hit bombs, well that's another story. A home run derby without the home run leader is a crime. Add the true home run hitters with the metal bats and then you have some real entertainment.

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Does Homerun Derby Really Effect Swings?

With the All-Star game only days away now, there is more and more speculation to whether it tampers with the player's swing for the rest of the season. With all of this speculation, year after year we see terrific players take a pass on the Homerun Derby. So, does it really matter?

2005 HRD
Bobby Abreu
Ivan Rodriguez
Carlos Lee
David Ortiz
Hee-Seop Choi
Andruw Jones
Mark Teixeira
Jason Bay

First Half HR SO BA SLG
Bobby Abreu 18 65 .307 .526
Ivan Rodriguez 6 59 .292 .456
Carlos Lee 22 50 .268 .528
David Ortiz 21 62 .314 .585
Hee-Seop Choi 13 51 .236 .458
Andruw Jones 27 64 .272 .578
Mark Teixeira 25 62 .290 .568
Jason Bay 16 79 .299 .546
Second Half HR SO BA SLG
Bobby Abreu 6 69 .260 .411
Ivan Rodriguez 8 34 .252 .427
Carlos Lee 10 37 .262 .437
David Ortiz 26 62 .282 .626
Hee-Seop Choi 2 29 .288 .422
Andruw Jones 24 48 .251 .571
Mark Teixeira 18 62 .315 .582
Jason Bay 16 63 .314 .576

Average Change HR SO BA SLG
-4.75 -11 -.07 -.02

Homeruns and strikeouts are down but the other two changes are miniscule. Maybe the derby does't have a negative effect after all.