By Scott
The Home Run Derby is as American as apple pie. It's a change of pace from the constant stream of baseball games that fill Sportscenter every night. It gives fans of all intensities a chance to see their favorite players show off their sheer power, and more importantly, a taste of their true, off the field character. And this year, Major League Baseball's fans will be treated to some of the most notorious power hitters in baseball in the likes of Brandon Inge and Nelson Cruz...?
Really, it's just the American League roster that actually had me at a loss of words. Even if Cruz and Inge were smacking 5 home runs-a-game out of the park, I have no interest in seeing either of them. Why? Because they're not stars. I know Big Papi is struggling, but is there anyone in the country who can honestly say they'd rather watch Brandon Inge than Ortiz? Not to mention, Brandon Inge is 19th in the MLB in home runs. 19th!!! There's only 8 players in the derby, and there is still a solid handful of players with less home runs than Inge that are twice as appealing. See: Curtis Granderson, Miguel Cabrera, Alex Rodriguez (no way he'd enter, but still), Torii Hunter, Kevin Youkilis, and the list goes on.
Donde esta, Carlos?
But, where's Mark Texeira, Carlos Pena, Justin Morneau, or Jason Bay? It's understandable why many of the players don't want to mess up their swings and tire themselves out, but there's no excuse for the MLB and their inability to lure even 8 entertaining guys into the competition. Joe Mauer and Evan Longoria are great, young guys to put out there, but you couldn't find two more big names to put out there, MLB? Seriously?
On the contrary, the National League roster is awesome: Albert Pujols, Ryan Howard, Prince Fielder, and Adrian Gonzalez. Gonzalez will definitely enter as the underdog, especially because of his underrated play in a small market in San Diego. If I had to put money down, I think Pujols has to be the favorite because of his "machine-like" numbers.
It still should be a semi-entertaining watch for the casual baseball fan, but there's no doubt ratings will take a solid drop on Monday night.
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