Time to Reign in the Home Run Derby

Robinson Cano

This is an opinion piece. Because I have an opinion and a venue to state it. And really, I am over watching the 3 hour 30-plus minute Home Run Derby's.

Yeah, I get the Home Run Derby is a big event on all-star week for baseball. Much in the same way the Slam Dunk competition is for baseball. But it takes too frickin' long.

Sure, I fully realize it is a made for TV (4-letter word) event, but why can't it be 2-hours? Why does it have to drag on and on and on and on and on?

Yes, it is kind of cool to sit there and watch guys launch 460 foot home runs, but why do we have four rounds of it? Why are the guys subjected to that? You can tell by the final round they are tired, it's not hard to see.

Like I said, a lot of this I blame on the 4-Letter. And is there anyone outside Bristol, Connecticut who actually likes listening to Chris Berman call the derby? To look at my Twitter feed during the Derby last night there were as many, if not more complaints about him than there were good comments about the hitters.

Berman has become the prime example of the over-bloviated announcer doing a way too long event. He starts with his "Back,back,back...gone" which was cute back in the mid 1990's, it isn't very fun...or original in 2011. This years broadcast, was perhaps the worst in recent history. Berman's co-horts, John Kruk and Nomar Garciaparra were by and large indecipherable. There were multiple times during the event that you couldn't make out what they were saying. The production was sloppy, the audio over modulated at times and the Videographers were struggling to follow the baseballs. It just made the event suck worse.

Sure, we get it is a big deal to the fans in attendance, the event is always sold out. And the fans get to see some eye-popping home runs. But come on guys, why can't you cut it to 2-hours? It wouldn't be that hard. We are pretty sure the Bud and Major League Baseball can make this happen.

I mean Michael Bay can do a Transformers movie in less time than it takes to see the 1st round, the 2nd round, the semi-finals and the finals of this event. Make it 2 rounds. It's not that complicated.

And while you are at it, can you find one of the 462 anchors in Bristol who are not named Chris Berman and are semi-relevant in today's society to call the action?

It's off the TV, but here's video of Robinson Cano being pitched to by his father and winning the HR Derby:

Fan nearly falls from stands at Home Run Derby

Keith Carmickle/Courtesy: Michael Chow/Arizona Republic

((ht: azcentral.com))

Keith Carmickle is a lucky man. He was at Monday nights Home Run Derby and nearly ended up stealing the headlines from this years winner Robinson Cano.

Carmickle was stationed in Right Field, near where many of the nights home runs were hit. He'd already got three balls when Prince Fielder hit a shot right at him. He went for number four.

According to the Arizona Republic, Carmickle stepped onto a table and reached down for the ball. His momentum caused him to tumble headfirst over a railing in front of the table when his friend and his brother, standing next to him and grabbed his legs. Had they not, the next stop was the pool, some 20 feet below at Chase Field.

Read more from azcentral.com RIGHT HERE

To say that Carmickle was stupid, would be an insult to stupid people. He didn't think about what he was doing, he wanted the ball. We kind of get that.

But after what happened this weekend in Texas, it may very well be time for stadiums to take a look at their policies in regards to railings.

There probably shouldn't have been any kind of table or prop near the railing, particularly at the Home Run Derby. Period.

Fans are going to do stupid things like reaching over railings for a baseball, they just are. Wishing, hoping and posting a sign at the entrance to the stands isn't going to stop them from doing it. Ushers, maybe.

Here's our solution. How about a second railing, further away from a ledge? That way there's a second hurdle to overcome before the risk of falling over the ledge. It's not an expensive thing to do and it would increase fan safety. While you want to think they won't do anything stupid like reach over a rail like Mr. Carmickle did, you can't assume that. An extra railing a foot or two away would prevent them from hurting themselves. Just our two cents worth, maybe someone will read this and pass it on.