Home Run Derby Is Decadent, Depraved
The city that booed Santa hosted All-Star festivities this year. The actual All-Star Game was Tuesday night on FOX, but the Home Run Derby was on Netflix. Confused?
Yeah, me too. MLB is trying to find which spots have the most audience appeal, and it’s bad for regular viewers. Varied quality of broadcasts, embarrassing moments, bad commercial segues: we got ’em. Learn to love it or just deal, because it ain’t gonna change.
The Derby itself is boring, with too much ceremony and too little action. And now that I’ve buried the lede, let’s bury the living as Richard Boone would like. To my mind, the Derby would be best if the same pitchers threw to the hitters. Jeffrey Springs and Zack Littell would be the most proficient candidates if we are to have a left-hander and a right-hander. They make the best meatballs, with Springs having given up 26 long flies this year, edging out Shōta Imanaga (22) and Littell (23) to take the honors as a righty.
Not that I have anything against Jordan Walker other than his being a Cardinal, but Kyle Schwarber should have won the contest. That he should have won it as a Cub is my own peccadillo, and we won’t get into that at present.
Pete Crow-Armstrong declined to enter the Derby, as is his right, but allowed that he would enter next year (provided that he makes the squad), and that would be fine. The smart money will probably be on him as it was on Schwarber. PCA did have a great interview on the pregame show. Please feel free to enjoy before we proceed.
Okay? Okay. I suspect some rigging by organized or disorganized gambling, but I have no proof, and anyway, nobody cares. Except maybe the players who participate, and they’re not talking. So it’s a moot point. Schwarber has never won, which is a crime. He’s the best home run hitter in the sport, and we Cubs fans know what a gamer the guy is.
The Derby was full of ex-Cubs. Willson Contreras put on a show for the crowd, too. I would have liked to see Seiya Suzuki, but he wasn’t chosen to be there. His swing and demeanor seem made for that show, though, and maybe he’ll be there next year as an ex-Cub.
Oh hooray. Tomorrow I’ll have some words about the All-Star Game, which I plan to watch from my spot in front of my new Blackstone grill, which will likely catch most of my attention unless PCA is in the game.
A bientot.
