Matt's Daily Blog

It used to be one of the highlights of my summer: watching the MLB Home Run derby the Monday before Tuesday's "Mid-Summer Classic." As a kid, I watched guys like Ken Griffey, Jr., Barry Bonds, Cecil Fielder, Mark McGwire, Frank Thomas, "Juan Gone" Gonzales, Sammy Sosa and on and on and on... Watching the Derby last night left me shaking my head asking, "What happened to the Home Run Derby?" When they introduced the participants, I said to myself, "That's it?!" Miguel Tejada, Lance Berkman, David Ortiz, Jermaine Dye, Troy Glaus, David Wright, Ryan Howard and Miguel Cabrera ... WHO??? Where was Manny Ramirez? Where was Barry Bonds? Where was Albert Pujols? Where was A-Rod or Jason Giambi? Basically, we were treated to what is becoming to look like the USA basketball team ... a second-rate event with second-rate players. The superstars don't want to participate, so relative unknowns to non-baseball fans like Howard and Wright end up in the finals of the event. How does that draw any kind of excitement for the event? It's like the Slam Dunk Contest in the NBA all-star game. None of the big names want to participate anymore. They get guys who aren't even on the All-Star roster just to fill the roles. It's just sad. it's no longer about the fans anymore. The most searing image from the evening will not be a monster blast, or a string of seven or eight dingers in a row, but Red Sox DH David Ortiz sitting on the set with ESPN's Chris Berman and Harold Reynolds explaining why it's OK that his teammate (and top All Star vote getter) Manny Ramirez chose not to participate in the All Star festivities. Fans pay hundreds of dollars to watch these jokers play a game. Our cost of admission pays their ridiculous salaries. And they can't even give us one night to sit back, watch and go "WOW!" Instead we were left saying, "WHO?" Peace!

# posted by Matt Moscona @ 11:52 AM