Bringing the Thunder

I don't like the home run derby. It's not that I'm opposed to the concept, mind you. I actually think it's a good idea, but whenever I watch it I find myself incredibly bored by it. There's obviously no interest in the outcome, and watching a glorified batting practice while the three or four hundred announcers and analysts ESPN has covering it try to squeeze in as many product placements as possible just isn't that enjoyable for me. That said, I needed to balance my checkbook last night, so I had the TV on in the background. If nothing else, I figured, the small army of children they have shagging flies are kind of amusing.

Thank goodness for those kids, because otherwise I might have missed Josh Hamilton put on a show that people will be talking about for a long time. Twenty-eight home runs, hit into parts of Yankee Stadium that have only been hit a handful of times before. It was an epic performance, and if you missed it you should definitely check it out here.

I can only hope that something similar manages to save the All-Star Game, another event which I like in theory but manages to have all the fun sucked out of it by Major League Baseball and Fox.