It seems to be a consensus that the new Home Run Derby format was a rousing success. Fans loved the drama. Players were excited for the amount of home runs hit. And writers were glad it didn't last long into the wee hours of the night so they might make the morning edition (you know, in that paper thing that no one reads anymore). So you might be asking yourself, why change it then? Why mess with success? Cause it can always be better.
So here are ten ways that next year's Home Run Derby can be even more awesome:
10. Now this one is purely cosmetic from the standpoint of someone who might need to work in the morning. Start it a half-hour to hour earlier. I know with the timed format, it gives a better sense of when the whole thing will be done, but add in timeouts, interviews, commercials and the time it takes to get from the locker room to the plate, the whole thing got a bit lengthy. Make it so more small kids can stay up to see it and fall in love with America's pastime.
9. Mascots out in the field. I know, we love watching the little kids out there trying to catch the can of corn moonshots that hit the warning track. But man, wouldn't it be just as entertaining to see those goofy stuffed characters out there running to and fro with the kids, no idea where the ball is. What if one gets plunked in the midst of it all? The crowd would love it. And I assume based on the construction of the suits, the person inside would barely feel it. Hell, I'll give somebody credit for a homer if they can plunk a mascot.
8. Run the bases. I know we're trying to increase the crowd enjoyment here by raising the number of home runs hit. But, wouldn't it be fun to have to watch Prince Fielder try to get around the bases as fast as he could every time he hit one so he could get back to the plate to swing again? I know this favors the younger, more spry participants, but I'm a man who enjoys hustle. And if you don't want to hustle, I guess you don't want to hit another home run.
7. Miss USA rules. Sure, a dude can hit 15 home runs in his uniform. But how about formal wear? I'd like to see Todd Frazier swat a few cowhides in tails and a top hat. And if we're really adventurous, I suppose we could do swimwear too. I'm sure more than a few female viewers would tune in to see Joc Pederson shirtless in trunks or Bryce Harper swinging in nothing but cleats and speedo. Would everyone enjoy it? No. But we're trying to make it more interesting and expand a fanbase here.
6. Alumni division. Each All-Star Game should be about every team. But after seeing it in person, I believe even more that each All-Star Game should be so much more about the host team. So, have a separate bracket. Only four guys. The best living sluggers who can still muscle it from the home team. So if the Reds had done it this year, you get Griffey, Dunn, E. Davis, and maybe Casey. Sure, there won't be as many home runs, but imagine the pop from the crowd. And aren't the fans the reason we're doing this in the first place?
5. Fungo bats. So, you take that alumni division and realize after year one that they only combined for 20 homers for the whole thing. So let's make it better. Hand them each an aluminum bat and let 'em go to town. Tell me you wouldn't have paid good money this year just to see Griffey and Dunn go head-to-head with a metal bat seeing who could put one in the Ohio River on a fly first.
4. Hello Money Ball. The Money Ball in the NBA Three-Point Contest counts for double. It's the last ball you shoot in each rack during your turn. So with the timed format, anything within the last 30 seconds of your regular time should count as double. you're down 5 with 30 seconds to go and you're starting to press. Boom, all you have to do is hit 3 instead of 5 and you win! Instant drama.
3. The Money Ball, with a twist! Again, an adjustment because after year one, you realized too many guys were losing because the other guy was doing better with the Money Ball, so we even the score here. No more Money Ball during the last 30 seconds. After the allotted time period is over, out walks a new pitcher. But not just any pitcher, the best fireballer in the game. So right now, I would assume everyone would agree that's Aroldis Chapman. He's gotta throw you strikes. You get 5 strikes to work with. There's an umpire now to call strikes. If he throws it outside the zone, you get another pitch. He's not gonna try to strike you out per say. He's just trying to put it past you as hard as he can. Here it comes. 102. In the zone. Catch up to it, get the meat on it, and see if you can put it over the wall. Clear the yellow and you get 2 for the price of one. If you even see it before it hits the mitt.
2. Many complained that the only flaw with the bracket format is that the higher-seeded batter has the advantage. All he has to do is hit one more than the lower-seeded batter and he's done. Which is true. And you know what? If you don't like it, hit more home runs before the All-Star Game and you won't be a lower-seeded batter. But if you wanna level the playing field a little, fine. I present to you...Rebuttal Time. So lower-seed guy bats. Hits 9 out. Higher-seeded guy comes up and just keeps swinging til time is up. He ends up hitting 11 out. Now, lower-seeded guy comes back. I debated on the time limit for this. I thought perhaps everyone gets 30 seconds. Maybe it's based on the number of homers you hit. That would have to be worked out. For now, I'll go with 5 seconds for every homer you hit. So lower-seeded guy now gets 45 seconds to see how many more he can pop. Maybe he starts to groove and hits 6. So now its 15 to 11. Higher-seeded guy now gets his 55 second Rebuttal Time. Maybe he gets the 5 he needs and moves on anyway. Maybe he only get 3. Who knows. It still favors the higher-seeded guy batting second, but it gives the lower-seeded guy a sporting chance.
1. Head-to-Head Finals. For real. This is the pressure cooker. Two guys staring each other down. All the marbles. For this, we're going untimed. Each guy gets 20 swings, regardless of how many outs they make. But here's where we make it interesting. They alternate. Guy One takes a hack and puts it out. He moves out of the way and Guy Two and his pitcher walk out and take a crack. Some sort of a clock to keep them moving. Say 15 seconds between when the previous guy's ball hit. We don't want them to keep waiting for the perfect pitch. Back and forth we go til we've hit 20 pitches or one guy can't catch the other with the amount of swings left. Nobody really gets in a groove this way. You just focus on the one pitch at hand. Tied after 20? Sudden death. Hello Home Run Derby Penalty Shots!!!!
Like 'em? Hate 'em? Got a better idea for an awesome twist to the Home Run Derby, let me know.
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