The 2015 Home Run Derby, held at Cincinnati’s Great American Ball Park, brought much-needed focus and suspense to an event that previously had been as fun as praised the mass upgrade that night, wrapping up my story with a wish:
“Now, if only they could get rid of Chris Berman …”
Voila! In less than two years’ time, the Derby has transformed from the bane of many people’s existence — including that of Bud Selig’s delightful wife, Sue, as mentioned in my 2015 piece — to a legitimately enjoyable night for both those attending in person and those watching on TV. It’s easier to watch, thanks to the revised format (a head-to-head bracket, a four-minute time limit instead of “outs”), and it’s now easier to listen to it, thanks to Berman’s significantly reduced schedule, which was announced Thursday.
Look, I still think, thousands of years from now, folks will put the Derby in the “Cons” column when assessing these times. We’ve got to aim higher as a species.
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Yet given everything going on in the country, let alone the world, the Derby’s improvement makes its eradication much less of a priority.
It doesn’t matter who will assume Berman’s role as the Derby’s head carnival barker. It could be another jock-sniffing broadcaster, or Ted Cruz. It will be better now, rest assured.
Really, if baseball can turn its Home Run Derby from a galactic debacle to a bona fide asset, then what can’t we accomplish on this planet?
This week’s Pop Quiz question came from Gary Mintz of South Huntington: Name the former Met who appeared as himself in a 1965 episode of “The Lucy Show.” The answer is Jimmy Piersall.