FanHouse

It's somewhat less titillating than the other Alex Rodriguez story of the day but the Yankee third baseman has announced that he won't be swinging for the Yankee Stadium fences in two weeks at the Home Run Derby. While that's surely disappointing to batting practice enthusiasts, A-Rod's reasoning is hard to argue with. He says the Derby screws up his swing, which he needs for games that actually mean something.

"I try to stay away from that. My responsibility is to the New York Yankees. I need my swing to be at its best."

He probably won't be the only All-Star to pass on the chance to screw up their swing for the betterment of Major League Baseball's bottom line. I, for one, won't miss them. I realize the Derby's a popular event but I can't quite figure out why people like it so much.

But, then, I'm not much for the Slam Dunk Contest either or any other event that takes the difficulty out of doing something and then celebrates it. And the Derby doesn't even have the creative element that dunkers can add to the exhibition. It's just a guy taking batting practice while Chris Berman prattles on in the background. Eliminate Berman and you can catch it 81 times a year in your local ballpark.