FanHouse HomeRunDerby

The State Farm Home Run Derby is tonight, and hometown favorite Albert Pujols looks to be the front runner for longball glory. But don't forget about dark horse candidates like Detroit Tigers slugger Brandon Inge, who has hit 21 dingers already this season and has played every position including "coach." Personally, I think Inge could sneak in and ... wait, the Home Run Derby happened last night? What happened, who won? Did... oh.

This afternoon's Dugout is after the jump. Ughhh, look at that guy.

ST. LOUIS -- After Brandon Inge had taken five or six swings in Monday's Home Run Derby, his son Tyler turned to Curtis Granderson on the sideline and said, "Daddy's not hitting any home runs."

Getting shut out -- that's right, 10 outs and no home runs, did not at all dampen Inge's night.

Inge hit 13 fewer homers than Albert Pujols. And smiled about 100 times more often.

"My number was actually 15," he said, meaning what he expected would be needed in the first round to advance.

"I almost got that. Almost."

ST. LOUIS -- Prince Fielder had plenty of good memories of the Home Run Derby.

Just not the one that he actually participated in.

Fielder had watched his father, Cecil, slug monster homers in the Derby in 1990, '91 and '93, including a memorable one off the glass at Toronto's SkyDome in 1991. When the younger Fielder grew up and got his first shot at the Derby, in 2007, he hit only three homers.

Now, he's got his own story. He hit a total of 23 homers, out-homering Nelson Cruz, 6-5, in the finals, to win the Home Run Derby championship on Monday night at Busch Stadium, with local favorite Albert Pujols failing to even reach the finals.

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If one theme has emerged during the first half of the 2009 season in the National League, it's that it's Albert Pujols' world and we're all just living in it. After nine superb seasons in which he's only finished out of the top four in MVP voting once, he's somehow on pace for his best season yet.

With this year's Home Run Derby in St. Louis and Pujols making a point to perform in front of the home crowd, it's essentially him against the field Monday night. Do Adrian Gonzalez, Carlos Pena, Prince Fielder, Ryan Howard, Joe Mauer, Nelson Cruz, or Brandon Inge stand any sort of chance of spoiling Pujols' parade?

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ESPN unveiled a new real-time ball-flight tracking technology Wednesday to be used during this year's Home Run Derby. They're calling it "Ball Track" ("This is a family Web site, this is a family Web site, this is a family Web site," the blogger repeated to himself), and it's apparently based on Doppler Radar technology, which will allow the anchors to actually predict whether the ball will land over the fence while its still in mid-flight.

Oh, well that sounds wonderful. I just can't wait for Chris Berman to scream, "THIS ONE'S HEADED FOR CHESTERFIELD!!!" while a ball is somewhere over second base. There isn't much suspense in the home run derby, but what little that does exist is entirely gone if the broadcast crew and TV audience actually knows whether a ball will clear the fence before that actually happens.

It's a baseball podcast. The math is easy, right? BaseCast. Let's rock.

The Midsummer Classic is less than a week away. That means the baseball world is consumed by two things -- the good, the bad and the ugly of the All-Star Game (snubs, rules, Home Run Derby, etc.) and the growing buzz on the trade market heading toward the July 31 non-waiver deadline.

In the third edition of BaseCast, hosts Will Brinson and yours truly, Andrew Johnson, talk everything All-Star Game with Jeff Fletcher, then size up the trade market with Ed Price and discuss whether the Blue Jays would really consider trading ace Roy Halladay.

In between, catch Jeff's exclusive interview with Marlins team president Larry Beinfest. It's all after the jump.

The Home Run Derby is not perfect. It lasts too long, Chris Berman makes my ears want to bleed, most of the best players aren't participating, and the players all look really stupid in their team hats and All-Star warm-up jerseys. But you know what? No one's expecting perfect. Prince Fielder and Ryan Howard were both born for this kind of thing and they're here, along with one of the best hitters any of us may ever see (Albert Pujols, of course). There will be lots of home runs hit, there will be lots of people doing stupid things in boats, there will be a lot of fun had, and no one will try to make it more important than it really is. That can only mean one thing: live blog. Anyways, the whole thing kicks off at 8 PM and I'll be here, so follow along with the live updates after the jump.

Yeah, sure, I understand that "this time it counts," meaning the All-Star game is treated as something that matters. Still, I don't care if an NL park is hosting the game; I want to see hitters hit and pitchers pitch. I don't even want to see a pitcher's name in the batting order, regardless of whether or not wood and pine tar actually touches their hands. It's just a stupid practice that needs to be scrapped.

PostmanE already pointed out some of the shortcomings of the All-Star game, noting that the home run derby has become the true focal point of fan excitement. Making the DH mandatory should be added to the list of All-Star game changes. Why should managers be concerned with constantly pinch-hitting for the pitcher, or pulling off double-switches? Everyone in the park and every fan watching on TV is tuning in to see the best hitters in baseball face the best pitchers in baseball. So why even leave it in question that a pitcher will be in the lineup?

Seriously, do I want to see Dan Haren's name in the AL lineup batting 9th, or Gary Sheffield Justin Morneau batting sixth, and Placido Polanco hitting last? It doesn't take a brain surgeon to know the fans want to see Albert Pujols or Matt Holliday in the middle of the NL lineup rather than Jake Peavy at the bottom. This is just another example of how MLB needs to take a clue in improving the All-Star game. Pitchers in the lineup? What a joke.

Previously at FanHouse:
Drop the Charade: The Home Run Derby Is Better Than the All-Star Game

Whoever said that the home run derby was for the fans, they were wrong; the home run derby is for the gamblers. With that in mind, I would like to present the odds for this year's home run derby. According to Bodog's sportsbook, at 2/1, Ryan Howard is the favorite to defend his title. Here are the odds:

1. Ryan Howard 2:1
2. Prince Fielder 3:1
3. Albert Pujols 7:2
4. Justin Morneau 9:2
5. Vladimir Guerrero 6:1
6. Matt Holliday 10:1
7. Magglio Ordonez 11:1
8. Alex Rios 12:1

Given the recent history of the derby, I would be inclined to go with one of the hitters you would least expect to win it. Think about it, aside from last year when Howard took home the crown, it has been non-home run hitters who have dominated the derby the past few years. Bobby Abreu won it in 2005, Miguel Tejada in 2004, and Garret Anderson in 2003. Those three players have combined for 15 dingers this year. Every player in the derby has at least that many, except Vlad (14) and Mags (13). Taking a look at those stats, and it's almost a curse to win the derby. Anyways, my money's on Rios, he has the sweetest and easiest swing of them all. Of course, I'll be sitting here with my head in my hands when he fails to go ya-ya, but for now, that's my pick.

Previously at FanHouse:
How to Improve the Home Run Derby