Hate the Play, Love the Event

Right now, baseball is on the All-Star Break. This means there are no games Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday to make it possible for the All-Stars to get together and play. Monday night is the Home Run Derby and I just think it's a terrible idea. I hate the focus that fans put on the home run, causing a reliance on steroids for many players. To me, this practice prevents the "good guys" from performing up to the standards that fans develop. Who wants to watch a game where the bad guys always win? Not me.

All that to say, the Home Run Derby is pretty much my favorite thing ever. The players all just chill out on the field in foul ground and watch some guys hit. Their children sit in their laps and you see the stars of the game reduced to mere fans (camcorder in hand). Something about that is magical to me. The story becomes even better when the 27 year-old recovered drug addict turned All-Star hits a record 28 (yeah, 28) home runs. For hating the home run, I sure do love the Derby.

Tonight is the actual All-Star game, and I'm rooting for the National League, as always (fewer steroids...theoretically). We'll see how that goes. It's in Yankee Stadium this year, which is absolutely incredible. Somehow the opening ceremony always has a way of moving me to tears. This year, I managed to not cry--perhaps it's my hatred for Yankee owner George Steinbrenner (who "delivered" the game balls for first pitch). However, it was still incredible. All of those Hall of Famers on one field was amazing. Some people are moved to tears by art, poetry, or nature. For me it's just baseball. Maybe I'm shallow, but it's great.