Batter's Box Interactive Magazine - This Day In Baseball: 11 July 2005

This Day In Baseball: 11 July 2005

Now I'm sitting here,
Sipping at my ice cold beer,
Lazing on a sunny afternoon.

This Day in Baseball is shutting down for the All-Star Break. It will return on Thursday. There will be no more song lyrics, I promise - I'm going to use fun baseball quotes instead. What a concept!

I'm here today just to ask one question of all of you:

Why does baseball have the best All-Star Game?

I've got my own ideas as to why this is the case, and I'll tell you all tomorrow. But I wanted to hear from you guys. Because I care. I care what you think.

Today's schedule:

No games today!

Posted by Magpie on Monday, July 11 2005 @ 04:08 PM EDT.

This Day In Baseball: 11 July 2005 | 32 comments | Create New Account

The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.

Sherrystar - Monday, July 11 2005 @ 04:23 PM EDT (#122263) #

Boone has been traded to the Twins... for the great "player to be named later"

That should shush any O-Dog to the Twins rumours!

As for Hillenbrand...

King Ryan - Monday, July 11 2005 @ 04:27 PM EDT (#122265) #

Baseball does not have the best all-star game. And they never will until they stop being presented by FOX.

fozzy - Monday, July 11 2005 @ 04:55 PM EDT (#122271) #

Boone has been traded to the Twins... for the great "player to be named later"

Who would have ever thought that Bret Boone would be acquired for the Twins in the exact same sort of deal that John Macdonald was for the Jays. Sometimes baseball is a cruel and unpredictable mistress...

King Rat - Monday, July 11 2005 @ 04:59 PM EDT (#122273) #

I think the reason for the (relatively) high quality of play in the All-Star Game is relatively straightforward. You can play (almost) all-out in a baseball game without worrying too much about getting hurt, which isn't the case in hockey, football or basketball. There's a reason why those three sports always have shootouts in their all-star games, and baseball has a lot of different scores.

AWeb - Monday, July 11 2005 @ 05:22 PM EDT (#122275) #

Why is Baseball's All-Star game best?

Besides what King Rat mentioned, I think the hitter vs. pitcher conflict is unique in the major sports. Pitchers always want to get the hitters out, and there is no way to do that a 3/4 effort. Take 10 mph and some snap off major league pitches, and the hitters would kill them. It would be basically a homerun derby again. Likewise, if the hitters don't swing as quick and hard, they won't be able to touch a full out major league pitch. No compromise like the other three games, which basically comes down to "If you don't play defense, neither will we". The all-star pitchers just aren't going to make that kind of compromise. This leads to the defense playing all out too, as they have to face their pticher later that year. Don't want an angry, "should've caught that ball in the gap", fastball at the head later...

Pitchers have a job that has no equlvalent in other sports. Football defenders all have a very specific job, with totoal team dependance. Hockey goalies can only prevent so much scoring on there own, as they don't control the puck; hence the 15 goals a game. Basketball doesn't even have specific defenders, so defense becomes optional.

Wildrose - Monday, July 11 2005 @ 07:03 PM EDT (#122287) #

Some early details for the World Cup Classic announced today. I don't know about you guys, but this event really has me pumped.

VBF - Monday, July 11 2005 @ 08:53 PM EDT (#122295) #

Poor Jason Bay.

May I ask stupid question? Why wasn't Larry Walker representing Canada?

VBF - Monday, July 11 2005 @ 08:56 PM EDT (#122296) #

Ah, because he wasn't voted in by players or fans. That would have been interesting to see what he could do though.

JayWay - Monday, July 11 2005 @ 09:03 PM EDT (#122297) #

Actually, I would rather have seen Morneau. Walker's time is almost up. It's Justin's turn to carry the torch as Canada's next premier power hitter.

I feel bad for Jason. Ya knew as soon as Abreyu did what he did, that whoever came next had it tough.

Wish he could've gotten one though :/

VBF - Monday, July 11 2005 @ 09:15 PM EDT (#122299) #

Without my Canadian bias, I have to say that this year's Home Run Derby, while promoting the World Baseball Classic, just doesn't seem the same.

I mean, everyone has to be able to rack up some home runs.

If they really wanted to put a heavy influence on the International competition, they should've had a vote by the players (a vote seperate from the All-Star ballots, as crazy as it sounds) on who they wanted to represent each country respectively. That way, every country has the best representative possible. I'm sure that when Jason Bay was voted in by the players, he was voted in becaise of his other attributes (Average, OBP). Had there been a seperate vote on the best home run Canadian hitter, there probably would've been a different person wearing the Canadian Flag.

Or, if that defeats the purpose of All-Star competition in its entirety, just have the best hitters period.

JayWay - Monday, July 11 2005 @ 10:47 PM EDT (#122301) #

Pudge's kid is obnoxious.

Pistol - Monday, July 11 2005 @ 11:50 PM EDT (#122306) #

I just got in and missed HR derby. *41* homers for Abreu? That's sick.

VBF - Tuesday, July 12 2005 @ 12:21 AM EDT (#122307) #

By the way, if you want to see Andre Dawson patrolling the outfield again, turn to SportsNet.

StephenT - Tuesday, July 12 2005 @ 12:23 AM EDT (#122308) #

fyi: in-context Jays stats for the 1st-half. The Jays had the best pitching and Pythagorean winning percentage in the East (but alas, not the most wins).

The_Game - Tuesday, July 12 2005 @ 12:23 AM EDT (#122309) #

Jason Bay has 16 homeruns this year, I believe.
However, he really isn't a stereotypical homerun hitter. He doesn't have the kind of powerful "uppercut" sort of swing that brings success in home run derby's and can give you 40+ hrs like some other great hitters (Barry Bonds, Jim Thome, Adam Dunn etc..). But there is no doubt that this guy is a great all-around hitter. His numbers playing for Pittsburgh this year are astounding, especially when you consider nobody else around him is doing much (alot like Vernon Wells). I have him on my fantasy baseball team, and I can tell you he is no slouch. But I think MLB would have found a more suitable Canadian home run hitter in Larry Walker or Justin Morneau for this event. There is no denying that Jason Bay will be a great player for many more years though.

CaramonLS - Tuesday, July 12 2005 @ 12:27 AM EDT (#122310) #

A nice fair well to Larry Walker would have been great for the HR comp.

VBF - Tuesday, July 12 2005 @ 12:45 AM EDT (#122313) #

Yea, I wasn't ragging on Bay by any stretch. He's a great hitter right now. He's just more of a all-round hitter as supposed to strictly a power hitter. He was hitting the ball well in the derby, he just wasn't hitting them out. I just thought there might be a couple more people who would've been more suited for a competition of this skill.

VBF - Tuesday, July 12 2005 @ 12:54 AM EDT (#122314) #

May I ask stupid question? Why wasn't Larry Walker representing Canada?

But wait, Choi wasn't voted into the All-Star game. Morneau or Walker could've represented Canada, non?

King Ryan - Tuesday, July 12 2005 @ 01:22 AM EDT (#122315) #

Bay has the most HR's this year by a Canadian. That's why.

I still would have preferred Walker, but no matter. I didn't even watch the Snore Derby.

JayWay - Tuesday, July 12 2005 @ 05:34 AM EDT (#122320) #

Snore derby is right.

I can't believe it took 3 1/2 hours to complete the competition.

Wildrose - Tuesday, July 12 2005 @ 08:27 AM EDT (#122322) #

I think 3 of those hours were spent pitching to David Ortiz. I love selective hitters , but in B.P.?

Four Seamer - Tuesday, July 12 2005 @ 08:34 AM EDT (#122323) #

No kidding. I was wondering if that contest was ever going to end, mainly because I was so excited about the Legends & Celebrities Softball Game that followed. Just who was out there impersonating Andre Dawson in right field?

Abreu put on a real show, but as he only swing at about one in five pitches, it got pretty dull pretty fast. By the end, I was so fed up with him that I was cheering for Rodriguez, and the guy he was trying to win the house for.

Thomas - Tuesday, July 12 2005 @ 10:08 AM EDT (#122328) #

Abreu had a consistent pattern. He would swing for a pitch, take a pitch, swing for a pitch, take a pitch and so on. At least that's what he did in the first two rounds, I missed the third. He was nowhere near as selective as Ortiz. Plus, to be fair, when he's hitting monster homeruns on every ball he swings for, how can you fault him for not swinging for a few?

As for the HR Derby's format, I disliked the format when first announced and I still don't think the best eight HR hitters were in the contest. It's a bit silly to see Pujols and Tejada on the sideline with Bay and Choi in the competition. However, as much as I hate to admit it, Bud Selig was right and the players did seem to get a lot more excited about the competition in this format. Perhaps not the US players, but Tejada and Guerrero and many of the players from places like the Dominican Republic and Venezuela seemed to really enjoy cheering on a fellow countryman.

I quite like the idea of the World Cup of Baseball, and this competition actually made me even more excietd about the tournament.

Jordan - Tuesday, July 12 2005 @ 10:17 AM EDT (#122329) #

Two reasons to dislike the home run derby:

1. It's incredibly monotonous. Gee, a homer. Oh look, another one. Groundball. Popup. Another home run. Yawn. Home-run derbies are about as exciting and meaningful as watching world-class sprinters do warm-up runs.

2. "Back-back-back-back-back-back-back-back-back-back-back......."

Four Seamer - Tuesday, July 12 2005 @ 10:40 AM EDT (#122330) #

I'm not suggesting Abreu was the worst offender, but as I didn't see Ortiz hit at all, I could only single out Abreu (whose second round performance I also missed; I checked out of the competition after Bay was finished, and returned two hours later, amazed the event wasn't anywhere near over). The final round was painful to watch, though.

If they want to tighten it up (and they probably don't, since I was amazed to find that it was scheduled to run for three hours), they need to limit the amount of pitches these guys can pass on, especially since they're bringing their own BP pitchers. That, and hold off on the celebrations until the batter is finished. I lost count of how many times Miguel Cabrera ran up to Abreu in the batter's box to give him a hug and drape him in the Venezuelan flag during that final round!

Or even better, instead of counting outs, just put the guys on a clock for the first two rounds, and let them hit as many as they can in the time alloted. But as I watch about one home run contest every five years, I'm not the right guy to be giving MLB advice.

Gitz - Tuesday, July 12 2005 @ 12:59 PM EDT (#122339) #

Count me in the minority (shocking!) here, but I always enjoy the home-run derby. Ok, sure, Berman is obnoxious. That's why they invented "mute," Jordan. And, yeah, all the posturing is absurd, and you have to put up with the commercials. It's still worth it, in the end, for me. Having played baseball, and having slugged a few over the fences myself, it's an awesome feeling. It's also awesome to see these guys kill the ball, as Ortiz and Abreu were doing, and to make it look so easy. Twenty-four balls over the fence on 34 swings?

Craig B - Tuesday, July 12 2005 @ 01:21 PM EDT (#122340) #

I enjoy the HRD, too. Berman's annoying at times, but I don't really listen - I just watch.

Since Bob Abreu is one of my favorite players in baseball, last night was an unalloyed pleasure. My only disappointment was that Miguel Tejada (my idol, yeah) wasn't hitting, but we saw rather a lot of him. No wonder everyone says he keeps his team loose - he was carrying on like Rabbit Maranville out there.

Jordan - Tuesday, July 12 2005 @ 01:57 PM EDT (#122341) #

If only Chris Berman had been the reason for the development of the "Mute" button. It would have provided a silver lining to the giant grey cloud of his career.

Watching an endless array of 60-mph-batting-practice-pitch home runs launched in complete silence is, if possible, even less appealing than having the sound on. Bleah.

Gitz - Tuesday, July 12 2005 @ 02:07 PM EDT (#122343) #

Fair enough. But Jordan, you have a baby now. Surely you realize that nothing happens in complete silence anymore. Even when the baby is sleeping, you're continually saying, to anybody or anything who will listen -- and dang it, those curtains have no choice but to listen! -- "It's so quiet!"

Jordan - Tuesday, July 12 2005 @ 02:49 PM EDT (#122348) #

Yes, they do seem to have just two settings ... quiet and hollerin'.

JayWay - Tuesday, July 12 2005 @ 04:29 PM EDT (#122363) #

By the way, did anyone hear Jason Bay say after it was done that Toronto would be at the top of his list for prefered destinations once he's a free agent (along with Seattle)?

Let let the rumours begin! ;)

Craig B - Tuesday, July 12 2005 @ 04:39 PM EDT (#122368) #

BAY IN 2010!

This Day In Baseball: 11 July 2005 | 32 comments | Create New Account

The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.