by John Scanlan
Hopefully, last night’s less than thrilling Home Run Derby will make the powers that be realize that the shelf life of this competition has more than passed.
Watching home runs hit during a game is exciting. Watching home runs be hit within a manufactured setting is not.
If they feel the need to continue having it (and MLB will because it brings in extra revenue), then they need to make a few changes. First, it needs to be shortened significantly. 3 hours of watching home runs is as repetitive as reading “Off the Cuff”. Like OTC, once you get a tenth of the way in, you don’t care how it ends….you just want it to be over.
At most, it needs to be an hour and a half. The way you do that is reducing the number of outs a hitter gets. Currently, they get 10. Drop it to 5 and that should suffice. Also, an out is given for every 2 or 3 pitches that the hitter takes. During short stretches last night, it became “Take Derby”. Sorry if your pitcher can’t get the ball over…you chose him. Next time, bring Tom Niedenfuer.
Finally, get rid of Chris Berman and Joe Morgan. Berman’s shtick is older than Torosian’s wardrobe…and Torosian hasn’t updated his wardrobe since his last trip to Zody’s. Morgan plays his usual bitter self, but what else can he really add after ten plus years of analyzing this? Hearing the same voices year after year lends to the notion that the event itself is the same thing year after year.
The World Series of Poker Main Event is down to 64 players, all of whom are angling for the top prize of over $8.5 million. Former champions Joe Hachem and Peter Eastgate (last year’s winner) were knocked out on Monday night. Still left lurking are established pros Antonio Esfandiari (currently in 6th) and Phil Ivey (currently 3rd). At this point, Ivey has to be considered the odds on favorite. Long considered by his fellow professionals to be the best poker player alive, Ivey’s highest finish in the Main Event was 10th.
They will play to the final table (9 players) and reconvene on November 7th and play down to 2 players. Those players will face each other heads up on November 8th with the final table to be aired on ESPN on November 10th.
Quick Scans shuffles up and deals every Monday-Thursday at midvalleysports.com
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