Bad Vlad

I watched the homerun derby last night. Although I am not a huge fan of the homerun derby, mostly because of how loooooooonnnngggg it is, I found this one to be very intriguing. I wasn't familiar with some of the contestants (Alex Rios or that Matt Holladay), but I don't know whether it was the ambiance of AT&T park, classic Chris Berman, or my barbecued steak, but I loved every minute of the derby. Let's start with the park.

Is there a more beautiful sporting venue in all the country than that of the San Francisco Giants? It is nestled right against McCovey Cove, and the Golden Gate Bridge can be seen off to the distance. Although nobody hit a homerun into the cove, the kayakers provided some good entertainment.

Something that surprised me was Barry Bonds's interview with Peter Gammons. Barry was very polite, and surprisingly good-natured. With all the disgust that I have for him, I couldn't help but realize that I was watching the man who was going to surpass one of my idols and become the homerun champion. During the interview, Barry was smiling, having fun, and seemed like a kind person. I was shocked.

As for the derby itself, if I were a betting man, I would have put all my money on Vladimir Guerrero. Anybody who has ever watched this guy take batting practice would know that he hits the crap out of the ball. It also helped that I am an Angel fan and was sporting my Vladimir Guerrero jersey. Seriously, who hits the ball 503 feet? That was one of the most amazing homeruns I have ever seen.

The homerun derby is the best All-Star event in all of sports. The dunk contest has gotten old, and football doesn't have anything to compare. I'm glad I watched, and I can't wait for the second half.