What Makes It So Dern Special?
Commish Creighton

There have always been many "segments" to our All-Star Weekends. We want to keep things fresh, keep them rolling, etc. Once one event ends (and we try not to let any one event go longer than 90 minutes), start the next one. Hit it, quit it, and start the next one. Over the years we've taken things away or added things, but one thing remains constant:

The Homerun Derby remains arguably THE attraction of the weekend.

Scott Carmichael, while having never won a HR Derby, is always a threat.

Not the Rookie Game, which showcases the young up-and-coming talent and gives the league its first game of the year that isn't confined to the usual "team" method. Ian Byrd can team up with Aaron Kemper for one game. What's not to like?!?!? Not even the All-Star Game itself, the ultimate showcase of talent, compares. People rarely even watch the Rookie Game, and could usually care less about the All-Star Game. Why? Because they're usually busy recovering from what was an awesome derby. Take 2000, for example. Joey Creighton and James Vassar battled down to the wire in the derby with Joey narrowly coming out on top. Then the Rookie Game was played in total silence. Who won the 2000 All-Star Game? Don't ask me, I have no clue.

The derby remains so popular because it's so simple. Hit a ball over the alloted boundary and try to do it as many times as you can before failing ten times. Make the top four? Move on, and try to make the top two. There are no walks, no errors, no swings and misses at curves in the dirt. Just guys hitting balls solid all over the field. The ultimate test of hitting.

Because of this simplicity, the derby has easily survived the usually fatal flaw in that its had only ONE player win it in its four years of existence. Find me one thing where someone or something has won four times in a row and you usually get a bored and tired audience. Not here, because fans know that the biggest difference between Joey Creighton winning and Eric Christensen winning is as small as a five swing cold streak.

And then you have all the extra-curriculars. In the very first derby, Scott Carmichael baptised it by hitting the league's first-ever roof shot. It was historic, never seen before. Then there's Joey Creighton, trying in vain every year to be the first guy to hit the roof in right (he hasn't done it yet, but maybe 2003 is the year). Oh yeah, and we won't want to forget about that little display Dave Cain put together last year.

So hail to the Homerun Derby. Go for all its worth, Morrison. Deatrick, don't listen to the critics. Curtis, you hit homeruns worse than Dean Evans in batting practice, but even you can catch fire here. All you need to do is find that little zone for maybe 4-5 swings and BAM! All of the sudden, we'll have our SECOND ever Homerun Derby Champion.