First off, congrats to Prince Fielder, he put on a pretty damn good show.  The majority of his HRs were simply bombs, well near (and one over) 500 ft., that’s just fun to watch.  Overall, the Derby still is an entertaining event worth tuning in to, but there are some aspects that tend to gnaw at me until I find myself channel surfing before the thing ends.

For starters, the powers that be have got to institute some sort rule to greatly diminish the amount of pitches that everyone takes in order to “get a rhythm”.  I understand that some pitches aren’t very hittable, and swinging at a lot of junk robs the fans of an explosive round or two.  However, the fact that every one of the guys seem to take like 5 or 6 pitches between each swing because they are sitting on the perfect spot makes the rounds seem drawn out to the point of frustration (I’m sitting at the TV, watching two or three perfect pitches float by the contestant, thinking, “dude, swing the bat”).  I propose, in addition to the 10 out system for non-HR swings, there should be an ump or something behind the plate, and if the batter takes more than three legit strikes between swings, he should be given one of the 10 allotted outs.  This would still give leniency for poor pitches, while expediting the process, because, as it stands now, the round is just glorified BP.

Also, another thing that irked me a bit was that carryover rule between the first and second round, where the second round contestants just tacked on to their first round total, with the grand total being used to decide the final match.  I don’t hate the rule, because it gives credit to those that exploded in the first round; however, it’s kind of a buzz kill if those that begin at the lower end totals in round 2 fail to even reach the highest first round totals, ending up with only one or two significant at bats in round 2.  I’d say either clean the slate between rounds, or don’t make a cut between the first and second (thereby enhancing the amount of at bats that still matter and allowing a redemption to those that were embarrassed by a 1 or 2 HR round).  Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoyed watching the show, and the overall experience was worth the time, but, as stated, a few changes would definitely help out significantly (in my eyes anyway).

After the Derby, however, was my personal favorite event: The 2009 Taco Bell All-Star Legends Celebrity Softball Game.  This event premise catches my attention every time, because I just love finding out which celebs have game (in this case: Nelly, Brian Littrell, James Denton, and Bobby Knight) and which ones just look comical out there (Ashanti, Jenna Fisher), as well as enjoying the fact that legends never seem to lose it, no matter how old.

I know most of these types of events are only good for a few laughs and a highlight or two; but, this one was actually a very good game, won by Mike Greenburg’s National team 10-8 over Mike Golic’s American side.  A fitting outcome since the National side was made up of individuals having background tied to St. Louis, so this side was the crowd favorite.  Several introductory side notes come to mind: (1) This was a pretty good timeslot for the event, to get rollover from the Derby, (2) Rollie Fingers and Goose Goosage still rep two of the greatest moustaches ever, (3) The Greeny-Golic manager dynamic should be continued (not saying it has to be them, just the general dynamic), friendly rivalry among managers makes the game a slight bit more meaningful while adding a fun layer to the in-game chatter, and (4) the professional softball players didn’t stand out at all, they were competent in the field, didn’t do anything spectacular overall, and were less than impressive at the plate (so, I say lose’em and put in a few more celebs or legends).

The defensive games for both sides were shockingly solid (minus Andy Richter, who bobbled several over at first for the American side, but made up for a few with a HR of his own).  The defensive standouts for the American side were short-stop James Denton and third baseman Brian Littrell.  Both Denton and Littrell gained some man status back after an impressive game, slightly digging out of the gigantic hole of being an actor on Desperate Housewives or a Backstreet Boy.  As for the National team, Nelly was standout in left-center (remember, for those who haven’t played softball, there are 4 outfielders, because deep down, it’s an old man’s game).  He made a helluva diving catch in the bottom of the first, and showed extreme range throughout the game, and even jacked a (relatively) massive homerun as well.  Also, the wizard Ollie Smith was treating it just like old times, making some incredible plays at short, even laying out for a few (I can only pray I’m still that mobile when I reach that age, it was a beautiful thing to behold).  Bobby Knight played a solid game at first base, showing Richter how it’s done, while at the same time satirically re-inventing himself, as a fun loving, official appreciating, mild-mannered participant (he even gave Shawn Johnson first on what should have been a groundout, just to let her turn a back flip into second base, which was kinda cool to watch).

Overall, this type of event is always worth a look, whether it’s a “wow, Ashanti is just not athletically inclined at all” or “Damn, Nelly can play a little bit,” it’s always cool to see entertainers in an “everyman” environment.  Also, everyone was mic’ed up, so the interaction between everyone was, as always, hilarious, because these folks are entertainers by nature.  Plus, watching the legends knock a little rust off, and coast comfortably around their element is always fun to see.  So if you didn’t catch this year’s game, mark the calendar for the next one, because this stuff is must see TV.

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