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Only baseball would need to be told "Hey, if there is a deserving home town player for this stupid little exhibition, pick him".
2.Shock posted on July 10, 2012 at 01:30 AM #hit 0 | hit 0
It took some time to even figure out why they were booing. Talk about a local controversy.
3.Tuque posted on July 10, 2012 at 01:35 AM #hit 0 | hit 0
This kind of cracks me up. I wish I hadn't forgotten the Home Run Derby was today.
Hopefully this will at least become an unwritten rule or tradition or something. In fact I think I'd prefer that to it being mandated by the Selig.
4.AJM posted on July 10, 2012 at 01:51 AM #hit 0 | hit 0
That was the best moment of the derby.
5.esseff posted on July 10, 2012 at 01:59 AM #hit 0 | hit 0
Umm, genius, it might work fine with David Wright, but what are you gonna do when the team’s only representative is an Elvis Andrus type, or a pitcher?
I think a better question is why they're having "captains" make the decisions on who to invite in the first place and why are these specific players made captains in the first place? Cano is a pretty odd choice considering that he has never even hit 30 HR in a season and while he is likely to eclipse that this year he still has a bunch of guys in front of him on the leaderboard.
I think a better question is why they're having "captains" make the decisions on who to invite in the first place and why are these specific players made captains in the first place? Cano is a pretty odd choice considering that he has never even hit 30 HR in a season and while he is likely to eclipse that this year he still has a bunch of guys in front of him on the leaderboard.
It's because he won it last season.
10.mex4173 posted on July 10, 2012 at 02:15 AM #hit 0 | hit 0
Why would it leave a bad impression on potential free agents? In effect the fans are expressing loyalty to their player(s). Will it be needlessly tart and unwise when Billy Butler gets a bigger cheer tomorrow than Dan Uggla?
11.MM1f posted on July 10, 2012 at 03:11 AM #hit 0 | hit 0
Seriously, this is effing stupid. It's already ridiculous that someone like Billy Butler gets in the AS game
Why is it ridiculous for Billy Butler to make an all-star game?
He is on a 30 HR pace this year and over the last 4 years he has averaged .301/.369/.476, good for a 129 OPS+. That ain't a Hall of Famer, but it is certainly good enough to make an all-star game. Oh, and he basically never misses a game.
12.bjhanke posted on July 10, 2012 at 04:56 AM #hit 0 | hit 0
The version of this story that appeared in the STL newspaper adds a detail that, if true, makes the booing much less offensive. The version we got is that Cano, in blunt language, had promised the KC fans that he would use a Royal on the derby team. Then he didn't do it. That does make a difference. It's not a good idea, if you're a public figure, to promise something to any audience and then not follow through. What I do not know is whether the added STL detail is true. If not, then the essay is pretty much dead on. But if Cano did make a promise to the KC fans, then the essay is off-target. Which it is, I don't know. I never heard Cano promise anything, but then, I don't watch many Yankee games or much ESPN. - Brock Hanke
13.boteman posted on July 10, 2012 at 05:58 AM #hit 0 | hit 0
We need a Congressional committee to investigate this matter!
Want to solve the problem? Have a rule that whatever team hosts next year's All Star Game must acquire Vicente Padilla. Then, mandate Padilla pitch in next year's Home Run Derby.
15.Lassus posted on July 10, 2012 at 07:02 AM #hit 0 | hit 0
If you find this kind of booing more terrible than booing a player for being terrible then you are a terrible human who deserves to be booed.
I think the reason behind having captains is that a player is more likely to turn down an invite from Selig/MLB than he would if he were invited by Kemp/Cano. I'm all for this if it is the case, so we don't have someone like Brandon Inge in the derby.
I also agree that KC vs Cano was the most entertaining part of the derby.
Booing a Yankee, for any reason, is never "going too far."
True that, my brother.
21.Repoz posted on July 10, 2012 at 08:43 AM #hit 0 | hit 0
I wonder if every single time Billy (OPS+121) Butler comes to the plate, KC announcers say "He's one of the best hitters in baseball...if not the best"...like they do with Robbie (OPS+121) Cano.
Bigger question might be why Cano was picked for 2011. He'd never hit 30, and though he was hot that April, his May-June total was only 6 dingers. Papi must've known something, as his team annihilated the NL 76-19.
I guess when it is classy to boo is in the appendix of the Unwritten Rules of Baseball.
Presumably, the Royals will want to compete for top-tier free agents as the team moves closer to legitimate contention.
HAHAHAHA. You realize who our owner is, right?
But Royals fans who truly care about the team’s future shouldn’t have done anything that would make one player turn to another and say, “Man, what’s the deal with this?”
Yea, what's the deal with these fans supporting their own player and booing opposing players? What an awful playing environment! I hope this doesn't hurt us like it hurt Phoenix when they booed Prince Fielder! Players are already expressing their outrage over the KC fans.
And by the way, Cano’s AL team won in a landslide.
Well burn. Because that is what people are dying to see in the home run derby - who wins, the American League or the National League.
But if Cano did make a promise to the KC fans, then the essay is off-target. Which it is, I don't know. I never heard Cano promise anything, but then, I don't watch many Yankee games or much ESPN.
The weird thing is, a KC reporter asked him about this yesterday and he just didn't really have an answer why he didn't pick one. I guess he just plum forgot he made that promise. Sounds like he had never met Billy Butler, where he either knew or knew someone that knew the other guys on the HR Derby Team.
Major League Baseball must institute a rule change whereby one player from the host team is obligated to appear, just to avoid this sort of nonsense in future years.
No. They need to tell team captains, "You don't have to do anything special to please the fans in the host city. But definitely don't do anything to piss them off. Remember Cano? He promised the folks in KC he'd choose a Royal hitter for the derby if one were selected for the all-star game, and then he reneged on that promise."
Bigger question might be why Cano was picked for 2011. He'd never hit 30, and though he was hot that April, his May-June total was only 6 dingers. Papi must've known something, as his team annihilated the NL 76-19.
He'd picked Cano because he'd known of Cano's batting practice HR prowess. He picked Adrian Gonzalez for the same reason.
I also agree that KC vs Cano was the most entertaining part of the derby.
Agreed. George Brett was probably the second most entertaining part. Third most entertaining was Trumbo. Trumbo knows baseball.
31.Shredder posted on July 10, 2012 at 10:03 AM #hit 0 | hit 0
I like the idea of captains, but instead of choosing a hitter to be a captain, which then forces him into the competition, choose pitchers to be captains, and let them select the hitters. For example, if Jered Weaver were a captain, he could have really gotten a ton of insight from Ervin Santana and Dan Haren (36 HR allowed between them) on who to pick for this year.
As it turned out, Cano actually did a really good job picking the team. And even under the old system, he probably still would have been in the competition since he won last year. But he did have the winner, the runner up, and the guy who arguably hit the most impressive bombs of the evening. And really, going 0-10 was just about the best thing he could have done for the fans last night anyway.
Not all players can handle the intense fan and media scrutiny of Kansas City. If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere. Cano is probably better off sticking to sleepy towns like New York.
Yeah, agreed. Changes it from classless to merely catty. At the same time, it's dumb to expect the home team to have a certified spot on a 4 man HR Derby team.
I thought that it was the highlight of the night.
No way, the highlight of the night was a tie between George Brett being awesome and Mark Trumbo's bomb that landed on the roof of the stadium and missed literally going out of the park by about 5 feet.
Cano being a winner is entirely due to luck on his part, not any of his skills.
Dude had 32 HR when he won. 12 in the final round. That second total ties the most ever hit in the finals. Unless you're referring to something else, he won the HR Derby with skill.
I guess when it is classy to boo is in the appendix of the Unwritten Rules of Baseball.
It is almost without exception never "classy" to boo. When it is or isn't appropriate is a matter of debate, but classy ain't got nothing to do with it.
It was a lot of fun booing Cano last night. I wish you could have seen the laughter and smiles of the people in my section. It was just funny, and when he kept just barely missing getting the ball out it just got more hilarious.
Oh, and I lost a buck, because I was betting a dollar per home run difference, and I had Cano and my friend had Kemp. I won four on Joey Bats against Beltran, lost two bucks on the kids hitting homers while ESPN was at commercial. I also won a buck at 12 to 1 on Fielder in the final - after he put up his total.
If you click on the link, and look at the picture, notice how happy those people are. Those people aren't angry, they are having a good time. The caption says "Fans cheer as Robinson Cano is shut out in the All-Star Home Run Derby. "
Dude had 32 HR when he won. 12 in the final round. That second total ties the most ever hit in the finals. Unless you're referring to something else, he won the HR Derby with skill.
I was referring to something else, Yankee Redneck specifically.
I wonder if every single time Billy (OPS+121) Butler comes to the plate, KC announcers say "He's one of the best hitters in baseball...if not the best"...like they do with Robbie (OPS+121) Cano.
This is kind of dumb:
Last three years, Cano: 141, 132, 151.
Butler: 134, 125, 131.
Butler is very very good, and it's close, but there's a difference.
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1 2 >Hopefully this will at least become an unwritten rule or tradition or something. In fact I think I'd prefer that to it being mandated by the Selig.
Use a non-All-Star?
Seriously, this is effing stupid. It's already ridiculous that someone like Billy Butler gets in the AS game; this just makes the fans look foolish.
MLB AS game; soon to be as irrelevant as the NFL Pro Bowl!
It's because he won it last season.
Why is it ridiculous for Billy Butler to make an all-star game?
He is on a 30 HR pace this year and over the last 4 years he has averaged .301/.369/.476, good for a 129 OPS+. That ain't a Hall of Famer, but it is certainly good enough to make an all-star game. Oh, and he basically never misses a game.
I'm serious.
I also agree that KC vs Cano was the most entertaining part of the derby.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, Lassus, BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
When people say exponentially, they almost never mean exponentially.
True that, my brother.
Bigger question might be why Cano was picked for 2011. He'd never hit 30, and though he was hot that April, his May-June total was only 6 dingers. Papi must've known something, as his team annihilated the NL 76-19.
I suppose it's part of the "This Time It Counts" campaign. This time the Home Run Derby actually has an impact on the players' interpersonal dynamics!
That literally makes my blood boil with rage.
Heh. "Midwestern charm." Funny.
Yes. I watched it last night, and in spite of Chris Berman, it was fun.
HAHAHAHA. You realize who our owner is, right?
Yea, what's the deal with these fans supporting their own player and booing opposing players? What an awful playing environment! I hope this doesn't hurt us like it hurt Phoenix when they booed Prince Fielder! Players are already expressing their outrage over the KC fans.
Well burn. Because that is what people are dying to see in the home run derby - who wins, the American League or the National League.
Cano promising to pick a Royals player.
The weird thing is, a KC reporter asked him about this yesterday and he just didn't really have an answer why he didn't pick one. I guess he just plum forgot he made that promise. Sounds like he had never met Billy Butler, where he either knew or knew someone that knew the other guys on the HR Derby Team.
It goes back to at least when Prince Fielder picked his clearly undeserving teammate Rickie Weeks.
He'd picked Cano because he'd known of Cano's batting practice HR prowess. He picked Adrian Gonzalez for the same reason.
Agreed. George Brett was probably the second most entertaining part. Third most entertaining was Trumbo. Trumbo knows baseball.
As it turned out, Cano actually did a really good job picking the team. And even under the old system, he probably still would have been in the competition since he won last year. But he did have the winner, the runner up, and the guy who arguably hit the most impressive bombs of the evening. And really, going 0-10 was just about the best thing he could have done for the fans last night anyway.
Yeah, agreed. Changes it from classless to merely catty. At the same time, it's dumb to expect the home team to have a certified spot on a 4 man HR Derby team.
No way, the highlight of the night was a tie between George Brett being awesome and Mark Trumbo's bomb that landed on the roof of the stadium and missed literally going out of the park by about 5 feet.
Dude had 32 HR when he won. 12 in the final round. That second total ties the most ever hit in the finals. Unless you're referring to something else, he won the HR Derby with skill.
When is booing not being catty?
That literally makes my blood boil with rage.
I've told you a million times, don't exaggerate!
I was referring to something else, Yankee Redneck specifically.
What? As referenced above, he put on an absolute laser show last year. As for "skills", he's also one of the best players in baseball.
So, there's that.
This is kind of dumb:
Last three years, Cano: 141, 132, 151.
Butler: 134, 125, 131.
Butler is very very good, and it's close, but there's a difference.
This Time It Counts 2 Things that Shouldn't Really be Added Together and Are Then Adjusted According to Park and League Factors.
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