Back, back, back, back...hope it's never GONE!

Even when my main man lay an egg, the MLB Homerun Derby is still a blast to watch. However, being the critical person that I am, I have a few complaints:

- Somehow, the MLB/ESPN managed to make Barry Bonds bigger than the game again. Before Magglio Ordonez began his swings for the fences, an interview with Barry Bonds was broadcast. And besides the fact that I hate hearing him drone on and on, his interview carried into Ordonez's turn at the plate. Granted they showed Magglio with only the audio of the Bonds interview, but hearing Chris Berman's "Back, back, back, back" is a large portion of the appeal of the Home Run Derby. Perhaps the biggest aspect that annoyed me was ESPN's actions showed they care more about Barry Bonds than the game. And this is a guy who has already gotten too much attention for his actions.

- Secondly, the Derby is just too long. I have no idea how to fix this but it remains an issue. I have read numerous ideas about how to shorten the game, and they all seem to be contrary to the purpose of the Derby. Those ideas, whether limiting the outs or limiting the number of pitches a player can take or limit the players involved, all end up limiting the amount of home runs hit - which if I'm not mistaken is the main purpose of the Home Run Derby.

Despite those issues I had with the Derby and its broadcast, it really is a fun event to watch. And there are so few events in sports today where the fun isn't overshadowed by the intensity. It was great watching David Ortiz call Vladimir Guerrero on his cell phone while Vlad was batting to tell him that it was the bat's fault he was struggling. And it was even better when Big Papi brought Vlad a new bat in a framed case. I love seeing players on both "teams" cheer and get excited over big homers. The Derby is one of the few opportunities in sports for players to just admire the skill of their piers.

Oh, and on a small side note, Vladimir Guerrero went on to win the Derby using the gift he received from Ortiz.