I’m still a sucker for the Home Run Derby. I suspect this makes me an outlier in the 50-and-over-old-crabby-white-male demographic, what with juiced baseballs, the launch-angle revolution, and a stupefying all-or-nothing approach of so many hitters in recent years combining to suffocate the appeal of a home run in actual games, let alone an exhibition.
But I love it. Always have. My appreciation started with watching ESPN reruns in the ‘80s of the 1960 black-and-white television show, hosted by Mark Scott (“It’s a home run or nothing here on ‘Home Run Derby’ ”) and featuring youthful superstars such as Willie Mays, Henry Aaron, and Mickey Mantle.