Top Five Reasons Why I Hate The Home Run Derby

1. It gets really old, really quick
Okay, it's fun to see some of the game's top sluggers tee off on batting practice pitchers. But MLB drags the event out for two-plus hours. It's homer after homer after homer. By the end of the 86 homers that were hit Monday night, the most spectacular play in baseball became trite.

2. Only some stadiums really deserve to host the Derby
It was great to see Big Mac knock dingers over the Green Monster in 1999, and it will be wonderful to see the sluggers try to knock the ball into McCovey Cove next year, but did anyone really get excited about seeing Jason Giambi paste Bernie Brewer's left-field dugout in 2002?

3. Many of the best players decline to participate
It is an annual rite of summer for MLB's top home run hitters to figure out some lame excuse why they can't participate in the Derby. Whether it's "I can't enter because it will screw up my swing," or "The knee injury I conveniently predicted I'd come down with last week has actually occurred," no excuse is too weak to keep the likes of Ken Griffey Jr., Barry Bonds, and Manny Ramirez from taking part. I'm thrilled to see David Ortiz take meatball after meatball, but having to sit through Jermaine Dye and Miguel Cabrera doing the same thing puts me to sleep.

4. Chris Berman
I'm generally a Chris Berman fan, but the way he gushes over every single home run grates my nerves. You can only say, "Back, back, back, back, back!" so much before it loses all meaning.

5. The players aren't on steroids anymore
Bobby Abreu's onslaught last year notwithstanding, the Derby is a little less fun when the players aren't injecting themselves with the roids. Nobody in Congress made a stink that steroids were damaging the integrity of the Home Run Derby. I say that for one night only, we should juice the players up and let 'em rip.