I didn't think anything on Earth could be more annoying during a Home Run Derby than the constant, "Back, back, back, back... Gone!" call from Chris Berman.
Boy was I wrong.
I didn’t get the chance to watch it because I was covering a baseball game, but when I was driving home and listening to MLB Home Plate on Sirius/XM, I heard the host talking about how ESPN added a yellow/green glow to the baseball as it flew out of the stadium.
I was so mad I actually called into the show to voice my opinion (I have MLB Home Plate's number programed into my cell phone — lame, I know).
I talked about how the format of the Home Run Derby should change, but first thing first — get rid of the glowing ball.
I know it’s a rough economy, but seriously, someone needs to be fired.
The guy who raised his hand at an ESPN meeting and said, “Hey, I’ve got an idea. Glowing ball!”
That guy. Get him his pink slip and give someone else with a functioning brain a job.
The glowing ball is completely unnecessary, even more so when it doesn’t work.
I was watching SportCenter and caught a glimpse of this horrid idea and the ball would be flying out of the stadium and drop into the crowd and the glow would go somewhere else. Meteors are more organized after breaking up in our atmosphere.
I know ESPN has gone downhill — minus their fantasy online manager, best out there — but this is something I expect from FOX, not ESPN.
FOX tried this with hockey back in the late 90s — the glowing puck. You know how many goals were scored according to the glow. Let’s just say games would have ended 31-29 if the glow was correct.
A player would take a slap shot, the goalie would make the save and the glow would streak on through to the goal. I can’t tell you how many times I jumped up in victory only to scream “FOX!”
That’s my first bugaboo with this.
My second?
The idea of the glowing puck was good. People’s complaint about hockey was that “I can’t see the puck?” And yes it can be confusing sometimes, especially when it gets caught up in players or along the boards, so I can see the reason why a glowing puck would be beneficial.
But a glowing baseball?
How many Home Run Derby’s have you watched and had to say, “Where’d the ball go?!”
It’s a big white ball. Hell, even golf balls are easy to follow on TV. What's next? Glowing footballs and basketballs?
So ESPN, get rid of it for next year and kick the “genius” out of the building.
But before you fire him, can you add a glow to him so we can follow him out the door. I want to make sure he leaves.
Boy was I wrong.
I didn’t get the chance to watch it because I was covering a baseball game, but when I was driving home and listening to MLB Home Plate on Sirius/XM, I heard the host talking about how ESPN added a yellow/green glow to the baseball as it flew out of the stadium.
I was so mad I actually called into the show to voice my opinion (I have MLB Home Plate's number programed into my cell phone — lame, I know).I talked about how the format of the Home Run Derby should change, but first thing first — get rid of the glowing ball.
I know it’s a rough economy, but seriously, someone needs to be fired.
The guy who raised his hand at an ESPN meeting and said, “Hey, I’ve got an idea. Glowing ball!”
That guy. Get him his pink slip and give someone else with a functioning brain a job.
The glowing ball is completely unnecessary, even more so when it doesn’t work.
I was watching SportCenter and caught a glimpse of this horrid idea and the ball would be flying out of the stadium and drop into the crowd and the glow would go somewhere else. Meteors are more organized after breaking up in our atmosphere.
I know ESPN has gone downhill — minus their fantasy online manager, best out there — but this is something I expect from FOX, not ESPN.
FOX tried this with hockey back in the late 90s — the glowing puck. You know how many goals were scored according to the glow. Let’s just say games would have ended 31-29 if the glow was correct.
A player would take a slap shot, the goalie would make the save and the glow would streak on through to the goal. I can’t tell you how many times I jumped up in victory only to scream “FOX!”
That’s my first bugaboo with this.
My second?
The idea of the glowing puck was good. People’s complaint about hockey was that “I can’t see the puck?” And yes it can be confusing sometimes, especially when it gets caught up in players or along the boards, so I can see the reason why a glowing puck would be beneficial.
But a glowing baseball?
How many Home Run Derby’s have you watched and had to say, “Where’d the ball go?!”
It’s a big white ball. Hell, even golf balls are easy to follow on TV. What's next? Glowing footballs and basketballs?
So ESPN, get rid of it for next year and kick the “genius” out of the building.
But before you fire him, can you add a glow to him so we can follow him out the door. I want to make sure he leaves.
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