As stated previously, Ryan Howard was set to participate in the Home Run Derby tonight… and he just became the second Phillie in a row (Bobby Abreu won it in 2005) to win the damn thing, besting New York Met David Wright in the finals. He had several magestic home runs, a few traveling over 450 feet out of the ballpark and into the river. He also pelted the ESPN broadcast tent with several dingers, getting as close as 8 feet or so to hitting the booth. It was a tremendous night for Ryan and his family, and far more exciting than the All-Star game will be. Great job Ryan, and carry it into the 2nd half of the season.
Does this count as a win over the Mets?
Nice to see one of the young guns win this thing, maybe he’ll even be able to defend his crown next year. That’s part of the problem with this thing though; how could Abreu not be around to defend his title from last year!? Also the fact that the derby lasted as long as the all-star game itself is not a good thing. I’ve got some interesting ideas on how to spruce this event up on my blog: http://asoc.wordpress.com .