So then it’s, well, what makes it awesome? This is what I believe to be the single dopest act in professional sports. I still take my glove to games, man. I’m 46!
Really? Even if youโre by yourself?
Yes. I remember I got upset on a date one time. When I lived in LA, I would go to spring training every year for a weekend and just ingest as much baseball as I could. A woman I was dating at the time talked me into letting her come with me. Then she’s like, โThis is embarrassing. Youโre a child.โ I was like, โYou know what? Yeah, I am.โ
Let me guess! Donโt name it. Twenty years agoโฆit was 2005โฆMVP Baseball? With Manny Ramirez on the cover?
Thatโs exactly right.
There we go! Thatโor Triple Play โ96โto me, are two of the greatest baseball games in the history of the sport. MVP lets you argue the calls and get your team motivated.
Yup! I do Dynasty Mode, and I keep a little note in my phone about which relievers Iโve been using too much. Joe Nathan has pitched four days in a row. He needs a break. Donโt use him tomorrow. Iโm invested.
Bro, when I play The Show now, I do bullpen games.
The doc as a whole, it started by just the celebration of the home run, but then it’s, well, why are we celebrating? Why do we care so much? Why do people hold their baby while still trying to catch a projectile? What makes this so special, man? I think that real fans will have a new appreciation for just how much the players enjoy hitting home runs. But then, casual fans will get an even deeper understanding of the history of the sport.
I got into it with Gayle King. Not literally, but Gayle King was ragging me on CBS News the other week: โWell, Roy, the games are almost three hours.โ I’m like, โNo!โ
Not anymore!
Only 15% are three hours now, down from 60% ten years ago. I turned into a stat nerd.
You mentioned earlier that Andre Dawson was your guy when you were growing up. Did you naturally gravitate towards the home run hitters?
No, I idolized the scrappy guys. My favorite baseball player was Shawon Dunston. For me, I put him above Ken Griffey Jr. I understand Griffey’s the better player, better career, Hall of Fame, blah, blah, blah. But for me growing up, the guy I wanted to see every single day was Shawon Dunston. He played hard. Every single play, he was tough. Just gritty. That was my dude. That was the guy that I always wanted to be like. And I imitated Mark Grace’s batting stance.
With the Home Run Derby specifically, what I like about it is how carnival-like it is. Look at these strong guys we found. Letโs see how far they can hit a baseball.
Every other sport has skill competitions. Hockey, they put the targets up on the goal. They gotta go top shelf through an itty bitty fucking hole. But baseball is just like, no. We donโt care about any of the other skills. Iโm going to my first derby this year. I imagine it to be such a joyous and fun thing. You just get to sit there and watch them do the thing we all love.
Do you have a favorite home run ever?
Nobodyโs asked me that. Shit. Favorite home run ever is Joe Carter in the 1993 World Series, even though I pained for Mitch Williams as a Cubs fan.