Let's Make The Home Run Derby More Exciting

Hands down, the greatest home run derby ever was Fenway Park, Boston, MA 1999.

Mark McGwire, hitting the ball down the damn street.

It was amazing.

I used to love the Home Run Derby.

Though it has gotten a little stale, I like that the MLB tried to spice it up by adding more time at the end of the rounds if you hit more home runs. That is pretty exciting, but I am afraid one of our home run heroes will have a heart attack after 10 minutes of hard swinging, trying to get one more over the wall, completely exhausted.

So here is my solution:

Right now each home run is worth one point.

What if certain home runs were worth 2 points? Or 3 points? Or 4?

The further the home run, the more points you get.

Here is my breakdown of Petco Park for tonight’s home run derby. Each section is colored and labeled for the home run value assigned to each section of the park.

Let’s say Giancarlo Stanton only hits 6 home runs, but they are all off the scoreboard because he is 

swinging out of his butt, that’s 24 points.

I am basically taking the Golden State Warriors approach (we got KD!!!) to the home run derby. Less “baskets” but more points = more exciting.

Would you rather see Steph layup 15 times or drop 10 from beyond the arc?

Exactly!

You could still have 10 outs, or 5 outs, or whatever, depending on the round, but now you could rack up points by launching the ball further.

All of the fans get different colored shirts based on the section they are sitting in, so the visual is amazing in the park AND on TV.

Save the players from exhaustion. Give the fans something incredible (like the ’99 Derby). And own the top 10 tonight on ESPN, the Twittersphere, Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook.

Who is with me?

Joey

PS  — Anyone going to the game in San Diego, do yourself a favor and go to Dick’s Last Resort. Food is good but the staff is incredible. Beer, meat and ball busting. Such a good time. ~ Free advertisement for Dick’s. You’re welcome.

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Baseball Could Learn From Metallica

Baseball?

Looking to Metallica?

The heavy metal band?

That Metallica?

Yup.

Not kidding.

Instead of fighting the ever changing technological landscape, baseball needs to embrace it!
I know they have softened their stance on Periscope, but they are just scratching the surface.

The speed at which things are changing, having a stance other than “learning, using, and adopting all popular technology,” is like trying to get out of quicksand.

You are just going to lose. The tech will never stop.

They need a group that takes all of the apps that show any promise of mass popularity, figure out how they work, and then use the crap out of them. Period. Either that, or hire VaynerMedia, which will essentially, do the same thing.  

You will either die fighting the next thing that comes out, or do like Metallica did: embrace it and crush your competition.

A Little History

Before music was “free” on the internet, bands had to worry about bootlegs. I am sure it was a real issue, but have you ever listened to or seen bootlegs from the 90’s? They are horrible. Anyways, they were still an issue, pulling potential revenue away from the musicians. Metallica basically eliminated them, and in a time when bootlegging has never been easier. You have a whole recording studio in your pocket nowadays. It’s almost too easy. And by almost, I mean it is.
How did Metallica do this? By making their own bootlegs! By taking the thing they were fighting against, embracing it, and then doing it better than any bootlegger could ever do. It’s like befriending an enemy. So, theoretically, baseball could also take a few pointers from The Real Housewives or any other stupid “reality” show.

Anyhoo…..

You can look up virtually any concert Metallica has played the last half dozen years, and it is available for download, with THEIR mix, through THEIR board, and all for the price of a CD. It’s amazing. The two shows I went to at The Shark Tank a few years ago? Got em. I can relive those nights any time I want. Did they play and awesome song? Did James say something cool or funny in between hits? I got em. I can relieve that in-person, thrilling event any time I want.

Pretty awesome, huh?

(**bonus idea: Baseball? Maybe sell DVDs of every game for $5? Or a free download with the purchase of a t-shirt at the game or something. They get a code if they spend a certain amount? Think about it. Let it marinate for a bit, but it smells good already.)

You Can Do It Baseball!

Baseball should take the “Metallica” approach. (or the “Metal Up Your Ass” approach for all you fans out there) No matter what the technology, no matter what the app, or soon, no matter what the VR tech, no matter what the problem, hit it head on. Infiltrate it and take it over. Seek and Destroy. Keep in mind, we are dealing with people that have unimaginable power at their fingertips. Every owner knows someone in their cell phone that could take this on and destroy anyone trying to capitalize on it. It’s just a willingness to go for it, to attack the enemy on their home soil! Let’s do this! We’re Americans damnit! We take the fight to the enemy. I can’t speak for the Blue Jays. I don’t know enough about Canada. Or as our intelligent brethren call it, Canadia. But I know the rest of the teams are up for it!

Let’s talk turkey.     

Here are my ideas:

Periscope/Twitter: I hope you have already read my article on helmet cams. If not, here is a brief synopsis: When your team, or your player is up to bat, you get a message from Twitter/Periscope that you can watch live. That means you are watching the game with the batters point of view. Buster Posey, Jose Bautista (imagine that punch with a helmet cam!!), or Bryce Harper. What he sees, you see. It will be like being up to fricken bat in the Big Leagues! If you have Samsung, or whatever company is pushing the goggle things, you will be money! (That’s a 90s term kids. Forgive me. I turn 37 next week).

Can you imagine the interaction? Twitter is hopping when a game is on already, imagine if the phone told you every time you should tune in? The amount of interactions you would have throughout a season with your fans would be amazing. There are 162 games! There are 30 teams! MLB would basically be tweeting you saying, “man, you should really check this out! Just looking out for you! We’re buds, remember?” All season! On top of that, even if you are busy, the at bats will stay there in the Twittersphere, so fans can catch up later. They won’t depend on ESPN or FOXSPORTS or anyone else, because MLB will have conquered the Twitter/Periscope world.
Boom.

Let the dust settle in your mind before moving on.

Ready?

You can use it for: at bats, and in-between innings. Put cameras all over the park so fans can choose the experience they want, the way they want to view the game. Go nuts! Umpire helmets, a catcher cam. The possibilities are endless. With cameras getting cheaper and cheaper, the cost to actually set this up in minimal. I mean, these owners aren’t exactly collecting food stamps, know what I mean Vern?

With Twitter, you can connect just as easily visually as you can in writing. Whatever type of interaction the fans want, even if it is with the other team’s fans, they can have it. A total experience.
A totally personal experience.

These same ideas can apply with Facebook Live as well. Really, you could just have them bid it out. It could be one big ‘ol contract for the MLB as a whole, or better yet, just individual teams. Different markets are going to require different things. Just check out the interactions of fans on Twitter during a game. Diamondbacks? Not so much. Yankees? Insanity.

Would it really matter in the long run which social media powerhouse is doing the streaming? No. Or for our Spanish speakers, no. As long as you are giving in-depth access to the game the fans love, in the way they want to consume it, it’s a huge win. It’s an enormous win.

Throw some advertising in there because the engagement will be unreal, and everyone wins. Yay!

Snapchat: Again, the possibilities are off the charts. Please keep in mind that baseball is losing popularity in America. Face the facts. Instead of denying it, and not addressing it, embrace IT, and embrace the youth. They are the future and they are on Snapchat. If each MLB team had an official Snapchat, it not only could attack the “popularity with youth” issue, it would bring a ton of adults to Snapchat just to follow their favorite teams. Could you reach a huge audience with enhancing the Twitter/Periscope connection only? Absolutely, but we are attacking on all fronts here, and Snapchat is a MASSIVE front. This is like World War 12 people!

Ideas for Snapchat:

Each official team Snapchat “snaps” out every pitch of every game. Seriously. You could watch the whole game in 10 minutes. Let’s do some math: the average number of at-bats per team is about 34, times two, that’s 68 at-bats per game total, average of 3.5 pitches per at bat, carry the one, that’s 238 pitches on average per game. Each pitch takes what? 3 seconds? So in 11.9 minutes, you could watch every pitch. If you don’t have 8 hours to watch a Yankees v. Red Sox game, snap it up baby! Who wouldn’t want that if you missed the game? If you only have a short break at work and want to catch up on your team? For the watercooler the next day so you could join in on the discussion without sitting around the night before for 4 hours (unless Kershaw is pitching, then you would only need 2), and actually watch every pitch?

Try this one: each game have a different player do “snaps” for the team. Find the guys with the best personalities, or the funniest, or will go nuts and snap everything. Give people the chance to fall in love with the players. That’s what really attracts fans, loving players. Not just every 3 innings when they bat. Not every 5 games when they pitch. Fans want more of them, and this allows that.  
Honestly, I would sign Brian Wilson just to run this for my team. $1 million a year, just for his on-camera personality. Is he a dick? Maybe, but he’s a funny dick. Sign ‘em!

Can you imagine the interaction with the fans? Think depth and width here. It’s like the ocean. Try and wrap your head around that.

The sheer consumption of the sport! It would be so personal, and so intimate. It is exactly what baseball needs. The superstars aren’t superstars! This would solve that issue!

Pop a couple ads in between “snaps” because the consumption rate is so high, and BAM! Everyone wins, yet again (with a British accent).

Players become personalities off the field which will make them more popular, which will make the team more popular, which makes the sport more popular. Can you smell what I’m stepping in?

I don’t want to make this too long, so I am going to stop while I’m ahead

You want to discuss more stuff like this? Hit me up! I love sports and I love tech. I want them to have beautiful babies. If you are from MLB, PLEASE hit me up! Me and Manfred, Netflix and chill. Can you feel it?

I Love This Sport

Wouldn’t it be great to see baseball regain its popularity? Spring training, The Boys of Summer, The Mid-Summer Classic, and now the World Baseball Classic. The sport is beautiful. It’s the history of The United States wrapped up in a wooden bat and yarn. It’s awesome.

People need to be reintroduced to America’s Pastime.

It was never a better opportunity than now.

The thing that made it perfect for radio is what makes it perfect for tech.

It is slow and beautiful.

You can take the time to describe it in a way that allows the audience to see it clearly in their mind. Social media allows the same thing. No other sport can do this. Basketball? Negative. Football? Eh, not even close. Hockey? Come on. Tech can take you IN to the game, to be a part of its beauty and grace.

This is it. This is the “white” space that other sports can’t operate in. Work in THIS space, get intimate with your enemies, and take them over.

This is baseball’s Renaissance.

It’s time to grab your paintbrush.

Joey
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