MLB Line Drive Derby

David Ortiz is once again baseball's "Master of the Longball."  An art he has basically perfected was on display this evening as David Ortiz defeated Hanley Ramirez in the 2010 MLB Home Run Derby from Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California.

Relegated to basically batting practice early in the season by the Boston Red Sox as he was struggling mightily in April, Ortiz displayed that the extra reps in the cage paid off pay off at this years version of baseball's mid-summer classic.  Ortiz continually launched bombs into the right field bleachers and certainly was in a groove and was able to take home the trophy.

Florida Marlins shortstop Hanley Ramirez was quite good as well, hitting some of the most ferocious shots of the night in the early rounds, but came up short in the Finals against the experienced and menacing Ortiz. 

But where was everybody else?  Was this really a Home Run Derby? 

I think this looked more like a "Line Drive Derby."

In the "Year of the Pitcher," many of the participants in tonight's first round displayed exactly why pitchers may be having so much success. 

Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder has 15 HR's on the season.  Tonight he managed to pop just 1 dinger.

Toronto Blue Jays center fielder Vernon Wells has knocked 19 balls over the wall for the power happy team north of the border, but Wells managed to score only 2 big flys tonight. 

New York Yankee outfielder and notorious locker room clown and twitter superstar Nick Swisher, who was voted into the game by fans, hit 4 wimpy shots in his first round. 

Finally, Matt Holliday, the $120 million outfielder for the St. Louis Cardinals, saved himself from embarrassment by going on a "golden ball" streak at the end to manage 5 long ones. 

Where is the power?  Show me the Big Fly!  I can't believe I am saying it, but tonight was the first time I wish a couple of these guys were puffed up again.  I was absolutely BORED tonight.

Even Miguel Cabrera, perhaps having the best season of anybody and surely the mid-season favorite for AL MVP with his .346 avg, 77 RBI's, and more importantly 22 bombs, only managed to hit 12 total home runs between his two rounds. 

At least Ramirez, Ortiz, and Corey Hart brought their guns and launched a respectable amount of parabola's tonight.  For everybody else, it was imply a Line Drive Derby

It begs the question, is the Derby even relevant anymore?  Does anybody care?  Should we care? 

Anybody can hit line drives up the middle and pop-ups to the warning track. 

Do we really need to tune into Chris Berman's "back, back, back back...oh caught by a 6 year old at the wall?"

Let's stop the Home Run Derby unless we can get the biggest stars to participate every single season.  I want to see Albert Pujols, Alex Rodriguez, Ryan Howard, Prince Fielder, and Josh Hamilton take some hacks.  I'm tired of seeing Matt Holliday hit a line drive 18 feet off the ground 10 times in a row. 

Congrats David Ortiz for winning this year's Home Run Derby, but if we are going to see these types of performances while the game's superstars watch from the sidelines, lets just cancel the event and replace it with a celebrity softball game featuring Erin Andrews and Danica Patrick in bikinis. 

Now that would get some Lebron James type "The Decision" ratings. 

What do you think?  You still like the MLB Home Run Derby?  Share with us by posting a comment below!