Bravo!! I know I'm one of many who feel lucky enough to have uncovered your gems but also wish you the success in this field that you so ultimately deserve. I absolutely loved watching Home Run Derby reruns as a kid. Especially with my Dad. Not only did I love baseball in it's current form but I also had a deep love for it's history. That show was a time capsule of sorts to me. Watching these sluggers in their prime in competition against one another was as captivating as it got. The romance that surrounds the long ball is one of the most sustaining factors in baseball's appeal. How many times during the course of our lives do we wish that we could win the game and solve the day's issues with one mighty swing? I'm guessing everyday. The home run by a random journeyman that propelled a team's victory gave us all the hope that it didn't matter how great or storied your career was but how you came through in the clutch in that one specific moment. And I think we can all appreciate that. Cheers and well done.
Longball Legends will be the name of your Home Run Derby documentary when ESPN approaches you 😉 great vid Hatbilly I was really looking forward to this one and you killed it!
I would give my first born child to watch Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle go head to head in a homerun derby. Thanks for educating me on the Homerun derby Hatbilly. Great work as always.
You're too kind, man! Thanks for the tip! Yeah, it would have been the highlight of any baseball fan's life to be there. The original derby episodes are all on RUclips for now, if you want to dive further into it.
This video should be considered a home run great video man. I used to rewatch every home run derby when I was a kid. Always wished I could’ve been one of the greats.
The home run derby tv show was something I saw on the OG Classic sports before it was bought by ESPN and somehow on over the air tv in the NYC area... Good times good times
Great to hear the tale, Hatbilly! Thanks for the informative and fun video. I've always found the derby a bit gimmicky, but also found myself watching more than a few of the original episodes on espn classic once upon a time. As you say, an intimate peek into ball players of yesteryear. I hadn't thought about how an empty stadium save the participants might be what drew me in before. I wouldn't mind seeing modern players in that space, but seems unlikely given the current format.
According to one of the articles I read, they used the nine-inning format from the original tv shows at a spring training event a few years ago. I couldn't find footage of this anywhere, so I didn't bother mentioning it, but it's definitely interesting!
We preferred home run derby many days during the summer when we played daily until September. The 80's were really a great decade to be a kid in. Probably one of the last tbh.
I can vouch for growing up in 90's being much more simple, as well. I can't imagine what goes through the heads of the youth of today... I suppose that's the generational divide.
Now home run derby has become an actual part of the game, as certain minor leagues are using it to replace extra innings. If MLB ever adopts it, you wonder if some team will scout slow-pitch softball to find a specialist for just that situation.
Half a minute in and it's already a classic
I really appreciate it! I'm happy with how this one turned out.
Wow,MiLb Hatbilly, you make me feel old. I graduated High School in 1993.
Just a number, man! But boy, it's fleeting faster these days. I recently got a message about a fifteen year class reunion and was taken aback by it.
Bravo!! I know I'm one of many who feel lucky enough to have uncovered your gems but also wish you the success in this field that you so ultimately deserve.
I absolutely loved watching Home Run Derby reruns as a kid. Especially with my Dad.
Not only did I love baseball in it's current form but I also had a deep love for it's history.
That show was a time capsule of sorts to me. Watching these sluggers in their prime in competition against one another was as captivating as it got.
The romance that surrounds the long ball is one of the most sustaining factors in baseball's appeal.
How many times during the course of our lives do we wish that we could win the game and solve the day's issues with one mighty swing?
I'm guessing everyday.
The home run by a random journeyman that propelled a team's victory gave us all the hope that it didn't matter how great or storied your career was but how you came through in the clutch in that one specific moment.
And I think we can all appreciate that.
Cheers and well done.
Longball Legends will be the name of your Home Run Derby documentary when ESPN approaches you 😉 great vid Hatbilly I was really looking forward to this one and you killed it!
I appreciate the kind words, Cam! I'm proud of this one.
I would give my first born child to watch Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle go head to head in a homerun derby. Thanks for educating me on the Homerun derby Hatbilly. Great work as always.
You're too kind, man! Thanks for the tip! Yeah, it would have been the highlight of any baseball fan's life to be there. The original derby episodes are all on RUclips for now, if you want to dive further into it.
@@Hatbilly Yes, I'll be checking that out for sure. Thank you.
This video should be considered a home run great video man. I used to rewatch every home run derby when I was a kid. Always wished I could’ve been one of the greats.
I appreciate it, Eric!
I seem to remember, as a kid, staying up late (11pm?) to watch the original HR derby. It was worth it.
I believe that's correct. I saw some flyers saying the premiere was at 10:30pm, so subsequent episodes were that late, perhaps even later.
The home run derby tv show was something I saw on the OG Classic sports before it was bought by ESPN and somehow on over the air tv in the NYC area... Good times good times
Thanks for adding this in. I never experienced that version of classic sports.
Yeah it wasn't a long era
Great to hear the tale, Hatbilly! Thanks for the informative and fun video. I've always found the derby a bit gimmicky, but also found myself watching more than a few of the original episodes on espn classic once upon a time. As you say, an intimate peek into ball players of yesteryear. I hadn't thought about how an empty stadium save the participants might be what drew me in before. I wouldn't mind seeing modern players in that space, but seems unlikely given the current format.
According to one of the articles I read, they used the nine-inning format from the original tv shows at a spring training event a few years ago. I couldn't find footage of this anywhere, so I didn't bother mentioning it, but it's definitely interesting!
We preferred home run derby many days during the summer when we played daily until September. The 80's were really a great decade to be a kid in. Probably one of the last tbh.
I can vouch for growing up in 90's being much more simple, as well. I can't imagine what goes through the heads of the youth of today... I suppose that's the generational divide.
Now home run derby has become an actual part of the game, as certain minor leagues are using it to replace extra innings. If MLB ever adopts it, you wonder if some team will scout slow-pitch softball to find a specialist for just that situation.
Very true. I never predicted we'd use it as the equivalent of a hockey shootout. Not sure exactly how I feel about it.
Did you see Gunnar's 462 foot homer on Eutaw street today?
I heard it on the radio, and looked it up after the fact. Wild that I mentioned Griffey's warehouse shot in the same day!
Epic blast. He has been heating up and that was quite a punctuation mark on a stellar couple weeks. A legendary longball in it's own right.
Jackie Jensen hit 5 in a row v. Mickey Mantle, not Ernie Banks...make your free throws bud....you had 9 minutes to get this right....