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Tuesday, July 12, 2011 | 6:06am
SOUND OFF: Better Contest – Slam Dunk Contest or Home Run Derby?
And if the percentages of African Americans in MLB were higher would this be a more fair fight?
#MLB #HomeRunDerby
I’m going to stay out of this discussion because my undying love for the game of baseball makes me completely biased. If I had to blindly guess however, I would say a vast majority of the Nation would DISAGREE with my assesment that MLB’s All-Star Home Run Derby trumps the Slam Dunk Contest.
Given the fact that African American participation in the major leagues is down to a disappointing 8% after a spike in the 80′s and 90′s I wouldn’t be surprised. Basketball highlights the player while baseball highlights the game, the teams and the stats. In basketball its D-Wade, Lebron, Kobe while in Baseball its Ruth, Rose, The Yankees and Sox, 52 game hitting streaks and 3,000 hits. Black folks want the spotlight on them not on the game. It almost seems fitting that a man named “Robinson” named after the late great would win this contest and remind us of way back when. But when it comes down to the All-Star festivities themselves both are exciting and both are flawed but which is better? SOUND OFF: NBA Slam Dunk Contest or MLB’s Home Run Derby?
FILED IN Editorials, Sports
The two events are great to watch, but when it comes to shear entertainment value, you have to go with the Dunk Contest. The Home Run Derby is part of America’s past time, but there is not the same anticipation and excitement level when a player steps to the box as when an NBA All star steps onto the court. With the Dunk Contest, a winner can be decided with a single display of nearly inhuman ability and talent. Everyone knows the leading count of HRs in the derby and can tell if a batter is going to win or not before he has even finished. This by no means takes away from the talent and skills of players in MLB, it just doesn’t bring the same crowd roaring excitement.
Still deciding. But in the meantime, here’s every dunk from 2011.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGlFyTcdeSQ
The Home Run Derby. The MLB Home Run Derby is all about showing the fans a All Star display of batting practice. The Dunk Contest has become a stage for wanna-be players to lift their on the court image, i.e. Nate Robinson AND Dwight Howard. The NBA has had far more time to acquire talent to put together a great contest, but after watching Nate Robinson’s 14 tries for one dunk I’m thru wit the shenanigans, the costumes, the bench ridin’ teammate cheerleaders, and the more talented (Kobe, Lebron) no-shows. Kobe participated ONCE and won with the pre-tape Ray J in the stands.
D Howard is a wanna be baller? Dude is like 25 and one of the best centers in the game…
I agree he is one of the best centers in the game, but only because of the lack of quality big men. He is a great rebounder and that is where he gets his points. He has virtually no offensive game. The other way he gets his points is going through or outjumping people (due to his great athleticism).
Baseball is my first love. Basketball came a little later and even later, football…the quality, and beauty of NBA basketball has deteriorated greatly since the late 90′s. I can’t even watch a basketball game anymore, they are just…boring. With the exception of a few players (D-Wade, D-Rose, Rondo, and a few others), NBA players look and play like giant robots. There is little finesse and fine skill in the games…….Baseball is majestic. It’s about skill, timing, hand-eye coordination, strategy, precision, hustle, instinct…and it’s very difficult to hit that small white ball coming at you at 95 mph, moving all kinds of crazy ways. But they do it, and all kinds of stuff happens when they do. I could care less if the NBA doesn’t have a season. Greedy bastards, all of them (NFL too)…fighting over how to divide BILLIONS of dollars…lying, and scheming….a BUM like Joe Johnson can sign a max contract making damn near $20 million per….but the product on the field sucks, while making it damn near impossible for me to take my kids to a game….I saw Bernard King, Dr. J, Moses Malone, Magic, Bird, Isiah, Jordan, Pippen, Kareem, The Iceman, and many more great ones, at the Garden…When I was in H.S. cheap seats were $6 with my H.S. ID, and on weeknights, $3! yes, $3….Naaaw, I’m not 90, LMAO! I can hear ya’ll clowning me! this was in the early to mid 80′s, when I was in H.S…the game has changed for the worse, that’s all.