Published: July 17, 2008 08:00 pm      

Mark Urban: Less swings would make big hit

As the fireworks exploded above Wuerfel Park on Wednesday night, two busy days of Frontier League All-Star Game activities came to a close.

While nearly all of the events went well and reflected well on Traverse City, the Frontier League needs to make a few minor changes for the midseason contest to go from a three-run homer to a grand slam.

The first reason is the most obvious, especially if you saw the spectators leave before the conclusion of Tuesday's Home Run Derby.

There wasn't a mass exodus by any means, but if people are leaving the marquee event of the night, there is something wrong.

Plain and simple, the Home Run Derby was way too long.

The biggest problem was 26 players were entered in the event. That's ridiculous.

A quick glance found no other minor league baseball All-Star Game that has even close to that many competitors. The Class A Midwest League let in nine and had one area high school player, but most leagues have somewhere between six and eight -- usually evenly divided between divisions or leagues.

It's understandable that a lot of players would take a shot at the contest -- even in pitcher-friendly Wuerfel Park -- with a $1,000 top prize.

When eight players don't hit one out and another five manage just one before getting 10 'outs' in the all-or-nothing power display, the numbers need to be trimmed.

The length of the Home Run Derby took away the momentum of an otherwise good skills competition, even though it would be nice to come up with an event for the pitchers.

Wednesday's game was well-played and smooth as the East and West Division pitchers took advantage of each getting one inning of mound work to keep the hitters off balance.

After the game was tied after nine innings, deciding the outcome on a home-run hitting contest was brilliant. And no pitchers -- at least none that we know of -- were injured in the process.

Spectators got to see a quick decision reached with three hitters for each division taking cuts with three 'outs' in the opening round and two in the second when it was still deadlocked.

Frontier League officials came up with the 'tiebreaker' after watching Major League Baseball and Commissioner Bud Selig butcher the handling of its tie debacle in 2002.

No one wants to see a tie declared and it most surely beats waiting for an early-morning finish to a game that began the night before.