Home Run Derby 101
So, the Humboldt Crabs are hosting a home run derby on Sunday after their game against lowly Nevada Bighorns. And naturally, I decided I should go out and show everyone that I'm even more lowly than the Bighorns by entering the Derby. I hope this isn't going to turn out as bad as I'm thinking.
Initially, after I called Crabs' PR man and former T-S sports editor Erik Fraser and told him I wanted in, I was pumped. "Awesome," I thought. After all, I played three sports a year for four years in high school, then played four years of college football, the last two at HSU. "I'm an athlete. I got a chance to put at least one out."
Right?
Later in the night I decide I need to at least take a few hacks before jumping into the box in front of a full house, not to mention friends, co-workers and family. I also needed a little bit of advice from some people who actually know what it takes to get that little ball over the fence.
BATTING PRACTICE
On Thursday I went to the Redwood Acres Home Plate batting cages and went ballistic. Spent $6 and got a whopping 180 pitches. In all, I think I hit one, maybe two that had a chance of going far.
I hope that it's early enough in the week too that my hand can heal a little bit, because I tore a piece of skin on the heel of my hand and I also developed a small blister there, too. Oh, I'm NOT the athlete I tricked myself into thinking I once was.
ADVICE FROM THE PROS
As I was driving into work I'm listening to JB Mathers on KATA 1340 doing his North Coast Game Night show and he said he's gonna have Crabs coach Matt Nutter on later. "Perfect," I thought. "I'll tell JB to ask Nutter what I should do to prepare." Let's just say that Nutter (and JB) think there's a better chance that Lindsey Lohan solves the economic crisis than I have at clearing the fence.
Nutter's advice: "Maybe Sean could call (HSU softball coach) Frank Cheek and ask if he can use some of those temporary fences."
Ha ha, Matt. Ummmm, do you have Coach Cheek's number?
DAMNING EVIDENCE
After working my triceps into Jell-O and hearing inspiring words from Nutter and JB, I decided to size up my opponent — the Crabs' field.
The first thing I checked for were the numbers on the fence. Uh-oh.
I'm right-handed (though I did take a couple rounds of BP Thursday lefty) and left field is not where you want to try and attack this ball park. Here are the depths I saw:
Left-center field (where I would probably hit one if I caught it in the sweet spot):
394 feet, the deepest part of the ball park.
Left field (again, where I'd take it if I hammered it):
348, plus about a 30-foot fence. If I don't take it 370-plus, forget about it.
Center field:
368. Are you kidding me? I'm not even going to look at center field.
Right field:
338 Comparatively speaking, that actually looked doable. And it actually got me thinking if I should go lefty and try to pull one. I must be out of my mind.
FINAL TAKE
I'm gonna keep pounding balls at the cages, unless Nutter will let me have a chance to do some actual BP on the field off of "Iron Mike," the pitching machine. That may take some convincing, but it's worth a shot.
At this point, I'll need every advantage I can get!