Thin-skinned Twins fans

The whole WHIH family had a good time last night watching favorite son Justin Morneau win the MLB Home Run Derby on ESPN. But my happiness faded when I read through the comments on the StarTribune's recap of the event.

Minnesota fans, sadly, are famous for their thin skin. Ever since the days of Howard Cosell "intentionally" leaving the Vikings out of his Monday Night Football halftime highlights package and the infamous Drew Pearson push-off in the 1975 NFC Championship game, Minnesota fans have been convinced that the media (excuse me, the "biased East-Coast media") and all referees and umpires have been conspiring to disrespect and foil the championship hopes of our beloved teams.

Last night's Home Run Derby apparently was no exception. The Strib's readers were irate about a number of perceived slights that Morneau received last night. Here's a quick recap:

Joe Morgan pointing out that there were eight white guys and no minorities in the contest, and that Morneau didn't deserve to go because he was the last one selected. Problem is, Morgan didn't say it -- Rick Reilly did. I'm guessing most of the fans who got it wrong heard the comment, figured it must have been a black guy who said it, and since Joe Morgan is the only black guy in the booth, he was the guilty party. Also, Reilly meant it as a joke -- a lame joke, but a joke. That's what he's supposed to provide the telecast. He's the court jester. Yeah, he wasn't very funny, but if you've watched ESPN or FOX lately, that's par for the course.

Too much attention to Josh Hamilton's record 28-home run binge in the first round, and not enough attention on Morneau winning the finals 5-3. Yes, Morneau won the finals, but Hamilton made history. I mean, what are you going to remember 10 years from now, Morneau pounding line drives into the right field seats, or Hamilton hitting 13 straight bombs, many of them 500+ feet to places where hitters have never reached in the most famous stadium of them all?

Think back to when the 1999 game was at Fenway. Who won the Home Run Derby? I don't remember either. But I remember Mark McGwire pumping ball after ball over the Monster. I don't remember who won in Milwaukee in 2002, but I do remember Sammy Sosa crushing a ball over Bernie Brewer's slide and off the glass wall behind the outfield concourse.

Morneau won the competition, yes. But the competition is meaningless. The Home Run Derby is an exhibition. Winning it is about as meaningful as winning a preseason NFL game. Personally, I'd have been more offended if ESPN had made a big deal over Morneau winning the final round 5-3, because then they'd be trying to sell me on the idea that the end result of the Home Run Derby means something. The derby is only notable for its entertainment value -- nothing more. They have to make a "competition" out of it so people will watch, but nothing is actually at stake. It's just another chance for ESPN and MLB to sell some ad time and milk another round of ticket fees out of the fans.

David Ortiz was "classless" for walking through the batter's box and disappearing into the dugout during Hamilton's record round. Ortiz is one of the classiest people in the game. The derby is a chance for these guys to have some fun, to mug for the camera and be entertainers for one night. Ortiz was basically saying, "That's it -- I've seen everything" after Hamilton pounded ball after ball into the outer reaches of the stadium. He wasn't trying to show up Hamilton or hog the spotlight -- he was trying to be funny, as well as pay a compliment to Hamilton.

The State Farm guy called Morneau "Jason" as he presented the award for winning the finals. Yeah, a corporate suit who doesn't pay attention to sports and who's only there because his company paid a king's ransom to sponsor the event flubbed the name of somebody he'd never heard of. Big shock. If Hamilton had won the finals, the State Farm suit surely would have called him "John."

Maybe it took moving 1600 miles away for me to really grasp how paranoid and small-minded some (many) Minnesota sports fans can be. Or maybe it took the explosion of the Internet and the ubiquity of message boards for me to witness the unvarnished thoughts of those who follow my favorite teams. Either way, scrolling through those comments last night made me throw up in my mouth just a little.

And for those of you still reading, if you think that last reference was a shout-out to the Sports Guy, you're right. Since he's taking the rest of the summer off, I thought I'd fill the void for my seven loyal readers and provide a live blog of the All-Star Game tonight, just like he would have done had he not been finishing his book or mourning the breakup of his friends Jimmy and Sarah.

So tune in tonight or check back tomorrow for a real hot time on the old info tubes!