Truck posted on June 26, 2008 13:26
Voting is now complete by the players of the HRL in the All-Star/Fun-Star voting, and the results can be found HERE. The league’s signature event will take place on Thursday, July 3rd, at 6pm, at Sky Hill Park in Eagan. Let’s take a look at the events and the past results from the first three years:
6:30pm: Home Run Derby
Who’s in: The top 5 HR hitters in each city take part in the Derby. Each hitter gets 10 “outs” in the first round (an out is any swing that isn’t a homer), and we narrow it from there based on the first round results.
History: In 2005, T-Bag (Eagan) narrowly defeated K-Mart (Hopkins) in the final that was broadcast to the entire Metro area on KARE 11 to clinch the first ever HR Derby. 2006’s Derby saw a 3-way final between Balls (Hopkins), Rosie (Hopkins) and Molgs (Eagan), with the Brewers’ Rosie winning the final round and winning the HRL’s second Derby. The 2007 Derby was a hotly contested one in full view of Channel 12's camera between evenual World Series combatants, Spoon (Eagan) and Chops (Hopkins), with Chops needing only a single HR in the final round to win the contest.
7:30pm: The Noob-Star Game
Who’s in: Rookies selected by The Commish, with priority given to outstanding rookies not participating in any of the other events. Game is 4 innings or 45 minutes, whichever comes first.
History: 2006 was the first ever Rookie Game. Brian “Spoon” Payne won MVP honors in the inaugural tilt as he led Eagan to a 3-1 win with great pitching and a HR on offense. The 2007 game was also won by Eagan, the clincher a solo HR by "HBK" of the D'Backs to give Eagan a 2-1 victory.
8:15pm: Fun-Star Game
Who’s in: As voted by their peers, the top 5 guys in each city who are truly fun players, regardless of skill. Game is 4 innings or 45 minutes, whichever comes first.
History: The inaugural Fun-Star Game in ‘05 was a wacky event that involved squirt guns, firecrackers, and shorts pulled up past the nipples. Great times indeed, resulting in a 12-7 win for Eagan. The 2006 event was equally as fun, ushering in new traditions such as “slapping the sack”, as Hopkins won this low-scoring tilt, 2-0, on a pair of HR’s by Dutch. The 2007 event started off way wrong when the Eaganites came out dressed as (and dancing to) The Village People. It must have gotten into the Hopkins' guys heads because Eagan rode homers by Yo and Truck to a 3-0 victory.
9:00pm: All-Star Game
Who’s in: As voted by their peers, the five best hitters in each city (the batting lineups for each team), the three best pitchers in each city (each will throw three innings), and the two best defensive players in each city (will play the field the entire game), this pits what is truly the best against the best in a 9-inning contest, which serves as a tiebreaker should the Intercity Scoreboard end in a tie, determining who will get homefield advantage in the World Series.
History: The first ever All-Star game was pretty one-sided, as Hopkins rolled on their home field to a 9-1 win. Chops was the Hopkins MVP for his unbridled hitting prowess, and deadly southpaw Doc won Eagan MVP for his stunning pitching line: 3 IP, 9 batters faced, 9K. The second edition was a classic, as The Man struck out Truck, who was the winning run at the plate in the bottom of the 9th in a 4-3 win for Hopkins. Truck won Eagan MVP honors with a pair of clutch homers, and The Man won Hopkins MVP for great hitting, slamming into a cooler, and even more clutch pitching. Part three was more of the same, as the usual pitching trio of Shirls, Tuggy and The Man combined to silence the Eagan bats for a 3-0 win. Rookie player Spaz and defensive stud Silver combined with clutch hitting and defense to win co-MVP honors for the game.