Papi's Eternal Well of Generosity Overflows

David Ortiz, or Big Papi as you may know him, won the annual display of long-ball prowess last night.  Ortiz was tied with Hanley Ramirez at 21 each going into the final round, and then went off for 11 dingers in the final round.  Hanley, who is used to being unable to finish things... like ground balls, put on quite a show to tie him with Papi and get into the finals, but then completely fell apart under the intense pressure of dozens of watchful fans.

Derby v. All Star Game

I flipped over to ESPN.com this afternoon to check out what was going on in the sports world, and saw a poll asking if fans were more interested in the Home Run Derby or the All Star Game.

Not surprisingly, in states with teams that are actually competing for their division, more people are interested in the game.  In states with teams that suck, more people are interested in the derby.  Notable exceptions are states with more than one team: Texas, Ohio, Florida and Pennsylvania; and Michigan.

In related news, fans of the Astros, Indians, Marlins and Pirates are banned from taking part in any baseball conversation for the rest of the year.  Likewise, Tiger fans must now refer to themselves as "affiliates."