A Red Sox Alumni Home Run Derby Would SELL OUT

Beasley Digital

On Friday's edition of Zolak and Bertrand, with Tim McKone and Alex Barth, the guys reacted to the news that the Red Sox will consider hosting an a home run derby for the team's alumni players. While discussing the hypothetical event, the guys explained why the event would be great considering the former superstars that could partake.

Transcript

00:00It has nothing to do with this year's Boston Red Sox.

00:02So last month, the Milwaukee Brewers hosted an alumni home run derby event.

00:08Guys like Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun were in the mix.

00:12Went off.

00:13Successful.

00:14People loved it.

00:16Sean McAdam, MassLive, reporting that it is known that the team,

00:21as in the Boston Red Sox, was enthralled with the idea

00:24and have begun discussing the possibility for staging a similar event next season.

00:30Quote, the Red Sox are leaning toward making this a standalone event,

00:34meaning it would take place either on an off day

00:36or when the team is playing on the road.

00:39One scenario under consideration would be a post-event concert

00:43at nearby MGM Fenway Music Hall to help attract players.

00:48The planning hasn't advanced much beyond that.

00:50There's still plenty of time to map something out, though, for the 2026 season.

00:56Two questions.

00:57One, are you in on this?

00:58Sure.

00:58Is it an alumni home run derby or an alumni game?

01:01Home run derby.

01:02Home run derby.

01:03So you don't have to worry about a Mariano Rivera-type incident

01:05and having Big Papi blowout as a killer.

01:06Well, but I wouldn't hate...

01:07You never know, though.

01:08I wouldn't hate seeing Pager on the mound at Fenway again.

01:12He could throw BP.

01:13They brought back alumni for the bullpen catcher and the pitcher, too.

01:16Julio Lugo took him deep last time, right?

01:18Hmm.

01:19Milken, you in on this?

01:20I don't know that I want to see Julio Pager give up a home run to Julio Lugo.

01:23You don't have to worry about that.

01:24We don't have, yeah.

01:25R.I.P. Julio.

01:26Oh, that's right.

01:27I forgot about that.

01:28Jeez, Barth really bringing down the vibe.

01:30Speak ill of the dead.

01:31Milken, you in on this alumni home run derby thing?

01:33I'm so in.

01:34I'm throwing all my money.

01:35And it's a little different with the Brewers situation because it was electric.

01:38They did it after a game.

01:39But the entire sold-out crowd stayed for it.

01:41But this is the window you have it right now where even going back to 0-4, Poppy's probably

01:46and him and Manny are the two guys you're calling immediately.

01:48But you can get someone from every single championship team and do this right.

01:52Take advantage before it's too late.

01:54Manny's 53.

01:55So, like, how many more years are you going to get?

01:56But he's taking BP.

01:58He did it at the MLB Network's drafts event this year and did all that.

02:02Please, I want both of them there.

02:04Let them be the captains.

02:05I feel like we talked about something like this a few weeks ago when I was out on it

02:09because I don't want to see, like, old guys that can't do it anymore.

02:12That being said, I haven't seen the success that the Brewers had with this.

02:18I'm in on it.

02:20Obviously, Manny and Poppy.

02:21They had two pitchers compete in the home run derby.

02:24Giovanni Gallardo, who could hit pretty well for a pitcher back in the day,

02:27but then Jonathan Broxton, a reliever.

02:29You're talking about World Series champions, though, coming back and doing this?

02:36It's not just that.

02:37I want to see Willie Mopena.

02:38That would be the number one on my list.

02:40Terrible baseball player, but going to hit it 1,100 feet.

02:44How about Ruzny Castillo?

02:45I was going to say, does Ruzny Castillo have to do it,

02:47or does he have to do the one in Worcester?

02:48Yeah, right?

02:49No, Paw Sox legend, man.

02:50There's a statue out front of what was McCoy Stadium with Ruzny Castillo, for sure.

02:57Jose Canseco.

02:58I'm bringing him back.

03:00A guy that did it the right way, right?

03:02A Red Sox legend from the 90s, but Jose Canseco would be in the mix.

03:06Where's Matt Stairs?

03:07I would throw a Carl Everett in there, by the way.

03:09Just shake it up.

03:09Let's make the clubhouse interesting, right?

03:11Maybe we get a good story from Carl Everett.

03:13Hanley, Mike Napoli, some of these guys who played in the last 10 years, you can still

03:18make work.

03:18Now, Napoli might be hard because he's actually coaching still.

03:22Yeah, you said J.D. Barth?

03:23Yeah.

03:24Definitely got to call him.

03:25They had a 35-year-old in Kian Broxton playing the Brewers game.

03:28So, like, you can bring him in.

03:30J.D.'s only a couple years older.

03:32Kevin Uclus, he would probably fit right into that.

03:35Johnny Gomes has been doing the home run derby for MLB.

03:38Would Nomar do it?

03:40Ooh, Nomar would attract some eyes, for sure.

03:44Nomar being back at Fenway like that would move the needle.

03:47So, since the stack, I'm looking at this list, Milliken.

03:51Jackie Bradley Jr., 478-foot home run, way up at the list.

03:56Franchi Cordero.

03:57That Philly homer, I still think about it sometimes.

03:59We saw Franchi Cordero hit a home run with our own eyes in this calendar year.

04:03Yes, and I went to the Wussocks with Barth and McCarthy like a month ago.

04:09Franchi went deep, and then I think he got released like a day later after that.

04:12He was not on the team.

04:13So, that did not last for him.

04:16Devers.

04:17Steve Pearce?

04:20Steve Pearce isn't a bad one, Milliken.

04:22Not a bad one.

04:23Who could like really mash, though, back in the day?

04:26Hanley's a good pole for Milliken.

04:27Hanley is.

04:28Hanley would be fun at this.

04:29Mitch Moreland.

04:30Mitch Moreland.

04:30He did the Savannah Bananas, right?

04:32Yeah.

04:33Oh, yeah.

04:33Who else did the Savannah Bananas?

04:34Wasn't Brock Holt there?

04:36Yeah, I would love Brock Holt, but I don't know what you're going to get in terms of power.

04:39I don't want to see singles.

04:40I know, right?

04:41That's the other thing.

04:42I guess you could turn on like a Topgolf situation.

04:44Oh, look at me.

04:44I can play everywhere.

04:45Are there any pitchers from back in the day that you think could actually go deep?

04:50Beckett.

04:50Beckett hit a couple homers against Philly back in the day.

04:53I don't think you're going to get him back up here for it, but I'd make the call.

04:56Yeah.

04:56Beckett's not a bad one.

04:57I know who could sing the anthem.

04:59Too soon, T-Bone.

05:00Too soon.

05:01I'd beg Dustin Pedroia.

05:02If he can get up for it on one leg, I don't care if he doesn't homer.

05:04Just go take some swings at Fenway.

05:06Could you get Mo Vaughn to do it?

05:08Oh, my God.

05:08You know how many tickets that Beatle would buy if Mo Vaughn and Nomar Garcia-Para were involved

05:14in this home run derby?

05:15Yeah.

05:16That's not a bad one.

05:17Instead of Pedro...

05:18It's not Pedro.

05:19Instead of Manny and Ortiz being the captains, it's Manny and Ortiz versus Mo Vaughn and

05:24Nomar.

05:2690s versus like 2000s?

05:28Yeah.

05:28I don't hate that.

05:29I don't hate that.

05:30You might need to put a handicap on that for age, but...

05:33Nomar, Matt Stairs.

05:35Bring back Troy O'Leary.

05:36Yeah, absolutely.

05:37I'm in on that.

05:38I'm in on that.

05:39Brian Dahlbach?

05:41Jason Bay?

05:42Jason Bay's not a bad one.

05:43Yeah.

05:44Jared Saltolamacchia still doing local things around here down at Cape Cod.

05:48He could hit a couple homers.

05:50I'd let Will get in there.

05:51Will Middlebrooks, go take some swings.

05:53Will.

05:53That 2012 season 2013.

05:54You're being too realistic.

05:55This is so lame.

05:56But those are the guys you're going to call.

05:58Jared Saltolamacchia?

05:59I'm not going to move the needle there.

06:00Not going to move the needle.

06:01I'd love to see Saltolamacchia take some swings.

06:04617-779-0985 is your telephone number.

06:09We've got the Barth tender coming up in 15 minutes here, Barth.

06:13You ready for this?

06:14Let's do it.

06:15We've got some questions that have been submitted, so we'll get to that with the Barth tender.

06:20He'll get you caught up on Hub Headlines.

06:22On the other side, we'll reset some Patriots thoughts.

06:25We'll also get to your phone calls.

06:26So you guys lined up wanting to talk everything from Patriots to airports to alumni for the Boston Red Sox.

06:33Hanley is a really good one.

06:34I didn't even consider that one.

06:36Hanley is a good one, though.

06:37Is he allowed back here?

06:39I think so, right?

06:40Pablo Sandoval, does he count?

06:41Would we bring back Pablo?

06:43Would Pablo want to partake in it?

06:45Yeah.

06:45Got to make sure those belts are actually fitting nice and snug.

06:49Take his phone away from him.

06:50Yeah.

06:50Well, that's two.

06:51That's two.

06:51You'd have to make sure.

06:52I don't hate throwing Carl Everett in the mix just to see kind of what kind of quotes you get out of this whole thing.

06:58I think that could drive some eyeballs for sure.

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