How Minnesota Helped Create The Modern Home Run Derby

[Parker Hageman]

This is a great read on how the Home Run Derby was added to the 1985 All Star Game weekend events and how the contest went down without Chris Berman and all of the cameras:

 

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/swing-away-the-untold-story-of-the-first-home-run-derby-071014?cmpid=tsmfb:fscom:foxsports

[biggentleben]

I miss the old school derby, the one they've shown many times over on ESPN classic. Mays vs. Aaron one on one. Killebrew vs. Mantle, mano y mano. Those were awesome!

[Steven Buhr]

I was at that 1985 ASG and went to the HR contest too. The game was a bit of a yawner but the HR contest was a lot of fun to watch.