Justin Morneau has said “no thanks” to the home run derby, citing a chance to rest and relax as his primary reasons. As we wrote for Page 2 today, there is at least some evidence* from last year’s derby participants supporting the idea that the exhibition, combined with playing in the game, doesn’t exactly set players up to have a strong second half. Six of the eight derby participants a year ago had worse second-halves (in terms of OPS) than first-halves. In some cases, it was dramatic. Morneau’s OPS went down quite a bit in both 2007 and 2008 after the break and following All Star game and derby duties. As we noted, that could very well be coincidence.

That said, we have never been quite sure what to make of the idea that the home run derby can mess up a player’s swing. We’ve heard it theorized from players and announcers. Is it really possible that a few minutes of trying to kill the ball really re-trains a batter after years of practice?

Your thoughts on that question, and the addition of some of your other favorite sports queries (does “icing the kicker really work?) in the comments, please.

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