Netflix’s presentation of the annual Home Run Derby received mixed reviews, with some good and some bad. But it’s safe to say that Chris “Mad Dog” Russo did not enjoy it, and he’s got some questions if you did.
The biggest change from previous years was the decision to move away from the timer format that Major League Baseball introduced in 2015. The change was well received and allowed for a new sort of rhythm that immediately led to a dramatic comeback that Barry Bonds called “the greatest Home Run Derby I’ve ever seen.”
Russo, however, wasn’t at all enthused with the new format or Netflix’s presentation, calling it “so tedious,” especially in the early rounds of the Derby.
“I’ve had enough. I just cannot get into it. Two hours and 40 minutes is more than enough time,” Russo wrote. “It’s so tedious. Oh god, it’s so tedious. That first round, watching eight guys take 20 swings…”
“Read a book. There’s gotta be something else you could do with your life.” – @MadDogUnleashed on those of you who watched the Home Run Derby. pic.twitter.com/S4fH7gG2dU
— Jimmy Traina (@JimmyTraina) July 14, 2026
Mad Dog was so incensed by the Derby that he suggested anyone who watched the event should do pretty much anything else instead.
“Read a book,” he said. “There’s gotta be something else you can do with your life.”
Mad Dog went on to criticize the “9,000 announcers” that appeared on the broadcast, including a rather disastrous appearance from Will Ferrell, as Netflix tried to do “something different” for the special event.
“It’s a home run derby,” Russo said. “It’s not Game 7 of the World Series. It’s not a playoff series. It’s not the last weekend of a season in September. It’s not Yankees-Red Sox ’78. It’s not that. Sorry, it’s not that. It’s not Diamondbacks-Yankees in ’01. It’s not Blue Jays-Dodgers last year. It’s not. It’s a glorified fungo hitting contest. Let’s not make it any bigger than that.
“Jesus, it drives me crazy,” he concluded.
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