The State Farm Home Run Derby as part of the 2008 All-Star festivities is tonight and we’ve got it covered with a live blog, so feel free to chime in by leaving a comment in the post. I’d love to hear your take on the HRD contestants, the announce crew – does it get any worse than Chris Berman teamed up with Joe Morgan? – and anything else you want to comment on.

Just an FYI the contestants this year are for the National League: Ryan Braun of Milwaukee, Chase Utley of Philadelphia, Houston’s Lance Berkman and Dan Uggla from Florida. For the American League: Josh Hamilton of Texas, Tampa Bay rookie Evan Longoria, Grady Sizemore from Cleveland and Minnesota’s Justin Morneau.

My pick is Hamilton.

Well we started with a song by 3 Doors Down was there any need for that? I knew it was coming but can someone tell me please what was the effin’ purpose of that?

“Is it true this is Yankee Stadium’s final year??” – Chris Berman

“Evan Longoria is a rookie no more.” – Berman

Uh, I think MLB will surprised to hear that.

Damn Reggie Jackson looks good for 62 years old, I bet he could still DH.

EA (Erin Andrews) looks yummy although she appears to be dressed like “Heidi”. All that’s missing is the pigtails. And Derek Jeter tabs my boy, Hamilton as our champion pick in the derby. Now I may have to go with someone else.

Ok we’re into the break and hopefully some long balls in a minute. See ya after the jump.

On second thought EA might be wearing Jerry Seinfeld’s puffy pirate shirt.

Mike Leggo Gallego? Lord save us now.

How many times tonight are we going to hear Steve Phillips use the technical foul analogy?

Dan Uggla of Florida is up first and has a hit a few bombs including one to dead center at 408 ft.

Did Berman just say they’re raining balls on our boys?

All of a sudden Uggla is at 7 outs with just 4 HR’s.

They’re gonna change the white balls to gold balls with 8 outs. Hey wasn’t that a premise of a Mike Meyers movie?

And do you think hitting two-tone baseballs is tough?

Well Uggla is done with 6 HR’s and I unless I tuned him out or was busy writing I only heard one “back, back, back, back” out of Berman.

Oh Grady’s Ladies are now in full out cream their panties mode as Grady Sizemore is up next in the HRD.

What is it with Rick Reilly talking about having dessert with no meal?

“Holy cow who needs steroids, this is fantastic!” – Reilly after a Sizemore HR.

While talking with about the Brewers and how they hit HR’s Karl Ravech mentioned Mark LaPorta too. He does realize LaPorta was just traded to Cleveland right or did I miss something?

David Ortiz says the Yankee clubhouse is very nice.

“Terry Francona has to be going through Joe Girardi’s drawers.” – Steve Phillips.

Ewwwwwww.

Did you now Sizemore had 3,000 yards rushing as a high school football? Yea football, not football player. Football. Someone tell Berman to shut up.

Sizemore finishes with 6 HR’s as well in the first round.

Up next Evan “I’m not Eva’s brother” Longoria.

Longoria appears to have more of a line drive swing here in the early going as he has 4 outs to 1 HR.

Longoria appears to be struggling. I’m not sure where I got that from.

“This one is down the line…..fair ball, homerun.” – Berman. Who made him the umpire?

Well ESPN is on the Rays bandwagon. Joe Morgan expects them to get hot again and play well and Phillips expects them to hang around. I on the other hand say they will fade and will have a .500 season give or take but not make the playoffs.

“I was yanking too much” – Evan Longoria after finishing with 3 HR’s.

Up next Chase Utley of the Phillies. This is the pick of Kruk’s testicle.

Utley finally goes yard for the first time after having 3 outs.

EA is drooling over David Wright as she interviews him I think they should have put a lobster bib on him first ya know just for some protection seeing as she’s been near Tebow lately.

Is it mandatory that all the players hang around after BP for the HRD or do they do it, just to do it? To me it seems like a colossal waste of time if you’re not involved especially when you could be at Scores watching some stripper grind her twat on a pole instead of watching Utley hit line drives.

“Five is a pretty good number though” – Joe Morgan. Yea ok Joe if you believe that I have a bridge right out over here for sale.

So far it’s a pretty lame HRD with the co-leaders at six especially with that short porch over there in right field.

Now it’s puma-time. Lance Berkman of the Houston Astros is up taking cracks at the porch.

According to the Bermanator, Berkman was undecided on which side to hit from as of BP. Morgan agrees he picked the correct side (left) as does Phillips. Gee it was a hard choice with that porch only 314 ft away huh?

Hey there was JD Drew and a little Drew in a Red Sox onesie.

And Berkman is just whacking and jacking all of sudden. I’m sorry Steve Phillips just took over my body.

The puma just blasted a gold ball into the upper deck. Make it two to give him 7 HRs. Now he goes into the black, Reggie territory.

He finishes with 8 HR’s.

Morgan just told us five of his 8 were 545 feet or more. I wonder if ESPN would ever consider just having two people interview players with none of the other commentary? I think it work great. Just think…no Berman, no Morgan, no Peter Gammons (who adds nothing to this), no Reilly, No Ravech, No Kruk…It’d be heaven.

Here’s former AL MVP Justin Morneau of the Minnesota Twins.

Now they’re debating the merit of having players in the HRD who aren’t on the all-star team. And they’re using Ryan Howard as the poster child.

Oh Geez they have Michael Kaye doing the call on the stadium PA system Ijust heard his “See Ya” HR call.

Morneau after a slow start is now cranking it up a bit and is at 7 HR with 7 outs.

Morgan thinks the upper cut swing is a new thing for hitting a home run. What a tool.

Morneau ties Berkman with 8 HR’s.

Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun is next and Berman says he has the right name for the HRD.

Braun has his agent, Nez Balelo throwing to him in the HRD. Balelo is the guy who throws to Braun in the off season for BP.

Gammons thinks “the public is much more better educated”. Uh Peter you might wanna check that sentence.

Braun goes upper deck in left field and then hits the façade well actually the “Trimmed and Ready” sign. Is that promoting a strip club by any chance?

After starting 0 for 6 Braun is now guaranteed a spot in the second round with 7 hrs.

Now Berman is saying that Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers is this warm and fluffy story. The story of the year, actually it was last year. Ok I’m all for people getting second chances, lord knows we all need them. But can you tell me why it’s such a BFD that Hamilton is back playing baseball. It wasn’t like he suffered some tragic injury, like a Tony Conigliaro, no the man did drugs, lots of drugs, failed drug tests and was banned for three seasons for doing drugs. He did it to himself. Don’t get me wrong I’m happy he overcame his demons but they were of his own making.

Hamilton just absolutely crushed one and says to the catcher. “That was awesome dude.”

Holy shit he just hit the back wall of Yankee Stadium! That’s Mantle-esque. (502 ft)

Morgan is amazed he could miss three years and still hit big league pitching.

He nearly hit the back wall again. (504 ft)

His pitcher is his old American Legion coach 71-year old Clay Counsil.

He is just hitting bombs, he’s at 8 Hr’s with only 5 outs.

A guy in CF catches a ball below the fence line and out come the Jeffrey Maier jokes.

He is up to 12 HR’s and is pitchers arm is gonna fall off.

He is mashing. He has 14 HR’s with 7 outs.

He just hit #16 into the black. And 317 was there too all the way up in the area where Reggie went in the ‘77 series.

Do you think that guy in the upper deck though he’d ever have a chance at a ball when he saw where his seats were? That was 518 feet on #18.

He is now at 21 HR’s with 8 outs.

This guy is having a ball doing this and the crowd is going nuts.

He just hit #25 the most anyone has ever hit in a round at the HRD.

Reggie and Ortiz are just stunned watching him hit.

Wow he hit 28 home runs the most ever in a round and the second most ever hit in a derby and we’re just in the first round.

In addition to Hamilton, Morneau, Berkman and Braun make the second round.

Berkman is up first in the second round.

Berman and the gang are interviewing Reggie. And Jax just took a shot at A-Rod saying “I would have never said I don’t wanna participate because it would ruin my swing. I was trying to do that every time up.”

Berkman has 6 more in this round for a total of 14.

Morneau is next he had 8 in the first round as well.

Morneau has hit 7 with 8 outs in the second round and now has 15 HRs.

Now Reilly is bashing Alex Rodriguez for not signing up for the derby. Morneau finished with 9 HRs in the round and 17 total. Braun needs 11 to get to the finals against Hamilton.

Braun is up next in the second round. He really needs to put on a show to get to the finals against Hamilton. I wonder if Hamilton can opt out of the round and not hit and save himself for the final round?

Reilly really needs to stop with the whole Hamilton thing. He’s trying too hard with saying “it’s a hard night to be an atheist” after telling us once again that Hamilton was a coke, heroin and alcohol addict who has recovered and found religion.

Braun is at 7 HR’s a total of 14 with two outs left. He needs to get to 17 to tie Morneau and 18 to advance.

Hamilton does not have to hit but he may hit a few in the second round. He will face Morneau for the HRD title.

Hamilton is just up there mashing again. Looks like I picked the right guy.

Hamilton just damn near killed the photographers who are in the area of the 1^st base coaches box.

After four outs and four HR’s he cuts his round short.

So the HRD Finals are Justin Morneau v. Josh Hamilton. The winner receives the crossed silver bat trophy and gets to bang EA in her hotel suite.

Based on the rules of this called shot I think this dude is going home with some bling.

Wow Hamilton rips a liner into the right field corner so now Morneau will hit for him.

And Morneau fails to win him some prizes too. I guess I was wrong there.

Onto the finals the numbers all get reset to zero.

Morneau hits first.

Right now Morneau is at 6 outs with just two HRs.

Morneau hits a gold ball HR for #4.

Upper deck for #5.

He will end with five. I really don’t think five will be enough to hold off Hamilton.

1^st one is a wall ball into death valley for an out.

1^st HR is a bomb two rows away from the back wall.

He’s at four outs with one HR.

#2 into the center field seats.

He just misses by about a foot and he’s at 5 outs.

His third jack is way up onto the black in centerfield.

He is now at 7 outs with 3 HRs.

Now he has 9 outs with 3 HRs and its on the line.

And he rips one foul to end the derby and Justin Morneau is the Home Run Derby winner for 2008.

So here’s your HRD totals:

NL:

• Braun 7+7+NA=14
• Berkman 8+6+NA=14
• Uggla 6+NA+NA=6
• Utley 5+NA+NA=5

AL:

• Hamilton 28+4+3 =35
• Morneau 8+9+5=22
• Sizemore 6+NA+NA=6
• Longoria 3+NA+NA=3