We finally got the 2012 MLB Home Run Derby underway around 5:16pm Pacific, which is where I am, which is therefore the only time that matters to me. This was scheduled to begin at approximately 5pm Pacific. On a geological time scale, 5:16 is hardly different from 5:00, so kudos to Major League Baseball for nailing it and satisfying the geologists.

Carlos Beltran is leading off and I guess I'm going to straight-up live-blog. Out! Take! Take! Out! Out! Okay this isn't working. Beltran has hit some home runs and he has hit some outs and his round is almost over. Now his round is over and he finishes with seven home runs. That would've been enough to advance to the second round a year ago, where the threshold was five, but this year isn't a year ago. Doesn't that make you happy and sad?

For me, the big takeaway from Beltran's round is that the idiot kids shagging flies in the outfield are less idioty than they usually are. The first line drive was caught on a bounce, and the first fly ball was caught on the fly. Dudes like Endy Chavez should shag flies out there too and teach these kids a thing about communication, as long as they think they're professionals. Uh oh here comes another hitter I better move on