So... that happened for Brandon Inge.
The Detroit Tigers' representative in tonight's Home Run Derby suffered the indignity of being the one guy who didn't hit any home runs in the competition. He didn't really come close until his final pitch, a long drive to left field that landed just foul. But the game is called Home Run Derby, so you are expected to hit one.
Inge isn't the only player to go oh-fer in the event, if you were worried about that. As Detroit fans know, Jason Bay went homer-less in the 2005 Derby at Comerica Park. (Troy Glaus and Bret Boone are also mentioned in this post by Larry Stone that wins the evening's award for snarkiest headline.)
But Inge seemed to take it all in good fun. Surely, it was a bit embarrassing, but in the big picture, what does it really matter? The man still had a look of someone who was genuinely happy to be among baseball's elite on the Busch Stadium field.
Zero in the home run column, #1 in our hearts, buddy. (After all, your early exit meant we could turn off the Derby relatively early.) Stand tall. Like an All-Star. Always a Tiger.