Power outage: Brandon Inge continues Tigers tradition of Derby duds

Detroit -- They're just not good at it. In fact, they're downright terrible.

When it comes to hitting home runs in the annual Home Run Derby, the Tigers don't.

On the 20th anniversary of Mickey Tettleton hitting one pitch out of the park in the hyper-hyped contest that some enjoy more than the All-Star Game itself, Brandon Inge hit none on Monday night.

Zero, zip, and all that.

Wait, he did hit one into the seats. But it was foul down the left-field line on Inge's final swing in the competition at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.

His other nine produced pop-ups, fly balls, dinks and dribbles, including a ground ball that measured 45 feet on ESPN's electronic yardstick -- or whatever they call that device.

It wasn't pretty.

Cut!

After the fifth out, in fact, ESPN cut to a Derek Jeter interview -- putting Inge on a split screen. They do that whenever they get sort of bored.

But it was not, repeat not, an embarrassment. Not even close.

It wasn't an embarrassment because Inge knew all along that something like this might happen. With the odds stacked against him, he was willing to take the risk all the same.

"Look at me," Inge told MLB.com on Monday. "Seriously, I might set a record for being the smallest Home Run Derby contestant ever."

Yet when it was first asked of him by a reporter if he would compete in the Derby if he made the All-Star team -- and this was more than a week ago, when the Tigers were playing the Twins at the Metrodome -- Inge said, "Absolutely. That would be a blast.

"Even if I didn't hit a home run, it would be fun just to try. I wouldn't turn it down."

That's the spirit, Brandon.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Tiger troubles

No one thought to tell him that many a Tiger slugger has tried to climb that mountain. But only one ever got anywhere.

The Tigers have been represented eight times in the Home Run Derby. Cecil Fielder participated three times. Mighty Cecil -- but more on how he did in just a moment.

Props to Pudge Rodriguez first. He's the only Tiger who's ever come close to winning the Derby. Truth be told, he's the only Tiger ever to connect consistently.

The only Tiger ever to be a finalist.

In 2005, competing at Comerica Park but finishing second to Bobby Abreu, Rodriguez hit 20 home runs. Seven other Tigers, since the competition began in 1985, have hit only 13 home runs.

That's 13 combined.

That's 13 divided by seven -- for an average of fewer than two each.

And you're not alone with your zilch, Brandon. Fielder hit none in 1990 -- the year that, with 51 home runs, he became the first major-league player since 1977 to hit 50 or more.

Tettleton hit one the year before. Damion Easley hit two in 1998. Magglio Ordonez hit two in 2007. Fielder hit four in both 1991 and 1993.

It's not their thing.

But let's not try to determine why. Don't get all scientific about it. There's nothing about the latitude of Detroit that clashes with the longitude of other ballparks -- as if that makes any sense.

It's not their thing, OK?

Inge hit two home runs on Sunday. He's been hitting home runs all year. But when he didn't do much with his first swing, and less with his second -- and, uh, even less with his third, it was not a good sign.

Know what's more important, though? It's more important that when he was done, there were his two young sons near the dugout, as shown on TV, knowing only that Dad had been a competitor on one of baseball's big stages.

Did they look upset that it hadn't gone well? Not for an instant.

No home runs, big deal. As Chris Berman said, "Don't worry about it, Brandon. You're an All-Star."

One who had the guts to say, "I might not hit any. But I'll give it a go."

Congrats just for being up there.

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