Minor league home run contest offers up interns as targets

Now is maybe not the best time to be an intern for the Reading Phillies.

At tonight’s zany R-Phils Home Run Derby, the field will provide an intern-rich environment for sluggers. One intern will be jumping on a trampoline in the outfield, trying to catch balls. Another will be inside a dunk tank, ready to get wet if a hitter can nail the target next to him. Yet another intern, possibly related to the ensign who always seemed to beam to the surface with Captain Kirk and Spock, will be dangling 30-feet up from a crane. He, too, will be trying to catch balls.

A guitarist, protected by netting, will play live music right behind the pitcher mound.

Meanwhile, the infield will be transformed into a giant party zone, with a bar, a raw bar and plenty of other food and desserts. A 12-foot net will protect 500 revelers, while balls that clear the barrier go sizzling overhead.