This is Josh Hamilton, of the Texas Rangers, in last night's home run derby.
Hamilton ended up finishing second to Minnesota's Justin Morneau, but not until he pounded a derby record 28 bombs in the first round. 13 of them were hit consecutively. 3 of them were longer then 500 ft, putting them in the top ten list of longest shots in the history of the derby. His 518 footer is now third longest overall.
But that wasn't the real story.
Each member of the HR derby gets to choose who they would like to pitch to them for the contest. Hamilton picked a 71-year-old volunteer coach who often threw batting practice to Hamilton when he was a teenager in North Carolina.
But that wasn't the real story.
They say that Josh Hamilton had a dream two years ago that he was being interviewed at Yankee Stadium after competing in the Home Run Derby. Last night that dream came true.
But that doesn't even begin to be the real story.
Josh Hamliton was drafted in 1999, out of high school, by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He was the #1 overall pick. Veteran scouts had said that he was one of the greatest talents that they have ever seen. Then heroin, cocaine, and alcohol addiction took over his life. He was banned from baseball and was slowly becoming a story of a "never will be" player. His "HR derby" dream came two years ago while he was still banned. After awaking from that dream, he started taking the steps to self-recovery.
Last year with Cincinnati was his first year in the majors. He was then traded to Texas, where this year he is on pace to be the first triple crown winner (Leader in batting average, home runs, and runs batted in) since Carl Yastrzemski did it in 1967. The home run derby/All-star game signifies the halfway point in baseball. Josh Hamilton is by far the greatest story in baseball this season.
As a fan, what made last night so special to watch, besides the bombs the Hamilton hit, was the crowd at Yankee Stadium. Arguably the toughest and most passionate fans in any sport, they new his story. The cheered for him. Everyone there wanted to see him win. They were chanting his name before the first round was even over. Even though I hate the Yankees, last night I loved their fans. Not to mention all the other players there, veterans and rookies alike, all stood in awe with every swing. You could see some mouth the word 'Wow" every now and then. It was amazing.
I can not even begin to imagine what it must be like to not only suffer with an addiction, but to be haunted by several. Heroin AND cocaine AND alcohol. Forget it. This guy beat them all, and is now in the spotlight where he so rightfully deserves. This is a guy that everyone should root for. This is a guy that you want to watch succeed. With so many scandals in today's sports, fans all over are being feed reasons to stop caring.
Then came Josh Hamilton and his story.
I love it.
1 comment:
It was unarguably the most jaw dropping hitting spectacle I have ever seen. And I concur, the fact that it was at Yankee stadium and it was Josh Hamilton made it over the top spectacular.
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