I had very little hope of a great Home Run Derby last night, especially due to the fact that I had to DVR it becuase of my Blue Rocks game. But I knew I would root for Josh Hamilton, the feel-good story of the decade. There are few Derby memories that truly stand out. Ripken in Toronto in '91. McGwire in Boston in '99. Add Hamilton in NYC in '08 to that list. Hamilton added to his lore in a big way last night. Some stats:
- 28 first round home runs, breaking the single-round record. Next closest last night was 8. 35 total home runs in the Derby.
- 13 consecutive swings for home runs.
- 3 home runs over 500 feet. Almost clearing the fence as well, which has never been done in the 85 years the stadium has been around.
- And, oh yeah, he didn't win. Out of gas by the final round, he lost to Justin Morneau 5-3.
Hamilton continues to amaze for his return from the depths of Hell, battling drug addiction and a 3-year banishment in which he barely picked up a bat. Midway through his run last night, 60,000 people were chanting "Ham-il-ton," no small task in a town and stadium that rarely roots for a guy not in pinstripes.
And the other great part of last night was Hamilton's hand-picked Derby pitcher- 71 year old Clay Counsil (below), an American Legion coach who helped Hamilton in his formative years and whom Hamilton wanted to pay tribute to. Clay's only other time in Yankee Stadium? Don Larsen's perfect game in the World Series in 1956. You can't make this stuff up.
Who knows what the future holds for Josh Hamilton, and I watch with cautious optimism that he can stay clean, after seeing the careers and lives of Steve Howe, Daryl Strawberry, Alan Wiggins, and many more come to a crashing halt. But no matter what, for one warm summer night in July, in the final season of the most hallowed of ballparks, Josh Hamilton made every one of us feel good about life, baseball, and second chances.
2 comments:
I usually think the homerun derby is kind of boring but this one was great. Josh Hamilton is so talented and seems like a great guy who just got messed up along the way. He seems like he has what it takes to keep up with his sobriety. Lets hope so. I'd hate to see a talent like that go to waste. Maybe one day he'll be wearing pinstripes :)
White with Red Pinstripes. HE HE - MLB should focus on people like this who have changed themselves for the better and show their success to them youngsters of the country.
If you can get them out of the arcades at the stadiums long enough to know that there is sport being played.
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