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Baseball Primer Newsblog— The Best News Links from the Baseball Newsstand
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
AWESOME!
Josh Hamilton dreamed it. Now he’s done it.
With a dazzling display of power Monday night, the Texas Rangers slugger hit a record 28 homers in the first round of the All-Star Home Run Derby at Yankee Stadium before he was beaten out by Minnesota’s Justin Morneau in the finals.
...With the crowd of 53,716 chanting his name, undoubtedly warmed by his improbable journey to stardom, Hamilton connected on 13 consecutive cuts before falling short of the fences on his final two.
“I got chills,” he said.
With his smooth left-handed swing and jaw-dropping power, Hamilton seemed a natural choice to take advantage of Yankee Stadium’s short right-field porch. But he cleared the fences with ease, hitting three shots farther than 500 feet — including his longest of 512.
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I think he's past the injury nexus.
You could tell Morneau felt a little sheepish about winning. Also, what impressed me the most (outside the obvious Hamilton show) was that Morneau won in spite of continuing his transformation into a line drive hitter. He wasn't hitting too many moonshots like Hamilton. Just line drive after line drive after line drive. He hit a few "Twins balls" in that they would have been perfectly placed doubles to the gap if it hadn't been a HRD. His transformation into a complete hitter is pretty shocking, but it's not surprising to see him near the top of the batting average leaderboard.
I really don't understand why everybody thinks Hamilton is such a great story. They shouldn't hate him; they should be glad for him. But why is it so great that a guy almost threw away his career on heroin, then didn't?
- because darn near everyone who gets addicted to heroin is not able to pick up the pieces and go on, but actually triumph.
i would be just as impressed if what he had wanted to do was become a statistician and he got himself a degree and a good job and kept it
how many addicts do you think actually stay clean?
and by the way, how many guys who are 24 who have not played baseball in years - basically - and have not worked anything much but a syringe - just walk onto a ML playing field and play outstanding ML ball?
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several things about the game
1 - grady sizemore is not white. but i guess he ain't all the way black, hunh reilly? i missed that little bit. which is what happens when you have the sound off
2 - grady sizemore is a guy i'd like to, uh, console - you know, make the poor boy feel a lil better for not winning. poor darling
3 - justin morneau is really REALLY hot. a FINE lookin white boy. has gone right to the top of my fantasy list
4 - i think erin andrews is 6' tall
Joe Sheehan: Josh Hamilton is Good at Baseball
X2
This makes me wonder: Has anyone ever tried to transition addicts over to a compulsive behavior other than religion? Could you shift them over to washing their hands 400 times a day instead?
Things like this was why last night was awesome. To be honest, I didn't notice the ESPN talking heads as I was just amazed at Josh going off. He was UNBELIEVABLE.
Does stopping by the methadone clinic twice a day count?
Now you're just having them worship at the altar of cleanliness! Plus, think of all the lotion they'd go through to prevent chapping. Which could lead to other addictions...
I normally find the HR derby boring, and just had it on in the background with the sound off, but Hamilton's display got me to turn the sound on and pay attention. A great story and spectacular to watch... I really thought he had a chance to hit one out of the park.
I used to be addicted to crack but now I am off it and trying to stay clean. That is why I am selling magazine subscriptions.
None of you has any idea whether Hamilton's religious conversion is an "addiction" or a "compulsive behavior" or the genuine article. So stop pretending otherwise. For those of you annoyed by his outward displays of faith, well, turn the sound off or grow a thicker skin.
During the first round at least, Hamilton looked incredibly fluid and balanced. It's hard to imagine that his swing will be messed up. OTOH, I'd be a little concerned about Morneau. I'm far from an expert on swing mechanics, but I noticed that he seemed to be yanking his back foot out to get more leverage on his swing. It looked very awkward. Does he normally do that? I haven't noticed it during games.
To interpret someone else's words for a second, I don't think anyone questions the sincerity or "genuineness" of Hamilton's faith. My read of the situation tells me that the posters are implying that religious fervor of that intensity is a textbook example of compulsive behavior (and I agree).
There is no difference.
not that i know of - except for seth mnookin
about 5% (at most) of addicts ever manage to kick it and stay clean without a single relapse. and not get addicted to some other substance. AND this is in spite of most of them desperately WANTING to stay clean. whatever it is that that chemical does inside there brains, they just can't manage to stay away from its affects, despite all the suffering and pain they KNOW it causes them
you guys sure spend a lot of time spitting on christianity/god/religion, no matter what. and for people who preach diversity and tolerance like every last one of SAY you do, this is sure nuff bout as un-tolerant as it gets. in that way you just as bad as all the fundamentalists - you just their opposite
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levski
nothing like being able to watch really hot guys
i do understand that you have a very diffeent definition of "hot"
and that is no problema
There are people for whom addiction is a way of life, and it is for them to choose the most beneficial (or least destructive) addiction. Unfortunately, I'm one of those people (food was my primary addiction before gastric bypass; now it's caffeine, plus keeping a VERY close eye on alcohol and gambling). Although I am not religious in the slightest, I am glad to see that Hamilton has traded his drug addiction for something much less destructive. If this means I have to mentally mute the vast majority of his public statements, so be it.
They may not have much pitching, but after watching the Angels play four against the Rangers, that offense gives me nightmares. Of course, the Angels offense give me nightmares, too, but in a different way.
"Christians vs Lions" references aren't about religion, they're about mismatches. Sure it's pathetic to think about the implications of using the specter of living human beings getting ripped apart for comic relief, but it has been a couple thousand years after all. I suppose he could have said something about Goldwater/Johnson or Reagan/Mondale, but that actually might have offended somebody.
As has become a Derby custom, each batter got 10 outs per at-bat, and after the ninth, a gold ball was put into play. Each homer hit with the gold ball garnered a $17,000 donation from State Farm and MLB to the Boys & Girls Club of America, MLB's preferred charity.
Ten gold ball shots were hit, earning $170,000 in contributions. Hamilton hit 13 consecutive shots into the seats with eight outs during his first-round run, but none when using the gold ball.
State Farm must be in tighter with God than Josh is.
It would have been neat if, when Hamilton decided to take a few hacks during the second round, he had deliberately made nine outs (bunts, lazy swings and misses, batting right-handed, etc.) and then dropped some bombs on the gold ball. The obvious problem is that he'd probably make an out right away and look at least a little foolish, but it'd still have been a nice gesture.
My buddy who threw a G on Hamilton at +250 on my recommendation disagrees. I also told him to bet Memphis before last year's college basketball season at a crazy 9-1 and France before the '06 World Cup at 8-1. One of these days my guy will finish the deal.
Hamilton's surge to pop icon is pretty amazing. From just the things I saw personally when he was working out in Durham in 2003, he's very lucky to be alive, and I didn't see him actually doing anything illegal.
Christians and lions is pretty complicated. It seems a brutal mismatch. But in the Christian tradition it evokes Daniel in the lions den; i.e., the beasts won't hurt the faithful. Now, in a Roman arena the lions obviously do hurt the faithful, in the physical sense, but it becomes martyrdom, which is the ultimate defeat of the World, the ultimate victory of the spiritual over the physical. This sort of way to go was so popular among the avant garde that some 3rd century Christian writers and bishops were driven to condemn people who sought out public martyrdom as being merely suicidal rather than divinely inspired.
The point is: no Christian aware of the tradition should be upset by a "Christians and lions" reference. A knowledgeable Christian saying it would understand the ultimate note of triumph in it, while someone either not Christian or not knowledgeable saying it would merely confirm to the knowledgeable Christian the inability of the World (in its impotence and ignorance) to harm the faithful soul. The action debases to persecutors, and often (in the martyrologies) causes some of the witnesses to convert.
In an interesting way a reference to "Christians and lions" is about mismatches, but in exactly the opposite way from what most people think.
A heroin addict acquaintance of mine became a compulsive cooker. In the worst part of his recovery he'd spend 4-5 hours working on every meal, including breakfast. Now, inevitably, he's a chef in and co-owner of a pretty successful restaurant. But he works 12 hour days, 7 days a week, mainly to keep himself straight. It's a better life, but I can't really say it's a healthy one.
That kind of schedule is not atypical for successful people in the restaurant business and need have nothing to do with one's status as a substance abuser. Although heavy drinking and coke use are epidemic in the restaurant business as well.
Why, did Buck enjoy when other people took his stories and claimed them as their own?
Those guys are from Buddy Holly's day.
Seconded. It's funny that ESPN does have some very knowledgeable employees, but they're, for the most part, regulated to ESPN News. His knowledge of baseball, for instance, made any interview he conducted a must-watch. Though he was supposed to be feeding the questions to the guest or person calling in, he'd generally come off as the more intelligent party involved. I remember a couple instances where he successfully challenged some blanket statements an in-studio guest was making.
That kind of schedule is not atypical for successful people in any field of endeavor.
Well, but here specifically it does. He's resisted working fewer hours, and he's not successful in a "successful resteranteur" sort of way. More of a "pay the rent on time" way.
Bummer. Ah well, still a better life than being a junky I'm thinking.
Good point.
grady is not cute. grady is the kind of hot that if i wasn't married i just might could consider getting in line for kind of hot. and he would be hot if he was workin at the five and dime and his boss was mr magee
sigh
i know
picture scarlett johannson/jessica boobies/some other boobed female de jour of your preference
there now, isn't that better?
also, it was nice to see who brought their families with them. Some had parents and siblings, some had wives and kids. The ones I felt for were Mauer and Halladay, who from among the ones I saw were the only ones by themselves.
I've read that Mauer brought his parents and grandparents to New York with him, and his brother Jake was allowed to take a few days off of managing the Twins rookie-league team in the Gulf Coast League to support Joe in New York. I didn't see any of them on the field, but he was definitely not alone in the Big Apple.
EDIT: Here is the story.
I talked with my father during the contest, and he told me the exact same thing, accept he didn't see Mantle until 59.
Or a pitcher.
Jamey Newberg highlights his favorite moment from the night.
Joey Matschulat pens a fantastic write-up, and then compounds it with great video.
So, basically, he entered the field of play and sat down. Wow, he's just like that other attention whore, that oceanographer Hooper who just wanted to get his name in the National Geographic.
I spent a few minutes being very confused that there was an All Star who I didn't just not know was on the team, but had never seen at all. Then I heard that it was just Dan Uggla's brother in a Marlins hat.
All right, all right. Hey, I don't need this... I don't need this working-class-hero crap.
I'm not sure what the number would be, but there's a decent discussion here.
Read the parable of the Prodigal Son. Your question is much the same as the eldest son's response to his return.
I could upbraid some of you for your ignorance, but Lisa has already covered that. I can accept that your personal experience leads you agnosticism, even atheism -- that's quite understandable, and in no need of upbraiding.
But to casually dismiss Hamilton's redemption story as akin to OCD reveals a willful blindness that is arrogant, intolerant and uneducated; not primarily unknowledgable about religion, but about anthropology, history and literature; on a more mundane level, the biological and sociological factors of drug addiction; on the sublime level, what it means to be touched by a work of art -- missing out on a big piece what it means to be a human being. At the very least, lacking the imagination to put yourself in another's shoes.
Often it is said that one is lucky not to be waylaid by human frailty, but I'm not so sure about that. You may have all your puzzle pieces intact, but not see the big picture.
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