Nothing can captivate an audience like someone knocking the ball out of the yard at a game. JWjr summed up most baseball fans opinions when he said, "when I watch a game at home I want to see a pitcher's duel, but when I'm at the game I want to see the ball leave the stadium." Well nothing seemed to capture the country in the now deemed steroid era of baseball following the 1994 players strike like McGwire and Sosa going yard.
Justin Morneau may have won this year's home run derby, but Josh Hamilton won the fans hearts and imagination. Hamilton's record setting 28 home runs in the first round can only be described as "electric." Fans weren't just watching history or sitting on the edge of their seats, they were standing up with a giddy glow and a look of utter amazement as did the fans in the fictional movie "The Natural."
Watching Hamilton take something to drink, catch his breath, and go right back to work jolting another home run deep into Yankee Stadium on a magical weekend for the stadium and the city brought everyone young and old to a singular point in time that everyone could enjoy.
Casual fans learned the history of Josh Hamilton's troubled past with drugs and alcohol, the background regarding his many tattoos, and his educating students of his storied past. Some fans were now introduced to the story book Roy Hobbs as he stroked ball after ball into the stands. It was electrifying in a way that a father and son can talk about baseball and the derby at home. It's reminiscent of "Field of Dreams" where sometimes a simple catch with your dad can mean a lot. It was more than a home run derby, but sharing a love of the game with all those around witnessing the same joy. Watching something so rare and seeing someone with such a gift that ESPN announcers described that the sound coming off of his bat constantly hit the sweet spot with such consistency that they hadn't heard since Bo Jackson. It was a home run derby that fans will remember for a very long time.
Podcast RSS Feed
I've seen a lot of home runs hit at Yankee Stadium but some of the shots Hamilton hit in the HR Derby ended up in places I've never seen the ball land before. The last row of the bleachers and the 20th row of the upper deck are unexplored territory for home runs in that stadium.