Hamilton puts on a Display for the Ages in the First and Last Home Run Derby in Yankee Stadium

Josh Hamilton, what a story, what a professional, what a baseball player.  Now days you just can't say enough good stuff about this kid.  Which is a total turn around from his early days in MLB.  Just even last year I remember sitting in right-center field bleachers when the Reds were in town, screaming  at him, if that was a needle in his pocket, or calling him Cheech everytime he ran out into center.  As they are on everyone, Wrigley's bleacher Bums are especially hard on the ones that make it so easy to pick on them.  But he cleaned up and it's looking like the Cubs should have waited another year or two before letting him go.  If my memory serves me correctly I believe we even had him twice!  Imagine him in center field for us this year, or Kosuke in center and him in right.  WOW what a line up that would be.  But back to his phenominal display of power and consistancy tonight.  It seemed like it wasn't even fair at first, when he just effortlessly launched 28 bombs, and I mean Bombs, into the seats at Ruth's House.  He broke Abreu's record of 24 in the first round, and looked like he was going to ease into winning the derby, but ended up falling short to Morneau, by 2 dingers in the championship round.  I personally think that it was his 71-year old pitcher, Council, that did him in, in the third and final round.  Not saying that it was his fault I mean the old timer threw what 50 or so pitches in the first round alone.  Most major league relievers would be tired out after that!  But I do think that his pitches were defintely different from the first round and whether they were lacking the velocity that Hamilton needed or just not hitting the right spots.  I think that if they put someone else in to pitch the third round Hamilton could of knocked out 20 or so more if he wanted too.  Josh Hamilton deserved that title tonight, but fell a little short, maybe it will just be a little more motivation for him to go out in the second half and secure his bid for MVP of the AL this season.  Maybe he can even knock in another 90 RBI's and make a run at the record.  But this kid amazes me, when most human beings would of shrivled up and died, this kid turned it into his guiding light and what a light he has become himself.  Another great thing about him is his determination to help other kids going down his path.  He takes alot of time out of his schedule to stop at schools and colleges all over the country to talk about his fight with drugs and alcohol, and how it completely crippled him.  He REALLY wants to make a difference not just get the publicity for doing it, but actually wants to help.  That my friends makes him an MVP in my book with ot without the numbers on the field.  Just one season removed from Bonds and things are already starting to look up, we need more athletes like him to get the spotlight off the steriods era and moving on to the new generation of baseball players.  I think tonights Home Run Derby was a good example of the fans and MLB taking that step to put it in the past and bring up the newest generation of MLB superstars, like Josh Hamilton, Ryan Braun, Dan Uggla, and Justin Morneau.  These are the true heroes of the game that made it without chemical help, and a role model in each community, and most of all a good one for our kids. Til next time,  This is Fro and Go Cubs GO!