HaMedinat Yisrael
15-07-2008, 18:42
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josh_Hamilton
In 1952, a baseball novel titled The Natural was published. The novel would later be made into the 1984 movie starring Robert Redford as the fictional baseball player Roy Hobbs.
Hobbs was a highly touted pitching prospect who was on his way to being one of the best players of all time when he was forced out of the game for years by circumstances. The fictional Hobbs then got a chance with a new team as a position player and burst out by literally knocking the cover off the ball with his homemade bat Wonderboy. Like the also fictional Wonderbat that Homer made in a Simpsons episode that paid homage to the film, Wonderboy was created from a piece of wood that fell from a tree when struck by lighting. Hobbs continued to knock the crap out of the ball and became an instant star.
Now lets look at a real person. Josh Hamilton was the first player picked overall in the 1999 MLB Rule 4 draft when he was selected by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Hamilton, like the fictional Hobbs, was drafted as a pitcher. While in high school the southpaw could reach 96 mph on the gun. Hamilton was expected to quickly make it to the big leagues, but he fell onto drugs and was forced out of the game in 2002.
Hamilton went into rehab and got himself clean of drugs. In 2006, Hamilton returned to the game when he was selected by the Cubs in the Rule 5 draft. He was then quickly sold to the Reds for $50,000. In 2007, Hamilton got his chance to play for the Reds and put up good numbers in his rookie season. However, Ryan Braun of the Brewers beat him out in Rookie of the Year voting. The Reds traded Hamilton to Texas at the end of the season for Edinson Volquez (who is a strong contender for the NL Cy Young Award this year).
Josh Hamilton has now spent 3 and a half months in Texas and has made a name for himself. He has a fair chance of winning baseball's first triple crown since Yaz did it in 1967. Last night, all eyes in baseball were on Hamilton as he lived his dream and got to partake in the HR Derby at Yankee Stadium. At the end of the first round, he had clobbered 28 bombs and broke Bobby Abreu's record. Not only did he hit 28 bombs, but many were over 500 feet.
In 1952, a baseball novel titled The Natural was published. The novel would later be made into the 1984 movie starring Robert Redford as the fictional baseball player Roy Hobbs.
Hobbs was a highly touted pitching prospect who was on his way to being one of the best players of all time when he was forced out of the game for years by circumstances. The fictional Hobbs then got a chance with a new team as a position player and burst out by literally knocking the cover off the ball with his homemade bat Wonderboy. Like the also fictional Wonderbat that Homer made in a Simpsons episode that paid homage to the film, Wonderboy was created from a piece of wood that fell from a tree when struck by lighting. Hobbs continued to knock the crap out of the ball and became an instant star.
Now lets look at a real person. Josh Hamilton was the first player picked overall in the 1999 MLB Rule 4 draft when he was selected by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Hamilton, like the fictional Hobbs, was drafted as a pitcher. While in high school the southpaw could reach 96 mph on the gun. Hamilton was expected to quickly make it to the big leagues, but he fell onto drugs and was forced out of the game in 2002.
Hamilton went into rehab and got himself clean of drugs. In 2006, Hamilton returned to the game when he was selected by the Cubs in the Rule 5 draft. He was then quickly sold to the Reds for $50,000. In 2007, Hamilton got his chance to play for the Reds and put up good numbers in his rookie season. However, Ryan Braun of the Brewers beat him out in Rookie of the Year voting. The Reds traded Hamilton to Texas at the end of the season for Edinson Volquez (who is a strong contender for the NL Cy Young Award this year).
Josh Hamilton has now spent 3 and a half months in Texas and has made a name for himself. He has a fair chance of winning baseball's first triple crown since Yaz did it in 1967. Last night, all eyes in baseball were on Hamilton as he lived his dream and got to partake in the HR Derby at Yankee Stadium. At the end of the first round, he had clobbered 28 bombs and broke Bobby Abreu's record. Not only did he hit 28 bombs, but many were over 500 feet.