Josh Hamilton is Everywhere
By
Amanda
Posted at 8:34 pm
C. Trent said that there were a lot of people at the Josh Hamilton press conference:
Still, it was an interesting 41 minutes for Hamilton's press conference. Had writers from not only Cincinnati and the Tampa area, but also Toronto, Philadelphia, New York and elsewhere, I didn't recognize everyone. It's too good of a story not follow up.
But I didn't really understand the magnitude of the number of stories being written about Mr. Hamilton until I checked out my favorite sports aggregater Pro Sports Daily. There, I found links to all of these stories:
- Hamilton Set to Bury the Past in USA Today
- Hamilton's Past Haunting, Future Hopeful in the Orlando Sentinel
- Beating the Devil in the St Petersburg Times
- Hamilton: 'God Has Guided Me Through the Storm in the Tampa Tribune
- Hamilton is Trying to Come Back from the Abyss in the LA Times
And those are just the stories outside of Cincinnati. The Enquirer and Post had their pieces too. The DDN had two stories.
I guess it's nice to see the Reds getting so much media coverage, but this story isn't as sweet as they're making it out to be. I mean, yeah, he's overcoming adversity, but it's adversity he made for himself. It just strikes me as the schmaltzy crap they play constantly during the Olympics when all you really want is to watch some curling. Can't you just hear Stone Phillips doing the intro voice-over?
A second chance. For some, it is a wish. For a few, it's a gift. But for one young outfield hopeful, a second chance means not only a shot at redemption on the diamond, but an opportunity to reclaim his life.
Oh man, Dateline was there, weren't they? We're never going to hear the end of this story.
The worst part being he might very well block Trammel from making the roster, and Trammel has paid far more dues, is also a former first round draft choice, can play centerfield, and never went on a drug binge that we know about. So if Bubba out plays this guy, I don’t care about the storyline, I want Bubba making this team, for the good of the team. And isn’t it a bit of a distraction on the road when someone is holding Josh’s milk money for him? That’s a bit embarrassing. I surely hope that either Hamilton forces us to keep him by having a lights outs spring, or that he sucks big time so there are no question marks about what to do.
And why do I keep calling him Bubba Trammel? Jesus, I am sorry about that.. why oh why do we not have an edit option :blush: :crazy:
Now I know how Harry Carey used to feel when utterly mis-pronouncing a name… :hehe:
S’okay. The Yankees announcers frequently called Crosby “Bubba Trammel,” “Bubba Smith,” “Bubba Nelson,” and other assorted Bubbas. And the print journalists often call him Bobby Crosby.
I’m getting kinda tired of the Josh Hamilton saga myself. And I really hate that schmatzly Olympics stuff. But RHM, I thought you liked the human interest stuff?
Anyway, Dunn also talked to the press yesterday. Apparently, he and Bubba have known each other since high school. They met with Jacoby over the winter and hit together.
I’m amazed that Dunn wants to forget last year. Forty home runs would be a year to remember for most players.
I like the Hamilton stories being plastered all over the place. He is the poster boy for children who are sheltered from the real world by their overbearing parents. Hopefully America can take a lesson from it and stop it with all of the nanny state BS we are subjected to on a daily basis.
Dunno about Stone Phillips, but I can see Rod Serling leaning against a wall in a dugout in GABP, his ever-present cigarette dangling from his hand as he recites in his trademark clipped cadence and cold-eyed smugness:
“Submitted for your approval: The time is the early 22nd century. The place – a baseball park in Cincinnati. The young man standing in it, hammering fastballs from a pitching machine deep into the night, is a minor league player eager to crack the lineup of a big league club.
“He’ll become one of the leading players of his generation. Yet all the Gold Gloves and the money and the public adulation leave him unfulfilled, even miserable, longing for simpler days of serene summer nights, merry-go-rounds and nickel ice cream cones. It’s only one of life’s painful lessons in … The Reds Fan Zone (located outside the first-base concourse). ”
Wait…you guys talking about Bubba Trammell? The guy who did play with the Yankees briefly in 2003? The guy who, during the 2000 season, was traded by the Devil Rays along with Rick White to the NY Mets for Jason Tyner and Paul Wilson (Yes, *that* Rick White, and *that* Paul Wilson) and hit .400 for the Mets in the World Series that year?
His real first name was Thomas. And he couldn’t play centerfield. Strictly a corner outfielder and DH type, that one. Funny you should mention him though. I just looked him up on Baseball Reference, and as I type this I am incredulous, because the guy listed as #1 on the list of similar batters to Alan Trammell is Austin Kearns (Yes, *that* Austin Kearns)!
[quote]”He’ll become one of the leading players of his generation. Yet all the Gold Gloves and the money and the public adulation leave him unfulfilled, even miserable, longing for simpler days of serene summer nights, merry-go-rounds and nickel ice cream cones. It’s only one of life’s painful lessons in … The Reds Fan Zone (located outside the first-base concourse). ”
[/quote]
LOL! 😀
Dang. I want to see that episode…