COURAGEOUS JOSH A WINNER IN DEFEAT

By Kevin Kernan
New York Post
http://www.nypost.com
Last updated: 5:04 am
July 15, 2008

(Reuters)

EARLIER in the day, Josh Hamilton said it was possible to hit a baseball clear out of Yankee Stadium. He nearly did it three times last night in his legendary first round of the Home Run Derby.

The first tape-measure shot zoomed far over my head in my right-field seat and crashed into the last row of Bleacher Creatures, about 20 feet to the left of the Stadium subway opening. His second titanic blast hit high up the Bank of America sign; some thought it went over the sign, but it didn't. The third was the deepest, 518 feet, crashing off the Bud sign. They were part of his 28 home run barrage in that round.

Even though Hamilton didn't win the derby, losing to Justin Morneau in the finals, 5-3, the lefty slugger is forever part of Stadium history.

"I really do feel part of it," he told me as he sat exhausted in front of his locker.

"Having my family here, seeing the way the crowd responded, being at Yankee Stadium, it's been here a long time," Hamilton said. "The backyard used to be Yankee Stadium. I used to be Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Joe DiMaggio, all those guys. Man, that was awesome."

Yes it was and on this night he was all three YankeesNew York Yankees legends.

As for the three balls that nearly went out, Hamilton laughed and said: "They should have juiced the balls up man, I would have hit the subway."

Yes, he would have.

Texas Rangers Josh Hamilton hits one of his 28 home runs from 71-year-old American Legion batting practice coach Clay Counsil in the first round of Major League Baseball's Home Run Derby during All-Star game festivities at Yankee Stadium in New York, July 14, 2008. The All-Star game will be played July 15.(Reuters)

Amazing things continue to happen in Hamilton's life. When asked during the afternoon if it's possible to hit a fair ball completely out of Yankee Stadium, something that has never happened, the Texas slugger answered: "I think there's a few of us up here who could. Just to be honest.

"You know that little opening right there where you see the subway? Watch out!"

With that comment Hamilton became my favorite All-Star. Last night he just didn't get the right escape angle.

Hamilton kept aiming for that opening and even evoked two "Holy bleep!" chants from the Bleacher Creatures, chants of "Ham-il-ton!" and standing ovations from the wowed sellout crowd. Clay Counsil, his 71-year-old batting practice pitcher from North Carolina was part of the magic. Counsil has been here twice - Don Larsen's perfect game and now this.

"When you coming again?" I asked Mr. Counsil.

"I think I'll wait until the new Stadium," said the gentleman who has pitched BP to high school kids for more than 30 years. He said he had to get home soon because Cary Post 67 is in the American Legion playoffs.

You can be sure the Babe and all the other Yankees Monument Park sluggers were smiling over Hamilton's comments and powerful swing.

When he was coming back from the depths of his drug past, Hamilton had a dream in 2005 that he would participate in a Home Run Derby at Yankee Stadium. He lived his dream.

(Getty Images)

"I never saw myself hitting in the dream, but it was at Yankee Stadium," he said. "I was at the plate and I saw all the guys sitting around, I went from the plate walking towards them and a lady came up to me with a microphone. I was able to tell everyone how I was there, why I was there - because of God's grace. I tried to get back to baseball and my family on my own and it didn't work.

"You got to have a higher power," Hamilton said.

"I'm excited, happy, sleepy," he added. "The crowd was deafening, so deafening, you really don't realize it's people screaming."

Hitting one completely out would have made him a Babe-like figure in Yankee Stadium history.

Josh Hamilton gave it his best shot and gave the fans tape-measure thrills for a lifetime. That makes him the big winner.

kevin.kernan@nypost.com