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Josh Hamilton beat a hasty retreat from the Yankee Stadium field after batting practice, testily interrupting an interview session when a boom microphone was placed in front of his face — making a "back up" motion with his huge hands — and ending it abruptly when another radio microphone nicked his face.
"I'm good, I'm good," he said, shaking his head as he barged through reporters and down the walkway to the New York Yankees' clubhouse.
It was 21/2 hours before last night's All-Star Game and Hamilton, the Texas Rangers' outfielder who has won the hearts of baseball fans with his battle back from a drug addiction and wowed Broadway in Monday's Home Run Derby, was in no mood to relive the story about his now-famous dream in which he found himself being interviewed at a home run derby.
"Really, I'm too tired for dreams right now," he said.
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- Chicago Cubs
- Cincinnati Reds
- Los Angeles Dodgers
- Tampa Bay Rays
- Ryan Dempster
- Kosuke Fukudome
- Josh Hamilton
- Derek Jeter
- Russell Martin
- Justin Morneau
- Jonathan Papelbon
- Mariano Rivera
- Edinson Volquez
Yesterday, Yankee Stadium was still buzzing about Hamilton's performance when he hit a record 28 homers in the first round and then hit a wall in the final and lost to the Minnesota Twins' Justin Morneau, of New Westminster, B.C.
Morneau admitted later that "it was his [Hamilton's] night."
Last night did not belong to one player. There were 49 members of the Hall of Fame on hand for the fourth and final All-Star Game to be played at Yankee Stadium and they took their respective positions around the diamond, where they were joined by the All-Star Game starters. Hamilton and the National League's Kosuke Fukudome stood with Willie Mays, who received among the loudest ovations.
The loudest and longest was saved for Yogi Berra.
But fame is truly fleeting.
Hamilton's first act yesterday morning was to have a drug test, although he admitted there was even a twist to that act, which is a daily occurrence as part of his rehabilitation.
"I wake up this morning, turn on one channel on the TV and it was The Natural," said Hamilton, whose performance on Monday was often accompanied by the playing of the theme from the movie over the stadium sound system.
"It was right before he [Robert Redford] was about to hit a home run. The pee-test guy knocked on my door and came in and I said: 'Hold on, man. I got to watch this.' So he sat down and watched the rest of the movie, then we did our business.
"When I got drafted, I was a golden boy, never did anything wrong," Hamilton, a former first overall pick of the Tampa Bay Rays in 1999, said on Monday. "Now I've got tattoos, I've got addiction problems. But by sharing my story, maybe I can help even more."
There were 17 foreign-born players in last night's All-Star Game, including Canadians Morneau, Ryan Dempster of the Chicago Cubs and Russell Martin of the Los Angeles Dodgers. But nobody came as far, in a figurative sense, as Hamilton.
In late September of 2005, he showed up on his grandmother's doorstep, all scraggly hair, tattoos and 180 pounds, needing money for a fix. One week later, he says, he committed to going sober and staying drug-free.
"I've been honest about everything," Hamilton said during Monday's media availability day. "I've taken responsibility. I haven't made excuses. I made mistakes. I don't know many people who haven't. Now, I pray that the more successful I am, the more people will listen."
The 27-year-old Hamilton has 21 homers and a .310 average while leading the major leagues with 95 runs batted in at the break. Small wonder, then, that Morneau referred to him after the Home Run Derby as "the story of the night and the first half."
The stadium's love affair with Hamilton continued yesterday.
They are a knowing group, these Yankees fans — booing the Boston Red Sox' players, enraging Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon during yesterday's parade down Sixth Avenue for their treatment of him and his pregnant wife in their open-top car, spurred on by an over-the-top spin put on a statement by Papelbon that the tabloids took to be a slight to Yankees reliever Mariano Rivera. They even booed Morneau because it was the Yankees' Derek Jeter whom he beat for the 2006 American League most valuable player award.
"I guess it just showed that if you play here and excite the fans, they'll be on your side," said Hamilton, who resurrected his career with the Cincinnati Reds last year and was traded to the Rangers for another all-star, Edinson Volquez. "That was cool, man. For them to still be chanting Hamilton today …" and then he let his voice trail off.
He is good. Indeed.
