The Magic of the Home Run Derby

Each year, when the All-Star break comes around, a lot of fans take the time to catch up on the TV that they miss during the baseball season. There are also a lot of fans who enjoy the majority of the All-Star festivities from the Home Run Derby, to the Celebrity Softball game, to the All-Star game itself. 

Over the past several years, the Home Run Derby has probably ranked last on my list when it comes to the All-Star break. Sure, you get to watch guys hit monster home runs, but a lot of the time you see guys try too hard, and their time is up before they've even had a chance to dazzle the crowd with their home run prowess. 

I always enjoyed watching the players interacting with each other on the field while there was someone hitting, or seeing the players' kids in miniature replicas of their fathers' jerseys on the sidelines more than watching them hit home runs. 

However, last year I got completely sucked into the Derby. Maybe it was because it was taking place at Yankee Stadium, or because there was so much hype surrounding the Rangers' outfielder named Josh Hamilton. 

Josh Hamilton's story had been spread around baseball like wildfire in 2008. He was a great prospect when he was drafted, and was thought to have a lot of promise as he worked his way up. 

Hamilton ended up going down the road of drugs and alcohol, and was out of baseball quicker than he made it up to the big leagues. Yet, somehow he was able to pull himself out of that black hole, and find his way back to baseball. 

Hamilton had an incredible start to 2008, lighting up pitchers all around the league. He earned a starting spot on the AL roster for the All-Star game, and was more than happy to compete in the Home Run Derby. 

He was one of the last guys to hit in the Derby, but it quickly became a case of saving the best for last. For almost 45 minutes, Hamilton hit balls into the deepest parts of Yankee Stadium racking up a record breaking 28 home runs in the first round. 

I couldn't tear my eyes away from the TV; it's always impressive to see a player hit the ball over 500 feet, but what Hamilton was doing was much more than just hitting balls out of the park. It was like magic every time he swung his bat, and all of the All-Stars sitting on the field as spectators watched in complete awe as Hamilton advanced to the final round of the Derby. 

One of the major flaws in the Derby is that once a player qualifies for the second round, their total from the first and second round get combined, and their total propels them into the third round. However, once they reach the final round, the slate is wiped clean and both players start at zero. 

Hamilton ended up going against the Twins' slugger Justin Morneau, and while his total was higher in both rounds, Morneau ended up winning the Derby because he hit more in the third round. 

It would seem that the person with the most home runs overall should win the Derby, but either way that night was all about Hamilton and how he managed to fight his way to the top. 

For once, watching the Home Run Derby was about so much more than just taking up TV time during the All-Star break. There will probably never be another Home Run Derby like it, but like tonight, I'll keep watching, because you can never be sure just when that bit of magic will come along and dazzle you in ways that you never thought possible. 

My First Visit to Yankee Stadium: Much More Than Just Watching A Game

For the past couple of months, I've listened to other people's accounts of their visits to the new Yankee Stadium. I've looked at pictures, watched on TV, but hadn't experienced it for myself.

When the game I was supposed to go to on April 20 was rained out I wasn't sure when I'd get to the stadium.

Two weeks ago, I found some good tickets and was going to take my cousin to the game as his college graduation gift. One day after I purchased the tickets he informed me that he forgot that he had to attend a dinner at his girlfriend's school.

I was looking at the possibility of not being able to go again, and I had to figure something out fast. My dad happened to be sitting next to me when I got the word that my cousin couldn't go, and he offered to step in.

It's a rare occasion when my dad and I get to go to a game just us. I've been watching games with my dad for as long as I can remember. No one else is requiring his attention, and for a few hours it's all about baseball.

Tuesday night we headed to the Bronx, and were set to check out the Yankees' new house.
Over the past five years, I'd become so familiar with the old stadium that I could find my way through there with my eyes closed. Now I was in unfamiliar territory.

My friend, Joe, had warned me that I would feel somewhat strange when I stepped foot into the new stadium, and he couldn't have been more right.

I was in such awe of the stadium, I almost forgot I was going to a baseball game. As we walked through Gate 4 and into the Great Hall I couldn't believe how much space there was to walk. People weren't trying to squeeze past each other, and there was a clear view of everything in front and in back of you.

The banners of the Yankee greats that hang in there were probably one of my favorite things that I saw. The old time Yankees like Ruth, DiMaggio, and Gehrig appear in black and white, while more current legends like Jackson, Munson, and Mattingly are on the opposite sides in color.

Once we walked through there our first order of business was simple. Get a hot dog. The Nathan's hot dogs more than passed the test for a good ballpark dog, and now we could start our tour of the place.

For over an hour and twenty minutes we covered a lot of ground. We tried and failed to eat in NYY Steak and the Hard Rock Cafe. The lines for the museum and Monument Park were both too long, and we voted in favor of checking everything out rather than wait in line.

We sampled several concessions including pulled pork sandwiches at Brother Jimmy's BBQ (which I highly recommend), as well as the Lobel's steak sandwich. We rounded off our pre-game eating and drinking with a quick stop in the Tommy Bahama Bar, which is a very spacious bar with several TVs, and plenty of room to stand.

At 6:50, we headed to our seats on the second level. We were almost directly behind the Yankee dugout, so we had a great view of the entire field. The field looked exactly the same, which gave off the feeling like a part of the old stadium was still there.

Some things hadn't changed at all. The Bleacher Creatures still did their role call as the first inning was underway, the grounds' crew performed the YMCA while they swept the dirt during the sixth inning, and Kate Smith's voice still filled the stadium with "God Bless America" for the seventh inning stretch.

What I liked the least was that Monument Park is no longer in left center field but in straight away center field. You used to be able to see straight into Monument Park from the stands, but now it is somewhat hidden in center field.

I found myself looking out to the left field stands for the out of town score board, but all I kept seeing were advertisements. The out of town score board now resides in the monitor in right field and gives detailed analysis of each game in digital form.

It was a pretty spectacular night. Sabathia pitched a gem, despite giving up one run in the first inning.

My dad turned to me in the bottom of the sixth inning and said he had hoped that the offense would do a little more in support of Sabathia. I assured him that they just needed to hear "God Bless America", and then they'd score some runs.

Sure enough, the Yankees came alive in the bottom of the seventh. The captain broke the game open with a bases clearing double to make it 6-1.

Johnny Damon scored Jeter with a double of his own, and then Mark Teixeira hit a monster home run to put the Yankees up 9-1. Brian Bruney made his first appearance since coming off the DL, and the Yankees wrapped up their seventh win in a row.

The night couldn't be complete, however, without one more thing...

Before heading for the car, my dad and I got some Carvel ice cream in a Yankee souvenir cap. A Yankee win on my first visit to the ball park, a great tour of the new house, a game with my dad, capped off with some Carvel.

Not a bad night at all.

Rainy Days & Mondays...

Friday, while I was enjoying the last day of my vacation in Florida, I got a text from my mom asking if I wanted to go to the Yankee game on Monday night.

Obviously, she already knew the answer.

I almost never go out on Monday nights from January-May because the great Jack Bauer occupies my night from 9-10pm, but the only reason I'll settle for tivoing Jack is if there's a Yankee game to go to.

I'm always excited to see the Yankees play, but the chance to go see the new stadium when I didn't think I'd get there until May or June was even more exciting.

Until I got the weather report... Rain is supposed to start Monday morning and increase in heaviness by the 7:05 game time.

GREAT. Not to mention after days of warm spring temperatures in NJ, it has reverted back to mid-40's and is going to barely reach 50. Did I mention it's supposed to be windy too?

Definitely not the ideal conditions to go see a baseball game. In some way, I'm kind of hoping they rain out the game rather early in the afternoon, so that I don't have to drive to the Bronx just to be told no baseball will be played tonight. And hopefully, they schedule the make up for Thursday when both teams have off because I am not quite sure that Oakland comes back for the rest of the year.

Needless to say this is not how I envisioned my first visit to the new ballpark. Maybe the weather gods will side with me and hold off on all that rain, but the Doppler radar would suggest otherwise, and if that's the case, let's call it early and save it for a better day.