Hamilton Loses HR Derby, Still Steals Show In Bronx ~ On The Block NY

The 2008 HR Derby was one for the ages. If you didn't see the first round you missed the whole show.

Texas Rangers' Outfielder Josh Hamilton hit an amazing 28 HR's in the first round. Josh's 28 HR's was the most ever in the first round. Bobby Abreu previously held the record with 24, set in 2005. It was quite simply an outstanding performance. Some of the HR's he hit went places you didn't think were possible. He hit them 5oo feet on several occasions, he hit them all the way in the cheap seats in the right field upper deck. He went deep into the black seats in center, he hit the Bank of America sign in right, and he almost hit the 4 train! (ok, he really didn't but it looked like he sure was aiming for it, and came close).

"If the balls had been juiced, I would have had it," said Hamilton, whose teammates had been prodding him to knock one out of the Stadium. "I was close, right? I was trying to hit the subway."

The rules of the HR Derby nowadays make no sense to me. They combine the HR's for the first two rounds to determine the finals. Then, in the final round the total is wiped out. So in the finals we have Justin Morneau of the Minnesota Twins vs Josh Hamilton. Mornaeu ended winning the Derby because of his 5 HR's to Hamilton's 3. Hamilton stole the show and hit enough to win next year's HR Derby. This is something MLB should look into.

The attention is still on Hamilton. He at one point hit 11 HR's in a row. I was working right across the street from Yankee Stadium yesterday and couldn't see all of the Derby but after getting dinner from McDonalds, I found time to sit down just in time to see the 11 in a row. I finished my dinner before he made an out. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Neither could anyone else who was watching with me. It was so good the sell out crowd in Yankee Stadium were chanting his name.