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In high school, Josh Hamilton played Outfield, Pitcher and First Base. He hit over .600 in his senior year.
The most common comparison Josh received in high school, was to Mickey Mantle.
Josh Hamilton won the first ever Ashley Pittman award at his school. It is an
award for sportsmanship and is named after a kid with down syndrome who served as the bat boy/mascot for the team.
Jose Canseco gave Hamilton the nickname "Thumper" upon arriving in Tampa.
Hamilton first wore #22 when he was drafted.
Josh Hamilton Quote of the Day: "You know what the biggest sin of this whole deal? It's you depriving the people of watching you play ball." -Tony Hamilton, Josh Hamilton's Father.
For Day 1, click here
Josh Hamilton's favorite part of baseball actually doesn't occur during the game. He loves batting practice. "This was what I used to live for - not the games or the money or anything else. I lived for the feeling I got when I
stepped into the cage and everyone stopped what they were doing to watch and react. I lived to stand in that cage and pretend not to hear what they were saying when the ball rocketed off my bat and carried unimaginable distances."
Hamilton got out of writing an English final paper in high school by signing 12 baseballs for his teacher.
The first house Hamilton bought was actually previously owned by Jose Canseco.
Most people know this, but growing up, Hamilton was the perfect kid. He was polite and courteous. He accepted people from all groups and never judged. He never smoked, drank or did any sort of illegal substance. What many people don't know is that he didn't even have a girlfriend in high school. (He met his wife, Kate Hamilton, in high school)
Josh Hamilton Quote of the Day: "A lot of times, you see a twelve-year-old who is physically advanced, and eventually the other kids catch up to them. The strong kid matures earlier and is stronger, but he tops out. Things even out by the time he reaches high school. But in Josh's case, nobody ever caught up with him" -Johnny Narron Sr. on Josh Hamilton.
For Day 1, click here
Josh Hamilton's father, Tony Hamilton, quit his job when his new boss said he had to stay at work despite the fact he finished his work for the day. Tony Hamilton left because Josh had a game.
Clay Council, the pitcher for Hamilton in the 2008 home run derby, was actually the assistant coach of Josh's brother's baseball team. Josh Hamilton asked Council to pitch for the home run derby right after he got drafted. Hamilton also spelled his name wrong, so Council wore a jersey reading C-O-U-N-S-I-L when pitching.
Josh Hamilton Quote of the Day: "Baseball is a game of failure. You can't expect to succeed every time you go to the plate, or strike out every hitter, or throw out every baserunner. Accepting failure was the toughest lesson I had to learn. I was so hard on myself I had to fight the urge to expect perfection"
For Day 1, click here
Josh Hamilton played on a 12 year old team when he was 6. He hit his first homerun when he was 7... off of a 12 year old
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I don't know about you, but I love Josh Hamilton. Not only is he a great baseball player, but he is someone to look up to. His life story is nothing short of amazing. So to celebrate the Rangers making the League Championship Series for the first time in franchise history, I will post various facts about Hamilton on this blog until the Rangers are eliminated. (Most facts will be taken from Hamilton's book, Beyond Belief: Finding the Strength to Come Back. It is a truly inspiring book and I recommend it for everybody, regardless if they are a baseball fan or not)
Josh Hamilton's father could bench press 540 pounds at one point
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The Yankees win yet again. By defeating the Twins for the third consecutive game, they have earned the right to play in the American League Championship Series. Congratulations Yankees! They will play either the Rays or the Rangers.
The Rays won yesterday by a satisfying score of 6-3. For Game 4, they will play again in Texas. It will be Wade Davis against Tommy Hunter. Hunter may have the advantage here; he has a lower ERA, more wins, fewer losses and he has home field advantage. Josh Hamilton also has a perfect 1.000 career batting average against Davis, including one solo home run. I give this game to the Rangers 4-3, in 10 innings
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The Twins, Rays and Reds all face elimination. One more loss, and they're going home. One more loss, and 2010 is nothing but a memory.
The Rays will send Matt Garza to save their season. They will be playing in Arlington, home of the Rangers. Of course, as a must win game, Joe Maddon may have to pull some extra strings, using starters as relievers if the situation deems it necessary. Rays will survive another day by winning 4-1.
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The Rangers and Rays have a day off
The Reds and Phillies will go for Game 2. As I said in my previous blog, I think the Phillies will win, 4-0. After Halladay's no hitter, it will be interesting to see how the Reds hit. Facing Roy Oswalt in Citizen's Bank Park, I find the odds of the Reds winning fairly low. Bronson Arroyo, a good young pitcher, will take the mound for Cincinnati. Though he won 17 games this season, he is not a postseason performer. In 10 starts, he has never won a game. With a postseason ERA over 7, I expect the Phillie bats to jump on him early. Since Volquez left the game early in the series opener (1.2 innings), the bullpen availability may be an issue. I pick the Phillies as the victor, 4-0. It's hard to see a team score runs after the lineup is dominated like the Reds were yesterday.
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The Phillies will play the Reds again. After Halladay's no hitter, it will be interesting to see how the Reds hit. Facing Roy Oswalt in Citizen's Bank Park, I find the odds of the Reds winning fairly low. Bronson Arroyo, a good young pitcher, will take the mound for Cincinnati. Though he won 17 games this season, he is not a postseason performer. In 10 starts, he has never won a game. With a postseason ERA over 7, I expect the Phillie bats to jump on him early. Since Volquez left the game early in the series opener (1.2 innings), the bullpen availability may be an issue. I pick the Phillies as the victor, 4-0. It's hard to see a team score runs after the lineup is dominated like the Reds were yesterday.
Roy Oswalt will pitch for Philadelphia in Game 2
The Giants will play the Braves for the first time today. Derek Lowe will pitch for the Braves and, young star, Tim Lincecum will take the hill for the Giants. I will stick with my prediction from two days ago: The Giants will go with ace Tim Lincecum as their Game 1 starter. With a 3.43 ERA this year, he hasn't been as powerful as he has in years' past. He is a good pitcher, but there's one thing that cannot be forgotten. The Braves had the highest team OBP in the National League. Any walks could mean trouble for Lincecum. With a sub-par bullpen, innings provided by the starting pitcher could be the deciding factor for the Giants.
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What a way to make your debut. After 13 seasons in a Major League uniform, Roy Halladay has finally made his postseason debut. What better way is there to establish your presence by throwing a no-hitter? In 104 pitches, Roy Halladay
held the Cincinnati Reds hitless through 9 innings. Counting his perfect game thrown earlier this year against the Marlins, this would be his second no-hitter this year. The last player to throw two no hitters in one year is Nolan Ryan.
Congratulations to Roy Halladay on a magnificent performance. 9 innings. 1 walk. 8 strikeouts. 1 win. The Phillies could not have asked for more out of their ace to start this series. Out of 104 pitches, 79 were strikes. It was truly a dominating performance. The other Roy, Roy Oswalt, will take the hill for Philadelphia in Game 2. It will be tough for him to top Halladay's performance, but I'm sure the Phillies will be content with a win
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award for sportsmanship and is named after a kid with down syndrome who served as the bat boy/mascot for the team.
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