FameCrawler : David Ortiz

Josh Hamilton is Having a Banner Year

Whit Honea — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 20:33:00 GMT

Texas Ranger (baseball, not Walker) and star of the Home Run Derby Josh Hamilton got one more home run this week when his wife Katie gave birth to Michaela, their third daughter.

Congratulations to the Hamilton family.

Josh Hamilton Loves God and Baseball

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Josh Hamilton Loves God and Baseball

Whit Honea — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 16:45:00 GMT

Did you watch the MLB Home Run Derby last night? If you did then you know what I'm talking about. If you didn't, then your loss. End of post.

Just kidding.

Alright, here's the short version on Josh Hamilton. He was a blue chip prospect a few years back- first guy taken in the draft. He had some issues that derailed his career, namely drugs and alcohol. He was out of baseball for 3 years during which he started having visions and found God and got his act together. He's back:

Last night Josh stood beneath the lights in Yankee Stadium and looked into the eyes of the 71-year-old man pitching to him. Hamilton had brought his old pitching coach from his childhood to pitch to him, making good on a promise once made. Josh Hamilton stood there at the plate, sober and determined and proceeded to hit 28 home runs in the first round, thirteen of them on consecutive swings. It was a record. It had the crowd roaring. It was a dream literally come true.

You could see the movie being made even as Josh ultimately lost the 3 round contest to Justin Morneau. A baseball movie about more than baseball. Kevin Costner would have to gain about 30 pounds for the role.

Josh is married to Katie who is pregnant. They have one daughter together and Katie has a daughter from a previous relationship.

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David Ortiz is an American Papi

Whit Honea — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 11:27:00 GMT

Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz, aka Big Papi, has become a citizen of the United States of America.

Says Ortiz, "My whole family, kids and everyone, have been born here. It's a great country, proud to be here, now proud to be a part of it."

Source

Photos: Globe Staff Photo / Stan Grossfeld

Manny Ramirez Hits 500th Career Homer, Makes A Fan Out Of Me

sweatpantsmom — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 13:05:00 GMT

I don't know much about basball, but even I know this is a big deal. Red Sox left fielder Manny Ramirez hit the 500th home run of his career in a game against the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday night. Ramirez became the 24th player to reach the milestone.

“I’m happy, you know, about everything I accomplished in life,” said Ramirez. “Not everybody has the chance to go and get to 500. I’m just proud to do it.”

Red Sox fan Damon Woo caught the ball. Even though he could likely fetch several thousand dollars for the historic souvenir, Woo graciously returned the ball to a grateful Ramirez after the game. "It's his accomplishment, it's his achievement, it's his ball," said Woo. "That's the right thing to do."

Ramirez' immediate plans for the ball center around his four sons Manuelito, 13, Connor, 15, Manny Jr., 5, and Lucas, 2. "What I want to do with the ball is take some pictures with my kids," he said.

After that, Ramirez says he'll donate proceeds from the ball to a hospital - he has been working on a program through which he donates $1000 to charity for every home run he hits.

I'm not even a baseball fan, but I love this story - the graciousness of Damon Woo and the generosity of Manny Rodriguez. The next time I go to a game I might even pay attention instead of just eating.

Source, Source

[photo: Spokesmanreview.com]

David Oritz and the All-Star

Whit Honea — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 23:01:00 GMT

I am a Yankees fan. Let me throw that out there.

This is D'Angelo Ortiz, son of Red Sox slugger, David 'Big Papi' Ortiz. Tonight, in one hour, the All-Star game is on. I will be rooting for David Ortiz and the entire AL.

Man, that was hard to do. His kid is cute as hell though, regardless of his misguided team affiliation.