Rangers' Hamilton Electrifies Otherwise Dull Home Run Derby

Hamilton Sets Record With 28 Home Runs In First Round Of Last Night's Derby

A STAR IS BORN: In Ft. Worth, Jeff Wilson writes, "Anyone who wasn't convinced that Josh Hamilton is the biggest star at the 79th All-Star Game this week was forced to think otherwise" (FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 7/15). SPORTING NEWS' Sean Deveney wrote under the header, "Thanks, Josh, For Sharing." Hamilton last night did "what seemed impossible. He became an even more inspirational figure than he had been before" (SPORTINGNEWS.com, 7/14). The WASHINGTON POST's Sheinin writes, "America discovered a new folk hero Monday night" (WASHINGTON POST, 7/15). In N.Y., Ben Shpigel writes while the Derby "no longer interests baseball's top sluggers," it "does attract bona fide All-Stars and interesting stories." The capacity crowd "did not seem energized until Hamilton, hitting last among the eight competitors, started spraying line drives and moon balls to right and right-center field" (N.Y. TIMES, 7/15).

LOSING ITS JUICE? In Baltimore, Peter Schmuck writes under the header, "Event Out Of Juice: All-Star Contest Just Isn't Captivating Anymore." The Derby "probably was a good idea when it was conceived, but the novelty has long since worn off, and you can make the case MLB's All-Star version of Muscle Beach Party remains a symbol of all that was wrong with baseball the past 20 years." The Derby "helped create the mind-set that allowed a whole generation of players to rationalize the questionable means they employed to enhance their power numbers." Schmuck: "The TV types could put that All-Star Eve airtime to better use if they put their minds to it" (Baltimore SUN, 7/15).  In K.C., Sam Mellinger wrote the Derby is a "fake, manufactured-for-TV event that lasts way too long." But Hamilton last night took fans on a "ridiculous ride of home runs that nobody will forget anytime soon." Mellinger: "I don't care what you think about the Derby, how meaningless you consider it. ... If you watched last night ... and don't appreciate the spectacle of what Hamilton accomplished, you're just being stubborn." Last night's Derby was "one of those events that makes sports worth it still" (KANSASCITY.com, 7/14).

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