In 1922, Tillinghast L'Hommedieu and Jacob Rupert paid $600,000 to William Waldorf Astor for a lumber yard at East 161st Street and River Avenue in the Bronx.
They needed a new home for their New York Yankees baseball team which they purchased seven years prior for $460,000. They were sharing the infamous Polo Grounds for home games with the NL's New York Giants who they began outdrawing in fan attendance.
They had also purchased a young rising star from the Boston Red Sox named Babe Ruth for $200,000. While at Boston, Ruth became an aberration of that time by putting up such powerful stats as a pitcher and hitter. His demands for a salary of $20,000 were not met so Ruth headed to the Big Apple.
The arrival of the "Sultan of Swat", plus the eviction notice from the Polo Grounds, gave the Yankees a need to find a home of their own. They footed the 2.5 million dollar construction bill for an unheard of 60,000-seat facility and Yankee Stadium opened on April 18, 1923. Babe Ruth hit a game-winning three-run home run against his former team, the Boston Red Sox.
While it was properly coined The House That Ruth Built, Yankee Stadium has become more than just a temple which houses the most storied franchise in sports.
It's the venue where Notre Dame and Army played many fierce battles including the game where Knute Rockne delivered his "Gipper" speech. From 1956 to 1973, the NFL's NY Giants played their home games there, including the NFL Championship game in 1958 which was coined "The Greatest Game Ever Played" and helped put the NFL on the map.
It has also been the site of many professional boxing matches, including the famous bout in 1938 between Joe Louis and Max Schmeling.
Three popes have celebrated Mass in this temple, and it was the home of the annual Jehovah's Witness convention for more than 35 years. A rally was also held here for Nelson Mandela upon his release from prison in 1990, and this shrine hosted the memorial service for the victims of 9/11.
It has also been the site of several concerts and one marriage. Ed Lucas, a blind sportswriter who was a staple of the Yankees family for 40 years, tied the knot in 2006 on the same spot where Lou Gehrig gave his famous farewell speech.
Which brings us to baseball.
Due to the Yankees immense success over the last nine decades, it's no shock that Yankee Stadium has hosted more playoff games than any team in major league history. It's also hosted 37 World Series, and the Yankees have won 26 with 16 of those clinched at The Cathedral.
In addition to Gehrig's emotional address, baseball has witnessed many historical moments at The Stadium. Among these are the three home runs in Game 7 in the 1977 World Series by Reggie Jackson, Roger Maris' 61st home run, Mickey Mantle's 600' home run that missed leaving the park by 18 inches, George Brett's ballistic tirade out of the dugout during the "Pine Tar Game", and Don Larsen's perfect game in Game 5 of the World Series in 1956.
Character goes further than any skill when it comes to being evaluated by an employer or baseball scout. High morals were staples in the home of Tony and Linda Hamilton, and this included humility which they needed to apply to themselves when they watched their 7-year-old son, Josh, play baseball.
His throws from shortstop were leaving large welts on the hands of the first basemen. You would have thought they weren't wearing a glove, and their parents began complaining to Tony and Linda and called their young wonder a bully and freak. Pretty soon, everyone that tried first base would quit since all they did was duck. The results were the same in Little League.
When he was 13, he would tag along with his older brother, Jason, and watch him tear up the baseball diamonds at Athens Drive High School in Raleigh, NC and American Legion games during the summer. His American Legion coach was Clay Council, and Josh later played for him as well which included many hours hitting batting practice. One day, Council said, "If you get to the big leagues and do the Home Run Derby, bring me and I'll make you look good."
Josh promised him that we would.
He continued to hone his skills and soon began making a name for himself at Athens High following in his brother's footsteps. John Thomas, the Jaguars baseball coach, said of Josh Hamilton, "...he was 6'3", 190 pounds, and I just knew -- from his size, from the way he shook my hand, from his demeanor -- that this kid had something special."
He was the ultimate five-tool phenom: Nice batting average, excellent power at the plate, ran the bases and outfield like a trained cheetah, fielded like a vacuum, and his arm was like a high-powered rifle with laser sighting. His fast ball registered at 96 mph while his bat swing befuddled the radar gun by being clocked at 110.
It became obvious that Josh Hamilton had every single tool he needed to carve out a life for him and his family. His parents knew it, his coaches and friends knew it, and baseball scouts knew it. That's why in 1999, at the age of 17, he was drafted by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (including a $3.96 million dollar signing bonus).
His parents quit their jobs and followed their son around the minors as he began his professional baseball career by playing for three different teams. In 2001, after a spring training work out in Bradenton, FL, Josh was in a car wreck. The vehicle that his mother was driving was struck by a dump truck that ran a red light. Josh, 19, soon found himself in a Florida hospital dealing with a severe lower-back injury while his parents went home to Raleigh to recuperate.
Tampa placed him on the disabled list, and for the first time in his life, he had a lot of spare time on his hands. During this hiatus, he made some new friends who worked at a tattoo parlor. It was with that crowd when he tried alcohol for the first time. They also had him try cocaine.
He was like a 200-pound marlin that grabbed the bait and raced the other direction.
Alcohol and drugs slowly superseded baseball and family. Repeated trips to the disabled list over the course of the next year only complicated the matter as he continued to give in to his addictions. In 2003, he was kicked out of Tampa spring training and sent back to the minor league camp only to take the rest of the season off for personal reasons. MLB then suspended Hamilton in 2004 after repeated drug test failures. He slipped into the darkest time of his life.
He snorted coke like it was being discontinued and daily drank a bottle of Crown Royal while burning up his signing bonus. There were times that he would wake up in a stranger's home or in the cab of his pickup and not know how he got there. One time, he awoke out of a trance in the middle of a highway with cars whizzing by him.
His wife, Katie, who married him in 2004 and had not left his side, kicked him out of the house three years earlier so he moved in with his maternal grandmother. He started having dreams each night of him fighting Satan with a baseball bat and would wake up in a pool of sweat. On some occasions, he would walk down the hall and get under the covers with her.
There's low, and then there's ---- low.
From 2004-2006, Josh Hamilton did not play organized baseball. During this time, he went to rehab eight times and attempted suicide three times. His body had wasted away physically as his 6'4" frame dwindled from 230 to 180. He did nothing to build up his body but tried everything to destroy it.
But in 2005, he found Christian faith.
Hamilton then surrendered to the numerous angels of mercy who were trying to help him. He applied for reinstatement while attending a friend's baseball academy in Florida, but was turned down. He did not give up and worked feverishly to achieve his once-attainable dream of being a Major League baseball player.
He continued his rehab and did everything he could to make amends with his family and others while trying to get his life back together. His desire to shape up and return to baseball became a consuming fire, and finally after eight months of being sober, MLB allowed Hamilton to work out with the Devil Rays' minor league players in June of 2006. He started playing in minor league games later that month and for the rest of the season continuing to clean up his act and be an inspiration to his teammates.
Also, that year, Hamilton dreamed one night that he was in the Home Run Derby in Yankee Stadium.
In December of 2006, the Devil Rays decided to not put Hamilton on their 40-man roster which made him eligible for the Rule 5 Draft (which allows major league teams to pick players from other teams' minor league squads and give them a chance to play in the majors right away for $50,000.)
The Chicago Cubs selected him and then sold him to the Cincinnati Reds for $100,000, but in order for the Reds to retain his rights, they had to keep him on their roster for the whole 2007 season. The fact that Cincy went after Josh Hamilton sent ripples across baseball and hit every general manager's radar.
He had a remarkable spring training last year, and won a spot on Cincinnati's Opening Day roster as a fourth outfielder. On April 2, 2007, Josh Hamilton was called upon to pinch hit vs. the Chicago Cubs and soon found himself on the on-deck circle making his major league debut. When his named was called, he received a 22-second standing ovation. As he approached the plate, Cubs catcher Michael Barrett said, "You deserve it, Josh. Take it all in, brother. I'm happy for you."
Due to some nagging injuries, Hamilton was not able to play a full season, but he did put up some staggering numbers. Incredibly, in 90 games, he had 87 hits, 17 doubles, 19 home runs, 47 RBI's, and an OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) of .922.
During the off-season, the Reds needed pitching in a bad way so Hamilton was traded to the Texas Rangers for their top pitching prospect, Edinson Volquez. As Texas explored the possibility, they sent scouts to hear him speak at community groups about his recovery. Hamilton himself promised the Rangers brass that he would never get into trouble. Much like what John Thomas experienced, when they shook his hand, they believed him and knew he was someone special.
Hamilton tore up spring training pitching last March...and hasn't stopped.
In addition to remaining clean and trouble-free (when he's on the road, he won't go out without a friend by his side because he still doesn't trust himself), Hamilton began to put up numbers that would make Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle, and Babe Ruth smile and shake their head. His story and stats also got the fans' attention, and Josh Hamilton was selected as the starting center fielder in the 79th All-Star Game -- at Yankee Stadium -- and this included an invitation to participate in the Home Run Derby.
Traditionally, the Home Run Derby is held the night before the All-Star Game. It's a contest that displays the majestic power of the players in the game. Eight power hitters are selected and must see how many home runs they can hit before registering 10 outs (any hit that isn't a home run.) The top four in Round 1 advance to Round 2 along with their home run totals. Round 3 is the championship round and you start with zero HR's.
Josh's dream two years ago was becoming reality, and he also had a promise to keep. He called his former American Legion baseball coach, Clay Council, to be his pitcher. Council, now 71, was going to be in Yankee Stadium for only the second time in his life pitching on the same mound where he watched Larsen pitch his gem.
The House That Ruth Built was in its final season, and on this hallowed ground, baseball fans witnessed a moment when destiny and redemption collided.
Josh Hamilton stepped to the plate in front of an audience that included fellow players and their families, his wife and two kids, his parents and in-laws, millions of fans on TV and radio, ... and Babe Ruth. What Hamilton went through just to be worthy of even standing there basking in the moment was astonishing and stirring.
What followed was a performance that would have made Roy Hobbs' jaw hit the floor as Hamilton hit 28 home runs in Round 1 (the second-place batter hit 8). And, I'm not talking about home runs that cleared the walls by inches. We're talking about shots that might not have landed yet.
Soon, you began to hear the crowd chant, "Ham-il-ton...Ham-il-ton..." Council had also kept his promise of making Hamilton look good.
In Round 2, Josh hit four HR's (along with only 4 outs) and then that home-taught humility appeared as Hamilton voluntarily withdrew from the round so that the attention could be on the other players.
He still advanced to Round 3 vs. Justin Morneau of the Minnesota Twins, but lost 5-3. He had simply run out of gas. And, maybe he wanted to see Justin win it anyway.
This event reached a point where it wasn't about who won the trophy. Hamilton had gone through hell to make it that far. This night, Josh Hamilton celebrated how far he had come, and he showed the game of baseball that he plans on staying around for awhile.
But, one person revealed afterwards that he was ready to move on the next realm. Clay Council said that he could now die because he had pitched in The Tabernacle.
