2 Naturals

Forgive me if I wander a bit here, but as time goes by I continue to realize that the chance to see God-given "greatness" is what I love most about sports. This weekend I saw the movie "Secretariat". I recommend the movie to anyone, it was really good. Since watching it I've read a few stories about him and watched some videos. What strikes me is that everyone around him gets mystical when talking about him. They all knew they were experiencing something they never would again, something so special it couldn't be described. Secretariat ran the Belmont in 1973. He lowered the world record in the mile & a half by 2.5 seconds and 37 years later it hasn't been approached. It was the first time his jockey turned him loose and let him run all the way. Even though I've seen it numerous times, the movie scene made me almost stand up and cheer. Big Red as he was called by the family was bigger than everyone else, stronger, faster, and had practically no limits on the track. He was the only non-human to make ESPN's Sports Century top 50 greatest athletes. The people around him just couldn't forget what they saw.

The 2nd natural I'll talk about is Josh Hamilton. I've posted about Josh a few times, but I've noticed a similarity this week about him and Secretariat. The people in the national news that haven't paid that much attention are now seeing what the raves are about. Buck Martinez yesterday recalled in 2001 he was managing the Blue Jays during spring training and that the 20-year old Hamilton was the best player in Florida that spring. Tori Hunter was quoted this past weekend saying "that dude is just cut from a different cloth than the rest of us." Ian Kinsler said he's simply the best baseball player to ever walk the planet. Now, I've watched most of the greats since the 70's and I can say he's the most talented baseball player I've ever seen. When they say 5-tool, they are usually stretching for most stars. But, Hamilton truly has all 5. He has prodigous power, he can fly, has a cannon for an arm, has the natural insticts of a center fielder, and hits for a high average. I've watched great fielders and incredible hitters. Pujols is the best hitter in over 50 years. I've watched basketball games where it was clear who the best player on the floor is, but I've never seen that kind of skill and dominance on a baseball diamond until this year. Watch the Rangers for just a couple of days and it's clear that Hamilton is just different. Bigger, faster, stronger and leaves that lasting impression on everyone that watches. He may not have a long, healthy career, but I'm appreciative to have seen what I've seen this year.

S