Hanley Ramirez finished second in the Home Run Derby

by craig on Jul 13, 2010 8:43 AM EDT in News and Rumors

Watch this sucker fly. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

Hanley Ramirez did something that no Marlin has done before, he actually made it to the finals of the Home Run Derby.

When Hanley Ramirez and David Ortiz were battling personal struggles this season, they sent words of encouragement to each other through text messages.

On Monday night, they didn't need their cellphones. With smiles, laughs and pats on the back, the former Red Sox teammates and native Dominicans reached the final round of the Home Run Derby, where Ortiz prevailed 11-5 over the Marlins shortstop.

``It was a lot of fun,'' said Ramirez, who slugged 26 homers in all and became the first Marlins player to reach the final of the derby.

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Before Monday, Miguel Cabrera had the record for a Marlins player with 15 homers in 2006, when he finished

third behind Ryan Howard and David Wright. Florida's other participants were Dan Uggla, who finished fifth in

2008 with six homers, and Gary Sheffield, who failed to hit a home run in 1996.

Hanley did good and during the competition held true to his swing, for the the most part. He was very selective and only went after pitches he thought he could hit out without adjustments. That is a very good thing. In the end he started to wear down, but that is normal. Hanley represented the Marlins very well.

I must say this, during one of the rounds where he was batting and ESPN wasn't busy airing an interview, one of the "expert" commentators said: After the non-hustle play, Hanley started hustling and the team got hot.

Oh, really, the team got hot?! When?! Did I miss it?!

Let's see, that play happened on May 17 and since that time the Marlins have gone 22-27. Now, I don't know what ESPN considers to be hot, but I hardly think the Fish qualify under any normal definition.

Nonetheless, Hanley had a good night swinging for the fences.

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Comments

WAY TO GO HANLEY!!!!

so close, but i was happy to see Big Papi finally win one… hopefully this the first of many Derby’s for HanRam

by xquiles21x on Jul 13, 2010 9:44 AM EDT reply actions

So, George Steinbrenner is dead

For whatever reason, I’m not consumed with grief.

Gator Bait: The first, and still the best.

by colombo259 on Jul 13, 2010 10:25 AM EDT reply actions

you must have some respect for an owner who at least gives a dam about his team and does whatever it takes to make them winners every year...

god knows we dont have that here

by xquiles21x on Jul 13, 2010 10:57 AM EDT up reply actions

RIP George

by xquiles21x on Jul 13, 2010 10:57 AM EDT up reply actions

Sorry, I just think that Steinbrenner and the Yankees in general are bad for baseball

They own 27 championships. Every year the outspend every other team so much it’s silly. When is the last time you haven’t heard all the experts saying the Yankees are the team to beat? Baseball is no fun for fans of the other 29 teams when a team is as dominant as the Yankees. What interest or hope can you really have of winning it all when so few teams make the postseason anyways, especially when you know the road to a championship goes through the best hired guns money can buy in the Yankees?

Gator Bait: The first, and still the best.

by colombo259 on Jul 13, 2010 11:23 AM EDT up reply actions

i see what your saying and agree...

but if the marlins had that many funds wouldnt you want them to use it on getting players that would bring us championships? idk its one of those things were if its not your team thats doing it then your against it lol

by xquiles21x on Jul 13, 2010 12:40 PM EDT up reply actions

I couldn't disagree more with you

And frankly, it sounds like you’re bitter because the Marlins have a terrible owner. The fact is that ANY owner can spend this amount of money each year. If Loria outspent every other team and continually won championships, and built a tradition of winning, then more fans would come and there would be more money to spend.

Parity is highly overrated. The NFL is a joke in that a team can go from being the best in the league to the worst in no time at all. I love the fact that the Royals and Pirates have sucked for nearly two decades. Some teams should always be terrible, some should be great. I’m not saying I wouldn’t be in favor of both teams being good again and the Yankees being bad, but not in the span of a year.

You’re shortsighted and failing to remember that the Yankees were terrible for most of the 1980s and early 1990s. Now they’re good again. And despite being so good and having the game’s largest payroll, they’ve only won 5 of the last 15 championships. Think about that. Despite being favored every single year since 1995, they’ve only won 33 percent of the time.

I have many reasons for thinking baseball is the best sport, but two of them are the tradition and the difficulty of reaching the playoffs. In a league such as the NHL or the NBA, where half of the teams make the playoffs, you can’t even really count that as an achievement. But in baseball, it’s a great season if you just get there.

In conclusion, I think it’s fine, and in fact great, that the Yankees use their resources the way they do. I sure as hell would want my team to do the same, and nobody is stopping the other teams. In fact, the Yankees have to give some of their money to every other team. If the others can’t beat them with the Yankees’ own money, they can lump it. My team included.

by Bumppo on Jul 13, 2010 3:44 PM EDT up reply actions

I love the Marlins and MLB

But I think that the fact that a team CAN go from worst to first in other sports (like the Dolphins a few years ago) is what makes it so exciting. I agree that the NBA and NHL let in some teams to the playoffs that probably don’t deserve to go, but I think the NFL has it right. It’s an accomplishment to make it, but it’s not impossibly hard. I just think that when you have salary caps such as in the NBA it takes more skill to assemble a team that can win as opposed to just throwing tons of money at the best free agents you can get.

Gator Bait: The first, and still the best.

by colombo259 on Jul 13, 2010 10:31 PM EDT up reply actions

MLB teams have gone from worse to first...

though it is real rare. I think the Twins did it twice and there was another team, the Braves, maybe? But in all cases it was a one time shot in the dark because the next season they weren’t able to afford their players. But it has happened.

by craig on Jul 14, 2010 12:59 AM EDT up reply actions

How come nobody told me we got hot?

I blame you GameFish. Brainwashing us with all of those negative Fishwraps.

GO:Gators, Dolphins, Heat, Marlins, and Yankees
he who fears losing, has already lost
Josh Johnson for 2010 NL Cy Young!
Brandon Marshall is a Dolphin.....watch out World.

by Gatorfan4life on Jul 13, 2010 10:30 AM EDT reply actions