ATLANTA, GA – With the 2013 MLB Baseball season now in full swing, this week’s Preacher’s Row takes a look at a few Top O The Morn stories. Don’t ask me where that phrase came from, I’m part Irish so go with it.
First up… With famed and sometimes controversial major league slugger Josh Hamilton’s off-season move to the Hollywood Hills, his return to play against his old team in Texas was both lamented and wondered about by many. Would he be welcomed home like that lost golden retriever who makes it back after getting lost in the woods trying to find help for little Timmy? Or would he be cajoled and harassed like Mitt Romney (Mr. Outsourcer) would at an AFL-CIO meeting? 
Hmmmm. Even I was unsure and I’m a huge fan of the Comeback Kid of baseball.
Last year I read Josh’s book “Beyond Belief” – his story of overcoming a life-devastating disease of addiction to be one of the most prolific and exciting sluggers of our time. It is indeed…beyond belief. And when he hit 4 homers in one game on May 8th, 2012, I did a veritable back-flip over one of my heroes achieving something that only 15 others have in the entire history of baseball since the Great Flood – dust off yer bible and read Noah‘s story in Genesis. Anyway, that long-awaited day finally came when the Los Angeles Angels visited the Texas Rangers. What happened? Actually, he was both booed and cheered! Booed coming up to the plate and cheered for striking out. Go figure. And even though he’s 1 for 16 so far this year, Preacher’s Row has JH making the All-Star team and the top 5 in HRs, BA, and RBIs this season. So let it be written. So let it be done.
In other news, the Designated Hitter (DH) in the American League turned 40. While that fact made me sad (yours truly is a young 41), it also made me glad; one of the good things about the DH spot is it helps prolong a slugger’s career… like Frank “The Big Hurt” Thomas and Paul Molitor – the Hall of Famer from Milwaukee. So, I’ll consider myself being in the DH phase of my life..
Next up… Since I do root for the Mets (after my beloved Braves), I wanted to see what was going wrong or Wright with the Metropolitans in their first week. Let’s just say its all about the almighty Buck (6 for 12, 2 HRs, 5 RBIs) and that Wright ain’t right. 
Come on Dave! Seriously? 2 for 10 to kick off the season? I’m starting to rethink buying that bobble head now. Get it in gear man, and start making that Apple rise… and your dwindling fan base too.
That’s all for Preacher’s Row, but tune in tomorrow for Cheesy Bruin!
