Astros Hall of Fame Broadcaster Milo Hamilton stopped by for his weekly visit Monday morning with Adam and me. You can hear the audio here. http://www.sports790.com/pages/mattandadam.html?article=8479756
Milo had some very fair but pointed criticism of former Astros All Star Lance Berkman.
Let me start by saying Lance Berkman was one of the most pleasent individuals to cover from a media perspective. He never ducked the media in good times or bad and generally gave thoughtful and or funny responses to questions. Berkman also never took himself too seriously which made it fun to call him "Fat Elvis" or "The Big Puma" etc. He was an oustanding baseball player (borderline HOF caliber) for 12 seasons in Houston.
Berkman was clearly a naturally gifted hitter who could dedicate himself to his craft without having to dedicate himself to staying in shape. When his poorly trained body betrayed him at an advanced age, he was no longer a good player. This off season, he clearly spent time getting in top shape and in the early going is reaping the benefits.
Would I have been motivated to play for the last couple of Astros teams? Maybe not...but that didn't seem to affect Roy Oswalt's performance for the team under the same circumstances. What has Ichiro Suzuki had as motivation to excel for the Mariners 6 of the last 7 years? Why did Dale Murphy ever try hard for the Atlanta Braves? Being the face of the franchise has its responsibilities and to some extent, Lance Berkman probably did not totally fulfill his end of the bargain at the end of his tenure. If Berkman had prepared for the 2010 season with the same vigor as 2011, he'd be collecting on another multi-year deal and quite possibly still the face of the Astros franchise.
Lance Berkman was an asset to the Astros both on and off the field. No one was more involved with charitable endeavors, and his devotion to and expression of his faith is to be commended. Like all of us, Lance was not perfect and there is nothing wrong with being critical of the short comings of a player, just like Lance could say I leave much to be desired as a talk show host. We can celebrate Lance Berkman for the great player that he was in Houston and still wonder what could have been with a slightly more dedicated approach. Lance, if it makes you feel any better, I'd say the same thing about Babe Ruth. Best of luck in St. Louis this season and thanks for the memories.
What are your thoughts on this topic?
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