As a teenager, Josh Hamilton used to kid Clay Council that when he became a Major League baseball player and entered the Home Run Derby he would have Council be his pitcher in the contest.

It turns out Hamilton wasn't joking at all.

When Hamilton digs in for the Home Run Derby at Yankee Stadium on Monday night, Council will be on the mound pitching to him.

"What a thrill that'll be," the 71-year-old Council said by phone from his Cary home. "I never thought it'd materialize. It was just a conversation piece."

Council was a volunteer coach at Cary High and he also coached Post 67 during the American Legion season in the 1990s. He never coached a team Hamilton played for, though. He did coach Josh's older brother Jason, and Josh was always around during those practices. Council was more than happy to throw BP to the younger Hamilton. When Josh went to Athens Drive High, Council still recalls Hamilton's talents.

"When he was a pitcher, he threw 96, 97 m.p.h. It's hard to hit that kind of pitching. We couldn't hit him. When he played in the outfield, he caught everything we hit. When he hit, we couldn't get him out."

Council has taken great pride in watching Hamilton, the No. 1 pick in the 1999 draft, bounce back from drug addiction to now displaying the promise he showed as a youngster.

"We're so proud to hear him tell his experience. He went down in the pits and came back," Council said. "He put his trust in the Lord and he just pulled out of it. He's on the right path and he's going to stay there. A lot of prayers have been answered."

Hamilton has enjoyed a stellar season so far with the Texas Rangers. He's hitting .309, with 19 home runs and 87 RBIs. He was voted by fans to the starting line-up of the American League All-Star team.

Council has been to Yankee Stadium one other time, and that one was pretty memorable. He witnessed Yankee pitcher Don Larsen's perfect game in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series against the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Asked how that compares to what he expects out of this trip, Council said, "I'm believe I'm more excited about this."