"In an age of specialization, Steve Hamilton goes one step further - he's a southpaw who's used basically to face lefty hitters. Sometimes he's ushered into the game to face one batter after warming up for five innings. But he did get into 38 games, posted a 3-4 record and was credited with two saves. During last season Steve added some laughs to an otherwise grim campaign by coming up with a nothing ball that is reminiscent of the 'blooper' pitch used by Rip Sewell.
'I only use it against the big swingers,' explains Hamilton.
He tossed the big floater to MVP Harmon Killebrew, who just stared at it. He fed it to Frank Howard, who asked the umpire if it was legal. And he tried it on the American League's top rookie Lou Piniella, who went into a fit of laughter after seeing the pitch float past him. The only drawback to the pitch is that it isn't legal with a man on base. So far it hasn't hurt the Yankees and has given a lot of fans and at least one hitter a good laugh."
-Jack Zanger, Major League Baseball 1970
"'The Professor' stands 6 foot 7. He adjusts his cap and his prematurely gray hair reminds the batter the prof (at Morehead State University in Kentucky) is not to be trifled with. He shifts the wad to his right cheek, winds up and the Folly Floater is on its way. It brings the Yankees to the dugout steps and they roar with laughter as the batter swings and all but unhinges his sacroiliac.
Leave it to Steve with his wonderful sense of humor to add this new dimension to Yankee pitching. The new pitch he introduced last year not only adds color to the game, but it's also effective. He threw it 50-60 times and only one man, Rico Petrocelli, got a hit off it - a single. No one walked with it. The pitch is similar to the old Eephus Pitch of Rip Sewell; it's a high, arcing throw that seems to float over the batter's head and drop into the strike zone. Pete Ward, who bit hard on it, is relieved to know he no longer has to look for it.
Hamilton, the Yankee and A.L. player representative, has fared well as both a short and long relief man and spot starter, winning 30 and losing 17 in his eight straight years in pinstripes. Steve played two seasons of professional basketball with the old Minneapolis Lakers. He's married, and has two daughters and a son."
-The New York Yankees Official 1970 Yearbook
"Steve came up with a spectacular pitch last year when he introduced his 'Folly Floater.' It was quite a success. He threw it 50 or 60 times and only one man, Rico Petrocelli, hit for a single. The pitch is a take-off on the old Eephus Pitch of Rip Sewell, a high-arcing throw that floats above the batter's head and hopefully into the strike zone. Steve was able to control it- no one received a walk off it.
A veteran of 13 years in organized baseball, Steve is now entering his eighth season with the Yankees. He originally signed with Cleveland in 1958, was traded to the Senators in 1962 and came to the Yankees on April 21, 1963 in exchange for pitcher Jim Coates. Steve has fared well, winning 30 and losing 17 while playing in pinstripes. He is especially tough on left-handers.
Steve is the American League's player representative. He has a Master's degree from Morehead State where he is employed as an instructor during the off-season. He plans to coach college baseball when his playing days are over.
Nicknamed 'Hambone,' Steve played two years of professional basketball with the NBA Minneapolis Lakers."
-1970 New York Yankees Press-TV-Radio Guide
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