Hamilton brightest of All Stars
Adam Loghides
Issue date: 7/9/08 Section: Sports
The American and National League all-star roster was announced over the past weekend with little fanfare. There were some of the same old names - Jeter and Varitek in the AL and Pujols and Jones in the NL. A few newcomers made their way onto the team - Youkilis and Pedroia in the AL and Lincecum and Fukudome in the NL.
One first-timer should open everyone's eyes, though: Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers. It's not surprising that he is an all-star; after all, he was the first overall pick in the 1999 draft and is having a monster season. It's his story that makes his being an all-star tremendous.
Here is a guy who is leading the world in RBIs while hitting over .300 with over 30 home runs. Those are some serious MVP numbers, but Hamilton was an MVP before he laced them up for the 2008 season.
Hamilton, the top draft pick of Tampa Bay nine years ago, has toiled through the minor leagues for parts of the last decade. He also spent nearly three seasons away from the game of baseball to pursue other interests. His top priority while away from the game? Alcohol and drugs - particularly cocaine.
How about a guy who spent three years more worried about crack cocaine than the crack of the bat? He played in only 90 games last year with the Reds and drove in all of 47 runs. Now he has garnered nearly 4 million all-star votes and will start in the outfield of the last Midsummer Classic to take place at Yankee Stadium next week.
That begs the question - how in the world did this happen?
Faith.
When it was announced that he would be starting the All-Star Game, Hamilton was excited not only for himself, but also for the alcoholics and drug addicts out there that he feels will now get to hear his story on a national stage.
"I should be dead or in jail right now," he told TBS' reporters on Sunday. He went on to add that he would only be a hypocrite to Christianity if he gave into the urge to have a drink or "do something [he] shouldn't".
His drug addiction may have kept him out of the game for three years, but now it is those struggles and memories of addiction that keep him on the strait and narrow. Those memories also help to keep him accountable for his actions. He wants nothing more than the opportunity to tell his story.
One first-timer should open everyone's eyes, though: Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers. It's not surprising that he is an all-star; after all, he was the first overall pick in the 1999 draft and is having a monster season. It's his story that makes his being an all-star tremendous.
Here is a guy who is leading the world in RBIs while hitting over .300 with over 30 home runs. Those are some serious MVP numbers, but Hamilton was an MVP before he laced them up for the 2008 season.
Hamilton, the top draft pick of Tampa Bay nine years ago, has toiled through the minor leagues for parts of the last decade. He also spent nearly three seasons away from the game of baseball to pursue other interests. His top priority while away from the game? Alcohol and drugs - particularly cocaine.
How about a guy who spent three years more worried about crack cocaine than the crack of the bat? He played in only 90 games last year with the Reds and drove in all of 47 runs. Now he has garnered nearly 4 million all-star votes and will start in the outfield of the last Midsummer Classic to take place at Yankee Stadium next week.
That begs the question - how in the world did this happen?
Faith.
When it was announced that he would be starting the All-Star Game, Hamilton was excited not only for himself, but also for the alcoholics and drug addicts out there that he feels will now get to hear his story on a national stage.
"I should be dead or in jail right now," he told TBS' reporters on Sunday. He went on to add that he would only be a hypocrite to Christianity if he gave into the urge to have a drink or "do something [he] shouldn't".
His drug addiction may have kept him out of the game for three years, but now it is those struggles and memories of addiction that keep him on the strait and narrow. Those memories also help to keep him accountable for his actions. He wants nothing more than the opportunity to tell his story.
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