With all the scary/depressing/horrifying/tragic crap thrown in our faces thanks to 24/7 news channels and the wild world of the internet, I am committed to finding uplifting stories among the wreckage to share with you all. Welcome to Feel Good Friday, where I hope you can start your weekend off with a smile and a bit of inspiration and hope thanks to stories about incredible people doing incredible things.
If you follow baseball even a little bit, you know the name Josh Hamilton. Not only is he a {smoking hot} professional baseball player, he's a testament to the power of the human spirit. His is a story of healing, strength, and unshakable faith. It's not a late-breaking front page tale of mayhem, it's a roller coaster of highs and lows over a decade in the making.
Born in North Carolina, Josh spent his life excelling at baseball. He was the first overall draft pick in 1999 by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Hello, $4 million signing bonus! He then went on to play in the minors, all the while getting groomed for his inevitable call up to the big MLB. He even played for the Charleston Riverdogs (my favorite minor league team) in 2000.
His parents quit their jobs and traveled around the country to be with him. Prior to the 2001 season, they were involved in a car accident. All three were injured. Josh's parents recovered completely, but this even marked the beginning of a downward spiral with alcohol and drug addiction for him. Pretty soon, Josh was failing drug test after drug test and put on suspension repeatedly. He showed up late to spring training. Eventually, he stopped playing baseball altogether. For 2 years he made several attempts at rehab. He admits to praying for death to come. He deliberately burned his prized left hand with four lit cigarettes in a rage.
Josh Hamilton literally went from the most hyped prospect in the game to being passed out in a crack house wishing to die. So what happened? How did this guy, a terrible husband and father, a waste of talent, a junkie... how did he end up back on top of the world? When asked, he simply replies, "It's a God thing." No in-your-face Bible thumping, just a straightforward explanation for his comeback. He credits his grandmother confronting him with part of the reason he turned his life around. He showed up on her porch, a strung out 184 lb version of the 6'4 235 lb grandson she knew... he was looking for shelter. He was smoking crack like cigarettes.
He also says his wife stood by him and during his lowest point, she told him he'd play baseball again. She knew there was a bigger plan for him, even if he didn't. I'd just like to point out that this woman stood by him after he pissed away millions of dollars, lost his job, and disappeared. She did, however, kick his ass out of her house which is why he came crawling to granny, and ultimately why he got clean. This is why I am a firm believer in tough love, my friends.
This is a quote from Josh in 2007:
Every day I'm reminded that my story is bigger than me. It never fails. Every time I go to the ballpark, I talk to people who are either battling addictions themselves or trying to help someone else who is. Who talks to me? Just about everybody. I walked to the plate to lead off an inning in early May, minding my own business, when the catcher jogged out to the mound to talk to his pitcher. As I was digging in, the home plate umpire (I'm intentionally not naming him) took off his mask and walked around the plate to brush it off. He looked up at me and said, "Josh, I'm really pulling for you. I've fought some battles myself, and I just want you to know I'm rooting for you."
A father will tell me about his son while I'm signing autographs. A mother will wait outside the players' parking lot to tell me about her daughter. They know where I've been. They look to me because I'm proof that hope is never
lost. They remind me that this isn't really about baseball. It's amazing that God allowed me to keep my baseball talents after I sat out three years and played only 15 games last season in A-ball. On May 6, I hit two homers against the Rockies at home, and I felt like I did in high school. I felt like I could do anything on the field.
Josh has amazing stats and continues to be an inspiration to fans and players everywhere. For the first time in history, the Texas Rangers went to the World Series, and Josh Hamilton helped lead the way. He was awarded the ALCS MVP in 2010 and the AL MVP. Did I mention he was also selected to play in his 3rd All Star Game?
He has a great sense of humor about his path. When hecklers scream at him in the outfield, "Hello, my name is Josh Hamilton and I'm a drug addict!" He simply raises his palms to the sky and replies, "Dude, tell me something I don't know." His Rangers teammates, mindful of Josh's struggles, celebrate with ginger ale instead of Champagne.
I'll always root for you, Josh.. even if you get traded to the Red Sox!
Have a great weekend, everyone!
