As detailed by ESPNDallas.com, Texas Rangers outfielder and AL MVP, Josh Hamilton has signed a two year, $24 million dollar contract with the American League champions. He hit 32 homers, to go along with 100 RBI, and a .359 batting average. The Raleigh, North Carolina native, will be turning 30 in May.
Hamilton is the sort of athlete you like to see do well. He has overcome a lot of personal demons, to climb back to the top of the baseball world. The prolific slugger struggled with both drug and alcohol addiction, for several years after being drafted number one in 1999 by Tampa Bay. His battles with addictive behavior began in 2001, and got so bad, that at one point, he recalled waking up at the side of a road not knowing how he got there. He told me in an interview a few years ago, that he knew that he had reached rock bottom, when his wife ( Katie ) told him that she was going to leave him. The former Chicago Cub and Cincinnati Red, was out of baseball completely from 2004 until 2006, and was also suspended several times by Major League Baseball for violating their drug policy, as detailed by Wikipedia. He is now required to submit urine samples at least three times per week.
Josh Hamilton’s church minister intervened during the lowest point in his struggles, and asked his wife to stay with him, and with the help of his grandmother, Mary Holt, the couple stayed together, and he managed to make one of the most amazing comeback stories ever, in any sport. Hamilton credits his strong faith as a Christian, and turning his life over to Jesus Christ, in helping him to get through the tough times. The 2010 American League batting champion, did slip back into his troubled ways in one incident in early 2009, allegedly drinking and being shirtless at a bar in Tempe, Arizona,according to the sports blog Deadspin.com. He addressed the issue with his wife, the Rangers, and MLB, and since then, has remained clear of alcohol.
Out of respect for the personal problems of the two-time Silver Slugger Award winner, and three-time All-Star, Hamilton’s Rangers teammates celebrated both their 2010 American League Division Series win over the Rays, and American League Championship Series triumph over the Yankees, by drinking ginger ale instead of champagne in the locker room.
Everybody loves the stories of those who can overcome seemingly insurmountable odds, and not only win whichever battle they are waging, but also prevail in the particular endeavor for which they are known. It would be hard to imagine a Hollywood script that would be more dramatic, or inspiring to anyone, than the real life rollercoaster story of Josh Hamilton.
It’s not the length or value of the contract which motivated me to write this story. Josh Hamilton’s never quit perseverance is what I thought about when I read about his new deal with Texas. With his will, determination, and faith, it reminds all of us that we should never quit on our own lives, in the midst of the various struggles all of us face, through the course of a lifetime.
I consider myself blessed, to have interviewed Josh Hamilton, and to see once again,as I have previously with other professional athletes, that all of us can overcome tremendous obstacles, if we refuse to give up on ourselves and on life.