My colleague Jim Siegel attended last night’s Home Run Derby and has the following to share with us:
Last night at Yankee Stadium, before the Home Run Derby began, the crowd cheered when hometown stars Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, and Alex Rodriguez and Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson were interviewed live from the field over the Public Address system.
But those cheers were low volume compared to the chant that engulfed the stadium later in the evening. That’s when Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers was smashing one homer after another on his way to hitting 28 in Round One of the Home Run Derby.
No one’s ever done what Hamilton did last night.
Fifty-seven thousand plus voices — me included — roared, “Hamil-TON! Hamil-TON! Hamil-TON!”
From my seat amidst the noise, I watched Hamilton down at home plate.
It seemed as if he was the one calm person in the whole place.
He did all the normal ballplayer things – take a pitch, take a practice swing, check his batting gloves, knock dirt off his spikes with his bat.
But you could sense from his manner, from his stance, and from his swing that he was filled with some sort of calm.
Later he told the press that he was “in the zone.”
What’s the source of that inner calm?
Hamilton says his calm comes from “a higher power” that helps him stay drug-free after years of terrible drug addiction that came this close to ruining his life.
Drug addiction is a complicated disease. To overcome it requires tremendous self-discipline every single day. To overcome it requires help from others.
The story of Josh Hamilton’s comeback this year and his accomplishment last night is – and I choose this term carefully – heroic.
But no less heroic are the stories of many people we know personally – teenagers, young adults, older adults. These are people who have struggled with drug and alcohol addiction, people who are in recovery today – some for days, some for months, some for years. I bet if you asked Josh Hamilton, the calm guy amidst the roars that filled Yankee Stadium last night, he would agree that they’re heroes as well. And that we should applaud each of them, too.
P.S. If you don’t know Josh Hamilton’s story, check out this Sports Illustrated cover story from June 2, 2008.
del.icio.us
Digg
Facebook
Newsvine5 Comments
Post a comment
Loading ...
I watched last night’s All-Star game and was impressed with all the pageantry of the red-carpet, introduction of the senior all-stars, etc. Perhaps the most rewarding moments of the game, however, came during Josh Hamilton’s at-bats when the announcers described his battle with addiction. They spoke in an almost reverent tone and I thought of how far we’ve come in this field. Sure, there’s still a lot of stigma attached to being an alcoholic or an addict in recovery, but we’ve made great strides. I was reminded again this morning as I read through The Kansas City and saw a guest editorial about Darrell Porter and Willie Aikens, both cocaine addicts and Kansas City Royals legends. Porter succumbed to his disease several years ago, dying after relapsing following more than 20 years of clean time. Aikens was recently released from prison having served 14 years for several drug-related offenses. Aikens has another chance and is embracing it here in Kansas City, just as Josh Hamilton is on the baseball field. Today, as a baseball fan and person in recovery, I celebrate all those folks striving to live sober one day at a time. You’re all major leaguers!
In case you’re interested, here’s the link to the Aikens story: http://www.kansascity.com/273/story/706889.html
Thanks for posting this. Josh Hamilton’s story sends a great message of hope about the disease of addiction to everyone in society. The journey from experimenting with drugs to addiction to treatment and finally recovery is indeed a long and difficult one. Far too often in society we tend to write people off permanently or put them in the box of “bad” for making poor life and health choices.
Josh’s greatness as a young athlete and advancement to the majors is the classic American sports story. None could have anticipated his move to drug use or a decline into profound addiction. Then, the Josh Hamilton story became one of greatness gone wrong. Now we know more, much more, we know that regardless of how difficult things may have been for Josh and his family, through hope, help, perseverence, love and faith each day he is living a life of recovery, family and a good degree of success and greatness.
I am pulling for Josh! And, for the millions of others who are quietly living their own story of recovery.
Great post. Josh Hamilton is an impressive guy and an inspiration to many. As he showed us all in the home run derby, he is a talented ballplayer.
Mickey Mantle, later in life, said he wished he “took better care” of himself. He bravely spoke out about his battles with addiction well after he retired - it was sad, and in many ways too late. Hopefully Hamilton has faced his addiction early enough that he won’t have similar regrets, asking “what if.” I think he’s on his way. Best of luck to him (except against the Yankees).
And speaking of bravery, did you wear a Sox cap and Joe a Mets cap in The House that Ruth Built?
I’d like to add my thanks for posting this! I also watched the Home Run Derby and was struck by how much time the announcers spent discussing Josh Hamilton’s past as a drug addict. Hopefully, other viewers out there will find hope and inspiration in his story.
Josh has been successful for 2 main reasons besides his desire to stay straight. First he has a great support group that includes a paid employee that has become his friend and goes with him everywhere. Second he is tested often to ensure he will stay clean.
While most of us cannot afford the personal body guard we can buy instant drug tests on the internet for a very reasonable amount. If you have the instant screens you can inspect what you expect and reduce probleems in the workplace as well as at home.