Texas Rangers center fielder Josh Hamilton has battled demons in his life. He has seen the darkest side of a life, but he's getting better.
Hamilton was a top prospect coming out of high school. His expectations only surpassed his potential. He was selected with the number-1 overall pick by the then expansion Tampa Bay Devil Rays. But unlike many predicted, his highest of highs were not on the diamond playing the game of baseball, his addiction to a plethora of drugs took over his life.
What happened next in his life is not only inspirational, but divine and something people, in this unfortunately crazy world, should appreciate.
He hasn’t turned his life around, it’s actually far from it.
Hamilton literally cannot go anywhere without someone at his side. He just doesn’t trust himself enough to not give in to the pressures and evils that still haunt him to this day. The tattoos he dons on his forearms are signs of worse times, but they are too painful to remove. To comply with Major League Baseball’s drug testing policies Hamilton gives a urine sample at least three times a week.
He is growing up, overcoming and doing the most courageous thing you can do. He is learning to trust himself the same way a small child learns to walk.
So while he has stumbled several times in the past two years, and most recently last week. He gave into it, only as many as 4 or 5 drinks of alcohol and nothing more, almost subconsciously because that is what his brain was trained to urge for during his darkest days.
Hamilton is finishing up a 2-year, $24-million contract with the Rangers, who are coming off their best season in franchise history, and this latest incident is causing much hesitation on contract negotiations.
That addiction isn’t terminal. We all waver, and Texas should be able to overlook this isolated incident. His future is not his past, it's only a reflection of how much he can overcome.
No comments:
Post a Comment