ROOTING FOR JOSH HAMILTON

When Josh Hamilton steps up to the plate in the World Series this week, he will have already achieved more than most young men his age. Josh has twice been chosen for the American League All Star team, won a Home Run Derby, been named A.L. batting champion for 2010 and has now been chosen as MVP of the 2010 American League Championship Series. But Josh’s real achievements have to do with his mighty struggles against drug and alcohol addiction that threatened not only his baseball career, but also his life.

Josh was the overall pick in the baseball draft in 1999 and was considered a blue chip prospect. A car accident a couple of years later led to drug and alcohol addiction and his first attempt at rehab. As his injuries lingered so did his addiction. In 2004, Josh was suspended from baseball and fined for violating its drug policy. His suspension was increased several times after repeated violations.

From 2004 to 2006, Josh didn’t play baseball. He made several attempts at rehab. When he finally began his return, he was encouraged by a former minor league outfielder and manager. Josh willingly served as a cautionary tale for his younger minor league teammates. According to Wikipedia, he’d tell them, “Don’t make the mistakes I made.”

Josh’s struggles with drugs and alcohol are well documented and he speaks publicly of how Jesus brought him back from the brink and faith is what keeps him going. To play in the major leagues, he must submit to drug testing three times a week. He knows he has to be accountable. He admits that without the support of family, teammates and his faith, he’d never make it.

George Vecsey wrote about Josh Hamilton in the New York Times on October 25, and couldn’t be more right about Josh when he wrote, “His career, his life, is all so fragile.”

The clients of Cabrini Partnership may not be able to imagine themselves playing in the World Series. But they know exactly what Josh Hamilton has gone through. They know how fragile their stability is. They know that without the support of a community, they couldn’t conquer the fiend called addiction. Josh Hamilton has that community of support. When the Rangers defeated the Rays for the American League Division Series and again beat the Yankees for the American League Championship Series, Hamilton’s teammates—mindful of his past struggles—chose to celebrate with ginger ale instead of champagne.

George Vecsey continued in his article, “He reminds me of Mickey Mantle. Mantle’s tortured life and Hamilton’s imperiled life strike me as very close to each other.” Vecsey quoted some of the struggles of Mantle’s life from his biography by Jane Leavy. He described how the great Mickey Mantle “brought his demons to New York…and never got any real help until he was dying.” But today Major League Baseball and many other sports organizations offer treatment programs for those who will take that step.

Addiction…rehabilitation…recovery…community…support…faith. Josh Hamilton and Cabrini Partnership’s clients know these things intimately. They also know how easily shattered their lives can be. Yet they continue to live with hope.

We’re rooting for Josh Hamilton at Cabrini Partnership—and it has nothing to do with baseball.

Citations

“Josh Hamilton (baseball),” Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josh_Hamilton.

George Vecsey, “Home Runs and Demons for Hamilton and Mantle,” New York Times, October 24, 2010, http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/25/sports/25vecsey.html?_r=1&scp=3&sq=josh%20hamilton&st=cse.