Hamilton: Addict to cleanup man
NEW YORK - Rock bottom for Josh Hamilton was the day he showed up helpless at his grandma's doorstep, strung out, scraggly, 50 pounds lighter than the 230 pounds of rock-solid muscle he now sports. It was just a week or so before the day - Oct. 6, 2005 - he went sober and drug free.
There were so many other times when he thought it couldn't get worse, and it did. He was a drug addict. He was slowly killing himself. This All-American kid with the perfect swing had made a 180-degree turnaround, wasting his talent, wasting his life. Nobody knew him anymore. He didn't know himself.
Hamilton was the No. 1 pick in the 1999 draft by the Tampa Bay Rays. This Raleigh, N.C., kid had superstar and Hall of Fame written all over him. With such a natural lefthanded swing, and such natural talent, it's amazing that so many unnatural things went through his body.
Yet almost nine years after being drafted and plenty of time out of the game, Hamilton is that superstar again. Now with the Texas Rangers, the outfielder is hitting .310 with 21 home runs and 95 RBIs and was voted a starter for tonight's All-Star Game.
Certainly drug addiction is a problem that never goes away. Hamilton spends most of his days in the company of Johnny Narron, brother of former Red Sox coach Jerry, who keeps him on the straight and narrow. He is constant ly reminded of his former life, through media questioning and all of the things he has to do to remain drug free. He even has physical reminders - the tattoos on his arms that he had done during his dark period.
Yet after all that, one can make the case that Hamilton has been the best player in baseball over the first half of the season. Clean for almost three years, he preaches to anyone who will listen about the addiction he still fights every day. The Josh Hamilton story is so compelling, so powerful, it restores all faith in the ability of people to turn their lives around.
"Before I got reinstated in '06, I had a dream," Hamilton said. "I was in Yankee Stadium, and this was before I knew there was going to be an All-Star Game and a Home Run Derby at Yankee Stadium. I didn't see myself hitting, but I saw the microphone stuck in my face.
"I didn't see how it ended up, but I got to share what God has done in my life. I'd say it's a coincidence, but I don't believe in those.
"My wife, Kate, when I was in the middle of my addiction, she prayed about it and she knew in her heart that the Lord was going to get me back into baseball, but it wouldn't be about baseball, it would be about sharing. And every day I live and every city I go to, I see that happening."
Hamilton put on an incredible show in the Home Run Derby last night, breaking the record with 28 first-round homers as American League teammates stood up and applauded in awe of what they were watching. Hamilton saw 54 pitches from his youth batting practice pitcher from Raleigh, 71-year-old Clay Counsil. He hit homers of 518, 504, and 502 feet, and his 25th blast broke the opening-round record set by Bobby Abreu in 2005.
"I had chills," Hamilton told ESPN's Erin Andrews.
Hamilton believes baseball is the vehicle through which he can spread the word about his problems and his faith, so others won't make the same mistakes.
"I finally realized that life wasn't about baseball," he said. "Being a good husband and a good father and waking up every day and being a responsible man is what's important.
"Baseball isn't what makes me. Doing those other things . . . and having my family here is the most important thing to me, because after all I went through, they went through it also, so it means a lot to me to have them here."
Hamilton was asked about his days of addiction. He said, "I had no set plan," but he could be at the local bar drinking all night or "I'd be out in the middle of nowhere looking for what I needed that night." Sometimes he'd go 24 hours doing nothing but sleeping.
So no 0-fer is going to get Hamilton down. No trade, like when he was dealt from the Reds to the Rangers last December, is going to bother him. In fact, it may go down as one of the best deals ever. Hamilton was traded for righthander Edinson Volquez, who also had a tremendous first half for the Reds (12-3, 2.29 ERA) and is also an All-Star.
"I think the Lord has put me in the right place," said Hamilton, who will play center field tonight and bat third. "He put me in Cincinnati for a year and then decided I needed to be in Texas. I think I have found the perfect place for me. We have such a fun offense. So explosive. It's great to be a part of it. It's very exciting. I have a lot of fun playing baseball."
Since he returned to baseball, Hamilton said he's had no regrets.
"I've been honest about everything. I've taken responsibility. I haven't blamed anybody or used any excuses. I'm not trying to hide anything from anybody.
"I hope what I'm able to do is be inspiring to people. I go to different cities and during batting practice people come up to me because they've read about me or seen me speak, a son or daughter who might be going through the same thing, and they thank me for the strength I've given them to change their lives. I hope I can always do that, because I understand how low, how desperate, you can get."
He was asked whether he ever wanted the questions about his past life to end.
"I actually get asked that question from time to time and I don't think it bothers me," he said. "The more media I talk to the more my message gets out.
"I look back when I got drafted I was a clean-cut guy, golden boy, never did anything wrong, always on the straight path. I look back on it now, could I have reached a lot of people if things didn't work out the way they did? Think about all the people who have some type of addiction. So I look back at what I went through. Tattoos and addictions. I know what precautions to take to avoid those situations. I know where I need to be. I know what I need to be doing.
"Everyone's different, but I have an idea of what you have to do if you want to get your life back."
"It's a wonderful story," said Chicago Cubs manager Lou Piniella, a coach on the National League All-Star staff.
"He's a good kid who lost his way and re-found it."
Counsil, a volunteer high school coach from Raleigh who used to throw BP to Hamilton when he was a kid, pitched to him in the derby, a promise he made Council many years ago, and they put on quite a show.
Hamilton was asked, when he steps up to the plate tonight, with bulbs flashing all over Yankee Stadium, will he be nervous?
"You wanna talk to me right after that? I'm sure I'll be filled with emotions. You've got to hide them because you've got to perform," he said.
When that moment comes, Hamilton will have gone from rock bottom to the top of the world.
Nick Cafardo can be reached at cafardo@globe.com.
