Tag: Josh Hamilton

Of course, I am praying for Josh Hamilton…

On By kassienetteIn Baseball, MLB, Uncategorized2 Comments

Last Wednesday night I cried. And I prayed. And I asked God for comfort. But not for myself.

I was talking to him about Josh Hamilton.

If you have spent any significant time around me the last few years, then you know how much of a fan I am of my brother in Christ. The story popped up on my time line last Wednesday that Hamilton was meeting with Major League Baseball officials regarding a disciplinary issue. Despite his past, my first assumption was NOT that this was drug related. I did not know what to make of it. I just knew I needed to pray.

Then the story dropped, which has yet to be officially confirmed. Hamilton suffered a relapse. My heart sank. Supposedly the relapsed involved at least cocaine and alcohol. That is when the tears started. Hamilton’s “Beyond Belief” is one of my favorite books. A few years ago after reading Coach Tony Dungy’s “Quiet Strength” I became very intrigued with reading about the lives of others, particularly fellow believers in Christ. I was enamored and always floored by the paths some people had taken to get to where they are now or were. I was amazed to see how God weaved different situations into their lives to pull out the best results. Their stories were a sheer testament to the goodness of God and how He continues to watch over and protect us even we are causing destruction in our own lives.

What I loved so much about Hamilton’s book was his honesty. He was very open about his struggles. Hamilton started in detail from his childhood days growing up as a youngster who could throw and hit harder than most teenagers to the path that lead him to become engulfed in the drug culture. From the outside looking in, it was hard to see how this could happen. From the outside looking in, Hamilton had everything you needed to be successful: a two parent household, a loving family, great people skills and an enourmous amount of athletic talent that rivaled my other favorite baseball player, Ken Griffey, Jr.

None of that was enough to keep Hamilton from straying off the path that had been laid out for him by others. As many of you know, Hamilton became addicted to cocaine, struggled with alcohol consumption and was out of Major League Baseball for three years. It is a story that was well documented during my time at North Carolina State which is located in Hamilton’s hometown. The story soon turned from tragedy to triumph as Hamilton battled his demons to find himself back on the field and excelling at the sport he dominated in his youth.

Hamilton has never been one to shy away from sharing his story. He has continued to provide, in detail, what he has gone through and the only way he ever explains being able to overcome those demons is by simply saying, “It’s a God thing.”

So Wednesday night hurt. I do not have to know Hamilton to know that he has been living his life to genuinely please God. So Wednesday night hurt. I do not have to know Hamilton to draw inspiration from him. So Wednesday night hurt. I do not have to know Hamilton to know that for as hurt as I am, he probably feels a thousand times worse.

It is easy to sit around and chastise Hamilton but it takes a bigger person to not pass judgement. This is a guy who willingly went to the MLB officials and admitted his wrong doing. We all have things we struggle with. While it may not be drugs, it is something that can in turn be a “drug” for us. My heart goes out to Hamilton and I will continue to pray for his recovery. I am fully believing it will happen. The same God who pulled him out the last time can pull him out again.

#GODis

New Angel in the Outfield…

On By kassienetteIn BaseballLeave a comment

You would have to have been living up under a rock to not know that Josh Hamilton is my favorite baseball player, flaws and all. Yesterday my favorite player made the headlines again and I must say I was shocked. Hamilton signed a five year, $125 million dollar deal with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. I still have not gotten used to that name. As a fan of Hamilton’s I will support his decision to join the Angles but I wished he could have worked things out with the Texas Rangers, his former team.

Hamilton and the Rangers had a very unique relationship. The struggles that Hamilton has dealt with over the years are well documented. Drug use. Suspensions. Relapses. Despite all of this, it never stopped the Rangers from supporting him no matter what. One of my favorite scenes will always be when the Rangers clinched the pennant in 2010 and the team celebrated with ginger ale instead of champagne so Hamilton could participate in the celebration. What a noble gesture. Also well documented are his abilities, which are second to none. You do not believe me, go find the clip of the 2008 Home Run Derby or read Hamilton’s book, Beyond Belief. When he is on, he is on! Earlier this year, we were treated to a major league record. Hamilton hit nine home runs in one week, four of them came in one game. What he did was so rare that ESPN interrupted their regularly scheduled programs to show his at-bats.

Even with all the talent that Hamilton has, I was stunned that the Angels gave him such a large contract. This summer, it had been reported that Hamilton would seek a $100 million dollar contract. Many questioned if he was worthy of such a large contract. I, too, questioned it. Like I said, when he is on, he is on! However, Hamilton can be inconsistent. Soon after going on that hot streak with the nine homers, he went into a slump. The slump got so bad that Manager Ron Washington actually took Hamilton out of the lineup for a few days. In 2010, Hamilton’s best year to date, he was named the AL MVP. He was in the running for MVP and the coveted Triple Crown earlier this year but soon fell out of contention. I must point out that he nearly managed to ruin Miguel Cabrera’s spot in history finishing one home run and 11 RBI’s behind Cabrera in the standings. So while it was not the best year by Hamilton standards, it was a better year than most.

It is going to be weird watching Hamilton play in LA next year. That means I will have to stay up later. Hopefully he will have a lot of east coast games. This also means I now have to get another Hamilton shirt. Maybe Santa will bring me one. Maybe I will put a call into the Rally Monkey(the Angels mascot). Maybe he can help me out.

Until next time…TOODELLS.

My all-time faves…

On By kassienetteIn 49ers, Baseball, Basketball, College football, Football, NFL, Sports, The Leukemia & Lymphoma SocietyLeave a comment

I present to you my 12 favorite athletes of ALL-TIME, in no particular order…

1. Ken Griffey, Jr~~I can admit, I was a little obsessed with Junior back in the day. I have a Griffey pennant on my wall(at my mom’s). The first pair of hi-tops I ever bought were the original Griffeys. I had a VHS tape full of his highlights and Home Run Derbys.  I would watch SportsCenter over and over just to see Junior. And I still stand by a statement I made a couple of weeks ago: the man has the prettiest swing. EVER.

2. Jerry Rice~~This should come as no surprise. When you think of the 9ers, you have to think of Jerry. The man holds bookoo(is that how you spell it?) records: most TDs scored with 208, most career TD receptions with 197, most career receptions with 1549, most career receiving yards with 22,895 and the list goes on. Add to that three Super Bowl rings, a Super Bowl MVP, Offensive player of the year honors, numerous pro bowl selections, a spot in Canton and you have the G.O.A.T.

3. David Thompson~~Man oh man. How I wish I was alive to see him play. Or how I wish he was playing when I was around :-}. The stories I have heard about Skywalker are just mind boggling. His athleticism, precision, vertical abilities and sheer domination are reasons enough to You Tube him. Need more convincing, Google David Thompson blocks Bill Walton. If you do not have Skywalker in your list when it comes to college basketball’s G.O.A.T. then you really do not know roundball at all. And if you have Michael Jordan on that list and not DT, then you have LACK credibility. It is that simple.  GO PACK!

4. Kristi Yamaguchi~~You would have thought I was dreaming of being a figure skater as much as I loved to watch Kristi skate. Her routines were flawless!! She was flawless! And her last name was flawless!

5. Michael Johnson~~I have been a track and field fan since I was a tiny tot. Loved participating. Loved watching. And I loooooooooved watching Michael Johnson obliterate the competition every chance he got especially in the ’96 Olympics. Other than Namath claiming a Super Bowl win, I have never seen a more bold proclamation than when Michael Johnson stepped onto the track in Atlanta in gold spikes. His then record-breaking 200m run is still my favorite Olympic moment.

6. Josh Hamilton~~If you have been around me the last few years then you know how I feel about Josh Hamilton. God-given extraordinary abilities, #1 pick out of high school, develops a bad drug habit, suspended from baseball numerous times, during a “high” moment stumbles into his grandmother’s house, she welcomes him in, he tries to go to sleep in her spare room, notices a Bible, flips through it until his eyes land on James 4:7, decides to dedicate his life to Christ, gets sober, gets back into baseball, finds a home with the Texas Rangers, sets a record in the 2008 HR Derby with 28 homers in the first round, 2010 AL MVP and is still adding to his resume. And his explanation for it all, “It’s a God thing.” Now do you understand why he’s one of my faves? Btw, if you have not read his book, Beyond Belief, do so!! Life changer.

7. Steve Young~~Yes, I love me some Joe Cool. However, Steve Young was my guy in the 90s. Dude was smooooooove, calm, cool and collected. Could scramble, throw on the run and was not afraid to talk a little trash. Plus he had that curly hair. My man.

8. Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway~~Talk about a throwback. Just like I was with Griffey, I was a little obsessed with Penny. I did not have highlight tapes but I did have his name plastered all over my wall and I used to record Lil Penny commercials. If only those injuries had not plagued him…

9. Gail Devers~~This was my girl!! That hair! That speed! Those nails!!

10. Russell Wilson~~Gamer. Baller. Professional. Hardworker. Resilient. Determined. Playmaker. Gamechanger. Anklebreaker. Humble. Kind. Leader. Wolfpacker for life.

11. Vince Carter~~I know. I know. Feelin a little bit like a traitor. He is a smerf but even I have to be honest when it comes to VC. Between ’99-’06, there was no baller player I enjoyed watching more than Vince. His athletic ability was like other worldly. Once he truly developed his game to go along with his athletic prowess, dude was nearly unstoppable. That 2000 dunk contest?! Best. Ever.

12. Peyton Manning~~Now normally, I would make the smerf LAST on my list but I can not let a smerf occupy my favorite number. I am sure ya’ll were wondering where #18 was. Do I even need to explain why he is on the list?

Until next time…TOODELLS.