Green: Hamilton provides an important message
“It’s a lousy night to be an atheist,” quipped ESPN announcer Rick Reilly, as born-again slugger Josh Hamilton jacked an unprecedented 28 dingers in the first round of Tuesday night’s Home Run Derby, some soaring over 500 feet. Of course, the Lord’s sense of plot faltered in the final round, when Hamilton lost to Twins’ first baseman Justin Morneau. Nonetheless, undeterred sideline reporter Erin Andrews rushed over to Hamilton for her first post-derby interview. Then, Morneau, his name mangled by announcers and officials alike, graciously proceeded to answer questions about … Josh Hamilton.
In this, the home run derby was merely a microcosm of the season, a season in which Hamilton’s amazing comeback has been documented by a sports media so gushing in its coverage it would put an open fire hydrant to shame.
I admit, as far as stories go, it’s a pretty good one. First, there was a five-tool player, a first-round draft pick and a $3.96 million signing bonus. Then there were drugs, arrests and 26 tattoos — every one of which he now regrets.
Finally, after a family intervention and a renewed commitment to Christ, Hamilton returned to baseball. Now, scouts and teammates call him the best baseball player they’ve ever seen. Announcers call him a role model for children. And Hamilton — still humble despite his overnight celebrity — tells his story at churches, schools and community centers, so that others can learn from his mistakes. And of course, he’s got 21 homers, 95 RBIs, and a .310 batting average.
It’s got the classic storyline of sin and redemption, the sort of story for which we Americans have a special soft spot. And in a baseball season that has witnessed the Mitchell report, the Roger Clemens-HGH-Mindy McCready legal quagmire, the indictment of Barry Bonds, and the ultimate paparazzi dream of an A-Rod/Madonna extramarital tryst, it’s easy to understand our hunger for a feel-good tale.
The problem is, I just don’t feel good about it. Given the choice, I think most of us would rather be boring and content than be “a great story” at the cost of hurting ourselves and our families.
We should wish Josh Hamilton well, not because he found God or because of his talent, but because he found the strength to change.
He’s not a role model for children — though he’s a great role model for people struggling with drugs and alcohol. He’s not a hero — any more than other recovering addicts who have clawed their way back to sobriety. And he shouldn’t be canonized while hundreds of thousands of others — others who are disproportionately African-American — still languish in prisons overcrowded by the war on drugs. Yes, we should tell Josh Hamilton’s story, but we must also tell theirs.
The lesson here is not that addicts can become All-Stars. It’s that when America wants to, we can forgive.
Sarah Green is a freelance writer. She can be reached at sgreen@gmail.com.
