Jeff Parker is our resident sports aficionado (see his article on the power of sports films) so he jumped at the chance to reflect on Josh Hamilton’s Home Run Derby experience. Enjoy:
As redemptive stories go, it is hard to top that of Josh Hamilton’s. It was only nine years ago that Hamilton, as an 18-year old baseball prep star and first overall pick in the 1999 draft, was declared a once-in-a-generation talent that had every tool a baseball player needed. Not to mention, scouts and general managers of major league teams drooled over his character and added points to his scouting report for being a churchgoer. However, an injury in August 2000 sidelined Josh and sent him into a drug and alcohol binge that lasted nearly five years. Those years saw Josh blow through his $3.96 million signing bonus, get suspended by Major League Baseball, and nearly lose his family, his wife, and his own life. After hitting rock bottom in 2005, Josh spent the next couple of years cleaning up his life and trying to get to reinstated in the game he was meant to play.
So when Josh Hamilton stepped up to plate at Yankee Stadium on Monday for baseball’s Home Run Derby, redemption had already been found. As balls rocketed off his bat in record fashion, one can only imagine the thoughts weaving through Josh with his family witnessing what must be their own personal miracle. Sure, baseball is just a game. But for one July night in the Bronx it sure felt like something more.
It bears mentioning that the Home Run Derby has produced amazing feats before. Sammy Sosa once hit a 524-foot home run. Bobby Abreu recently hit 24 home runs in a single round. Both were memorable accomplishments but neither included the redemptive undercurrent of Hamilton’s journey. Sosa’s and Abreu’s moments were just about baseball, while Hamilton’s was about so much more because of his story.
With this in mind, what are some sports stories that have moved you or that you have used in your ministry to highlight a truth about God?