God's Glory Through 2008 Home Run Derby

The 2008 MLB Home Run Derby occurred tonight and my Minnesota Twins were represented well as Justin Morneau came away the winner of the competition. Morneau's victory was overshadowed by the testimony of Rangers CF Josh Hamilton. I don't know if you've heard the story of Hamilton, who by the way at the break is batting .310 with 21 HR's and 95 RBI, but I will try and give you some background.

Hamilton finished as the runner-up to Morneau in the competition. I believe he was tired as he had belted a Major League record 28 home runs in Rd. 1. That is a breakout and career year for anyone playing for my favorite team, the Twins. These HR's weren't 314 foot shots to the short porch in Yankee stadium either as three of them traveled over 500 feet. He didn't even complete round 2 as he bombed another 4 out of Yankee Stadium and stopped to conserve energy for the finals. After Hamilton was defeated by Morneau in the finals he concluded his interview and being defeated with saying, "I just want my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to be honored and glorified tonight." (I watched Baseball Tonight later and they replayed this interview and cut it off just before Hamilton started talking about Jesus - that's the media for ya). Now I have seen this comment from musicians, actors, and athletes for years and I have always wondered if they really meant what they said - that they really wanted to give all the glory to Jesus? In Hamilton's case I truly believed this athlete - because of His testimony.

In 1999 the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (now the Rays) drafted Josh Hamilton out of a North Carolina high school with the number one pick in the MLB draft. It was the first time a high schooler had been selected number one since Alex Rodriguez was selected number one by the Mariners in 1993. Hamilton went to the Minors and was a blue-chip prospect that was on the fast track to the Majors. To make a long story short, Hamilton ran into trouble in his life as he became an addict to drugs and alcohol and was suspended by MLB for all of 2002 through 2005 (4 seasons). He burned up all of a $3.94 million dollar signing bonus that he received in 1999 on drugs and alcohol. Josh entered rehab (multiple times as he got out and failed 6 months later and was back on his addiction). Josh eventually found the ultimate healer, Jesus Christ in his life. Josh was reinstated by MLB when he was working for his brother's tree service in NC sending limbs through a chipper. Read some of his story here and here.

Here are some of the excerpts from stories on Josh Hamilton's faith:

• "I had taken Klonopin, a prescription antianxiety drug, along with whatever else I was using at the time, and the combination had put me over the edge. It's the perfect example of what I was: a dead man walking......And now, as I stand on the green grass of a major league outfield or walk to the batter's box with people cheering for me, I repeatedly ask myself one simple question: How did I get here from there?"
  
• "Baseball is third in my life right now, behind my relationship with God and my family. Without the first two, baseball isn't even in the picture."
• "I was driving out of the players' parking lot at Great American Ball Park after a game in May, with Katie and our two girls. There's always a group of fans standing at the curb, hoping to get autographs, and I stop to sign as many as I can. And on this particular night, a little boy of about 9 or 10, wearing a Reds cap, handed me a pen and something to sign. Nothing unusual there, but as I was writing the boy said, "Josh, you're my savior." This stopped me. I looked at him and said, "Well, thank you. Do you know who my savior is?" He thought for a minute. I could see the gears turning. Finally, he smiled and blurted out, "Jesus Christ." He said it like he'd just come up with the answer to a test. "That's exactly right," I said.
  
• "God told me he was going to give Josh baseball back, but it wasn't going to be for baseball," Katie says. "It was going to be for something much bigger. He was going to give Josh a platform to help others. He is the most beautiful choreographer. It's not by accident that all the things that have happened in our lives have happened."

By the way, Josh Hamilton hadn't played higher than Single-A ball (15 games) in his career before being on the Red's roster for 2007 (where he hit 19 HR's and 47 RBI in 90 games). I praise the Lord for stories like this that point to Christ. It would be very easy for Hamilton to say that he got himself out of his terrible situation, but he points all glory and fame to Jesus!