Part of the reason why I enjoy sports so much is the feeling I get witnessing someone achieve their goal. When someone has been working their whole life at something, and you get to see them reach the pinnacle of their dream, it gives you goosebumps and sends chills down your spine.
Josh Hamilton is 4 games away from his pinnacle.
Hamilton is different than most though. His road to glory has been a dark one. His story has been told a dozen times over but in case you don’t know it, I will let him tell it to you….
Josh Hamilton has owned up to everything he has ever did. He has never made excuses for his past. He is an extremely religious man who believes God allowed him to hold on to his baseball abilities for a higher purpose. He believes that his tattoos, all 24 of them, and the fact that he has gone through such hell, will allow him to reach out to more people than if he was just some straight laced kid.
It is hard not to root for someone like that. We are a forgiving society, we respond better to the truth. And the truth is, even after losing his prime years to drugs, not picking up a bat for 3 years, Josh Hamilton is arguably the most talented player in the game.
At age 30, with a body that has been broken down from years of abuse, there is still nothing he can’t do on a baseball field. Just ask his teammates who are in awe of him everyday.

OF Julio Borbon- “Pitch up and in. I remember coming to the realization that there’s no way a human can drive a pitch like that. And he hit it to the opposite field.”
OF David Murphy- “It was a head-high line drive from the wall to second base. There can’t be too many throws in the history of the game that were better.”
Hamilton missed 30 games this year due to injuries, something that will most likely be an every year ordeal. Still, he led all of baseball with a .359AVG, led the AL in slugging at .633 and OPS at 1.044. He hit 32HR and drove in 100 runs for the Texas Rangers who just knocked off the Yankees to advance to their first ever World Series.
In the 6 game series, Josh was 7-20 (.350) with 4HR 7RBI 6R and was walked 8 times.
Josh Hamilton once had a dream during one of his drug induced nights. He dreamed that he would win the Home Run Derby at Yankee Stadium. That dream happened sometime around 2005 when the thought of him playing in the majors again was inconceivable. In 2008, Hamilton set the Home Run Derby record with 28 HR in the first round….at Yankee Stadium.
Here he is hitting one completely out of the ballpark….an estimated 502ft….with relative ease.

Part of the reason why I enjoy sports so much is the feeling I get witnessing someone achieve their goal. When someone has been working their whole life at something, and you get to see them reach the pinnacle of their dream, it gives you goosebumps and sends chills down your spine.
Josh Hamilton is 4 games away from his pinnacle.
Hamilton is different than most though. His road to glory has been a dark one. His story has been told a dozen times over but in case you don’t know it, I will let him tell it to you….
Josh Hamilton has owned up to everything he has ever did. He has never made excuses for his past. He is an extremely religious man who believes God allowed him to hold on to his baseball abilities for a higher purpose. He believes that his tattoos, all 24 of them, and the fact that he has gone through such hell, will allow him to reach out to more people than if he was just some straight laced kid.
It is hard not to root for someone like that. We are a forgiving society, we respond better to the truth. And the truth is, even after losing his prime years to drugs, not picking up a bat for 3 years, Josh Hamilton is arguably the most talented player in the game.
At age 30, with a body that has been broken down from years of abuse, there is still nothing he can’t do on a baseball field. Just ask his teammates who are in awe of him everyday.

OF Julio Borbon- “Pitch up and in. I remember coming to the realization that there’s no way a human can drive a pitch like that. And he hit it to the opposite field.”
OF David Murphy- “It was a head-high line drive from the wall to second base. There can’t be too many throws in the history of the game that were better.”
Hamilton missed 30 games this year due to injuries, something that will most likely be an every year ordeal. Still, he led all of baseball with a .359AVG, led the AL in slugging at .633 and OPS at 1.044. He hit 32HR and drove in 100 runs for the Texas Rangers who just knocked off the Yankees to advance to their first ever World Series.
In the 6 game series, Josh was 7-20 (.350) with 4HR 7RBI 6R and was walked 8 times.
Josh Hamilton once had a dream during one of his drug induced nights. He dreamed that he would win the Home Run Derby at Yankee Stadium. That dream happened sometime around 2005 when the thought of him playing in the majors again was inconceivable. In 2008, Hamilton set the Home Run Derby record with 28 HR in the first round….at Yankee Stadium.
Here he is hitting one completely out of the ballpark….an estimated 502ft….with relative ease.

A candlelight vigil in memory of Valerie Hamilton has been scheduled for this evening in Concord.

The vigil, sponsored by Concord city officials and the Cabarrus County chapter of Mothers of Murdered Offspring will be at 7 p.m. next to the Concord Police Department on Market Street.

Cabarrus Avenue, between Union and Spring streets, and Market Street will be closed to vehicular traffic during the event. Those attending tonight's event are asked to park in the Cabarrus Avenue parking deck across from police headquarters. The deck can be reached from Union Street, using the driveway next to the library.

Mothers of Murdered Offspring is a victims' rights organization founded in 1993 in Charlotte. It provides a variety of support services for families who have lost a child to murder.

A candlelight vigil in memory of Valerie Hamilton has been scheduled for this evening in Concord.

The vigil, sponsored by Concord city officials and the Cabarrus County chapter of Mothers of Murdered Offspring will be at 7 p.m. next to the Concord Police Department on Market Street.

Cabarrus Avenue, between Union and Spring streets, and Market Street will be closed to vehicular traffic during the event. Those attending tonight's event are asked to park in the Cabarrus Avenue parking deck across from police headquarters. The deck can be reached from Union Street, using the driveway next to the library.

Mothers of Murdered Offspring is a victims' rights organization founded in 1993 in Charlotte. It provides a variety of support services for families who have lost a child to murder.

The actor George "Perma-Tan" Hamilton turns 71 years young today. And while Mr. Hamilton is not a runner (at least not to my knowledge), when I read this news, I immediately thought, Wow. The man doesn't look a day past 68.

But immediately after that, I thought, This would be a nice opportunity for an RW Daily Reader Poll.

Finally, I thought, I'm hungry. Maybe a bowl of cereal would be good.

So I ran to the kitchen for a bowl of cereal, and then created a little reader poll in honor of Mr. Hamilton.

And here it is.

The actor George "Perma-Tan" Hamilton turns 71 years young today. And while Mr. Hamilton is not a runner (at least not to my knowledge), when I read this news, I immediately thought, Wow. The man doesn't look a day past 68.

But immediately after that, I thought, This would be a nice opportunity for an RW Daily Reader Poll.

Finally, I thought, I'm hungry. Maybe a bowl of cereal would be good.

So I ran to the kitchen for a bowl of cereal, and then created a little reader poll in honor of Mr. Hamilton.

And here it is.

Scott Hamilton, world-renowned figure skater and Olympic Gold Medalist, is back on the ice this month after more than five years without skating due to a brain tumor scare.

Also a testicular cancer survivor, Hamilton will participate in a Thanksgiving Day special with fellow cancer survivor Dorothy Hamill. The entertainment-based show "Kaleidiscope" will air Nov. 26 on Fox and also feature other prominent skaters like Kristi Yamaguchi and Nancy Kerrigan.

Hamilton told Fox New York, "I decided this year to take charge of my health, and get back on the ice after five years. It's taken 12 months to get to this point but I'm a work in progress."

"Onward and upward," he added. "If you don't ask your body to do something, you'll never get an answer."

Scott Hamilton, world-renowned figure skater and Olympic Gold Medalist, is back on the ice this month after more than five years without skating due to a brain tumor scare.

Also a testicular cancer survivor, Hamilton will participate in a Thanksgiving Day special with fellow cancer survivor Dorothy Hamill. The entertainment-based show "Kaleidiscope" will air Nov. 26 on Fox and also feature other prominent skaters like Kristi Yamaguchi and Nancy Kerrigan.

Hamilton told Fox New York, "I decided this year to take charge of my health, and get back on the ice after five years. It's taken 12 months to get to this point but I'm a work in progress."

"Onward and upward," he added. "If you don't ask your body to do something, you'll never get an answer."