The player with story - Josh Hamilton

http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070219&content_id=1807988&vkey=spt2007news&fext=.jsp&c_id=cin

“"There were many times I thought I'd never play again, just because of the lifestyle I had been living," Hamilton said. "Nobody can do anything productive out of what I was doing. There were definitely times I felt down and like I'd never get back to doing the thing I loved. God's grace got me here today."

Josh Hamilton, 這位1999年被 Tampa Bay 以 the first overall pick選走的具有天賦的棒球少年,在這段期間,不但因傷困擾,更陷入毒品的泥诏.在去年冬天被Reds以Rule 5 draft pick選來以前,四個球季僅在小聯盟出賽18場球賽.講實在,Reds選他來只是做個五萬五千美金的小賭博(我記憶中抽出這個數字,不確定是不是正確).五萬五隊一個大聯盟球團僅是九牛一毛.但對Josh Hamilton來說確是一個機會.若是在春訓表現好的話,將有一線生機被留在Reds25人名單之中,不然就會被送回Tampa Bay.

他當然有這個天賦(first overall draft),但是多年的受傷,毒品,以及幾乎沒有打球,會不會讓他的左手生鏽到無法調整到大聯盟的階層,這是可以預見的.畢竟,大聯盟25人名單不是那種伴家家酒似的競賽.不過, Reds 最少提供他一個機會.

這種逆境重生的故事若能成功,當然是那種那種灑狗血式的賺人熱淚好戲.這也是他的故事這一週以來一直出現在報紙及網頁上,最新的是今早的USAToday (全國性報紙),上星期還有華盛頓郵報(link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/12/AR2007021201312.html), local 的報紙跟電視台就更不用說了.

The spring training just starts this week, let’s wait and see.