Dad didn't look much happier. "AJ better know what the hell he's doing there." He did. We wish Hamilton all the best in his ongoing struggle with addiction, and marvel again how much different it looks when a professional athlete falls off the wagon than it does for the rest of us. When they do it, they take shots off the breasts off beautiful women. When we do it, we vomit on the Buck Hunter game and urinate ourselves.

Josh Hamilton
Relapsed.
Found defenders.
Pleads human.
Chilled in Jesusland.

Josh Hamilton spoke to ESPN Radio in Dallas and after giving his usual props to J.C., points out that the jeers have not really gotten worse since the naughty pictures came out. Mostly because the kind of folks who come to a stadium to yell things like "where's the whipped cream!?" would have probably been screaming about his smack addiction anyway.

So yeah, there are some jeers, but there also cheers and he's still pretty much the hero he's always been. Maybe better. He's been on a tear this month, going hitless in only three games since this website posted the pictures and raising his average nearly 40 points in the process.

It kind of lit a fire under my butt as far as proving to people who sold the pictures, who tried to bring me down, tried to bring the team down. They thought it would be devastating to me to put that out there."

Man ... I may be wrong, but I think we just got faced.

Josh Hamilton Will Make A Good Evangelist Some Day [Sports Radio Interviews]

Praise be, it looks as if the spirit of the Lord done loosed the tongue of another member of the Josh Hamilton "support system" — none other than his wife, Katie, who is no doubt the most aggrieved party in all this mess.

Late on Sunday night, Katie Hamilton — or K-Ham, as I like to call her — took to the Dallas Morning News Rangers blog to respond to the hundreds of commenters who've been blessing us all with their opinions on the Hamilton matter.

Now, before we get into that, let's remember where we are here. Josh and Katie Hamilton's salvation story is taking place in North Texas, where for many folks Christianity and sports dovetail at an early age. Here, life shuttles continually between the Friday night lights and the Sunday morning pulpits, and the constant Bible-thumping begins to sound a little like the beat of the world's biggest drum.

I grew up in the Dallas-Fort Worth Jesusplex, and I can confirm that sports here — from Little League to the pros — are infused with the Good Word. When I was about 12, for instance, the third baseman for my fastpitch softball team got smacked in the noggin by a line drive — after she had crept even closer to the batter in case of a bunt. Her dad — our first-base coach — responded by laying hands on her and praying.

Then there are the Cowboys, once helmed by famous savior-lover Tom Landry, who once proclaimed on national TV, "You have to believe in Jesus Christ to play for the Dallas Cowboys." The edict may still hold-years later Deion Sanders and Michael Irvin sat at the feet of Dallas preacher T.D. Jakes, the devil-fighter whose "prosperity theology" posits bling as God's blessing. The new Cowboys Stadium is home to "I Am Second" acolytes like Jason Witten (who by the way, might have the most boring testimony on the face of the earth). If you need more evidence try going here, here and here, for starters.

Cowboys Stadium sits a stone's throw from Hamilton's domain, Rangers Ballpark. And both mega-stadiums are plopped in the middle of Arlington, home to clusters of mega-churches the size of shopping malls. The Hamiltons' saga is taking place in the midst of Jesusland, and because of that, it's playing out in a unique way.

Take Katie's appearance on the DMN web site. K-Ham's comments were mainly in response to postings from another commenter called "JJ," who questioned the wisdom of the Rangers possibly signing Hamilton to a fat long-term contract after his recent shenanigans. K-Ham's first response, while infused with Jesusness, proves pretty thoughtful, and indicates that she didn't exactly forgive Josh in a knee-jerky kind of way:

…to all those who "just can't forgive" Josh for this one night- I have a question for you: Why is it that I (his wife- the one whom he hurt the most, by far through this) can forgive him, but you can't?...Again, he's not perfect- this was a night that he's certainly not proud of, but I am very proud of how he handled it. He was very honest with me and those involved and didn't try to hide anything or cover up his mistake…
In His Grip,
Katie Hamilton

OK, that's a decent argument (although … "In His Grip"?!). But when JJ responds with an accurate portrayal of the duality of the situation — fans' response to Josh as a man versus their response to him as a player — K-Ham starts to lose her grip, as it were (all sic'd):

JJ, you are certainly entitled to your opinion. I have one question for you? JOsh drank ONE NIGHT! one night-and not during the season- ONE NIGHT IN 4 YEARS. How many other major league players or people on the earth for that matter, can you say that about. Probably not many. He drank ONE NIGHT IN FOUR YEARS and YES that is an absolute fact. So, if that one night is a make or break for you, then so be it.

And then a bit later:

One day we will leave baseball...it certainly doesn't last forever. However, GOD gave Josh that talent and it's FOR HIS GLORY. There are always "what ifs" in life. And yes, it was ONE NIGHT- you can choose to believe what you want. JOsh is in no way shape or form "chasing millions" that very thought or statement sickens my stomach. This job isn't about money, fame or "being a homerun king"...none of those things bring happiness and if that's what it was all about- neither Josh nor myself would be a part of it. WHat is IS about is glorifying God through a talent that HE gave Josh- and being obedient to the call in which He has placed on our lives. Which for right now.,,,IS BASEBALL.

Why is it the Christians always bust out with the all-caps? Maybe K-Ham is building a big wall of capital letters as a bulwark against what might be the truth, a truth none of us really wants to believe, but a truth that seems pretty apparent upon glancing at those bar photos: Josh Hamilton looks really happy in those pictures. He looks like a man whose life for the past five years has been, as he once put it, "Park. Home. Park. Home," a man who has been living day after day within arms' reach of his 60-something babysitter, and a man who, for a few hours, finally has some room to explode. Hamilton looks like a man unleashed.

I guess it probably does take a God with a strong grip to ward off such demons, and boy, does God have his fingers wrapped around Arlington. North Texas may in fact be the only place in the Major League universe that provides enough of a Christian bubble for the Hamiltons to keep believing. It plays here.

In the long run, despite the all-caps and the brimstone, this is probably a good thing. After all, Hamilton's religious conversion is the reason he's alive, and it's the reason he was able to man up and come clean to his wife and to the media about his giant slip-up. Say what you will about the relentless Bible-thumping, but if you listen to Hamilton's press conference on Saturday, you can't say he's not honest, or accountable, or remorseful, or embarrassed. North Texas will understand, which is probably why K-Ham felt comfortable making a cameo on the DMN's web site. (Imagine what would have happened if she had done likewise in, say, the New York Daily News' comments section.) This is a part of the country that knows sin and knows redemption and has seen plenty of its athletes walk the path between the former and the latter and back again. Josh Hamilton couldn't have picked a better place to redeem himself a second time.

The former Arts Editor of the Santa Fe Reporter and former Music Editor of the Dallas Observer, Jonanna Widner started her writing career covering the scintillating world of small-town Texas Little League and high school football. She has since moved on to write for several other outlets, including Bitch, Draft and Curve magazines. She also just finished the Dallas-Fort Worth handbook for Moon Publishing, so please buy it.

Narron, you'll recall, said that he'd "be shocked" if the photos I'd briefly described for him "had any validity." He didn't "put a lot faith" in them. He suggested they might have been doctored. I asked several stumbling variations on the question of whether Hamilton had backslid. He gave several confident variations on the answer, "Not to my knowledge."

Now, here's Hamilton from Saturday's press conference:

As soon as it happened, I called my support system, like the Rangers, MLB even, and told them what had happened. I was absolutely open and honest about it.

[...]

Johnny Narron was in Arizona. It's one of those things where, a little bit, when you start getting time under your belt, you start taking it for granted. You might feel like you can have some freedom every once in awhile. Obviously, I don't have enough time under my belt. It's not Johnny's fault. We have a good relationship and we trust each other. Obviously, I breeched [sic] that trust. I've asked for his forgiveness. We've done things to improve that and be on the same page even more.

So Narron knew, if we're to believe Hamilton. I'll grant the possibility that my questions were sloppy enough to allow for a certain lawyerly parsing on his part. For one thing, I was operating under the misapprehension that the photos were taken in March, not, as Hamilton clarified Saturday, in January. The alternatives are that Narron — who did not return my call this morning — was either lying to me to give Hamilton a chance to respond in full (understandable, but damned un-Christian of him) or the whole thing had just slipped his mind, making him perhaps the worst accountability partner in the history of drug addiction. Whatever the case, Narron is probably not someone in whom we should put a lot faith.

EARLIER: Josh Hamilton's Mentor: "I'd Be Shocked" If Photos Are Real

Just as there was a Lesson, with a capital L, to be learned in Josh Hamilton's recovery from alcohol and drugs, there is an equally important Lesson to be learned in his near-downfall, according to pretty much everyone who has written about it. No one is angry, no one is sad, no one is laughing with the delight of schadenfreude, they are just "Disappointed." (With a capital D.)

"Josh Hamilton is human" in case you didn't know. He confessed immediately to his family, his coaches and his God. He blames no one but himself, which is both forthright and impressive from today's athlete. No one's faith has been shaken, because Josh's hasn't been either. Even the "Josh Hamilton Sucks" forum is filled with positive messages. Everyone has his back.

Jay Mariotti's heart "sank" when he heard the news. He is not angry. (Although he maybe blames Johnny Narron.) People with addiction are never not addicted, as you have also been reminded. It's a lifelong struggle, and Hambone's struggle will continue to unfold in front of us.

And that's good, because the Josh Hamilton story has been too triumphant to implode now. Sport needs it. America needs it.

The other thing everyone agrees on is that no matter what Hamilton did in that bar, he's still better than the people who photographed it and passed them around. Like the "scum-laden photographer" whose karmic debt will soon be paid. The "Jezebels"—and not the good kind—who seduced and encouraged the unsuspecting innocent. (Seriously, this guy basically just called them whores.) And let's not forget the "gotcha web sites" (i.e., the one you're reading) that wallow in others misery. The internet is a bigger cesspool then Maloney's, but don't worry. We'll get ours.

That's how you handle a world that puts a camera in your keyhole, that demands the end of your privacy and free will because you happen to do something well. You look it right in the eye and make it blink, as all cowards do.

But Hamilton didn't seem interested in revenge. Besides, he has a much more menacing enemy, the one that wrestles for control of his impulses.

He's talking about The Devil. It's good to know that bloggers still rate below him on the evil scale.

Texas Rangers' Hamilton's story of salvation adds a chapter [Dallas Morning News]
Hamilton displays more character than those who exposed his weakness [OC Register]
Hamilton's stumble only says his story is unfinished [Star-Telegram]
Josh Hamilton's Triumphant Tale Too Special to Implode Now [Jay Mariotti]
The Roar of the Crowd [The Takeaway]

Obviously, there were many people displeased with our decision to run the photos on Saturday (besides David Ortiz, of course) that besmirched the blessed persona Josh Hamilton created for himself since he crawled out of a crack den four years ago. Casting stones is God's job and God's job only — especially when it comes to those who slurp body shots off of a giant pair of heaving breasts in a Tempe bar.

Many took their righteous outrage to our inbox. Here are a few choice selections:

Just wanted to let you know that I think your site stinks. I know you and all of your staff make no mistakes and are so perfect. It takes a lot to stay on the totally righteous path. Josh has done an exceptional job at remaining fateful to his wife Katie, his teammates, and his Savior. Does GOD condone our transgressions? No, but he does FORGIVE us no matter what, no questions asked. We all fight our personal demons everyday. Most of us have it easier because we don't have to worry about jackasses putting us in print. It takes a real man like Josh to be able to admit what he has done wrong to the whole world. He didn't make any excuses; he just acted like the man whose faith in GOD will get him, his wife, his teammates, and his fans through it all. Josh is a wonderful Christian role model for inspiring kids in keeping GOD first. I know that the devil needs to try and take people who help others find the light of Jesus down, but it is a shame that people like you doesn't realize that we all are human. Next time you want to drag someone down in the dirt with you, think about how you would feel if your life will feel when GOD reviews your life to be judged.

Sincerely,
Ken

AJ Daulerio,

I have a tip for you, stop smearing Josh Hamilton because your workers have no writing talent and you produce an tattle-tale, garbage website. It is hacks like you that are ruining the country by turning American culture into a joke. You abuse the American right to freedom of press, intended to serve and protect her citizens and hide behind it, enabling yourselves to advertise racy and private things, in order to grab the attention of desensitized citizens and in turn mark-up the cost your affiliated commercials. Do you care that baseball is America's past-time and is currently struggling to recover from a black eye due to steroids? No. That Josh Hamilton is a hero to many kids and sports fans of all ages and that he should be entitled to his private life as I'm sure all of your alleged "writers" enjoy theirs? No. I bet if you saw your neighbor with another woman behaving inappropriately at a bar, you wouldn't send his wife an email with pictures, captions, and poorly written story would you? Especially if the man was in the physical shape Hamilton is in, because he would kick your ass you little back-biting pussy. What would the collective pulse of the other neighborhood men be if they heard you went around tattling on guys for basically being guys? You would be treated like the degenerate you are. Lucky for you Josh can't call you on behaving like a little bitch, because he'd be shunned again. As such, and in defense of one of my favorite players, I took it upon myself to personally email you and let you know that in 50 years people will remember Josh Hamilton for his HR derby display in Yankee stadium, for his honesty and character, for his undeniable athletic ability, and for his ongoing struggle that media assholes such as yourself have forced him to bear so publicly. However, no one will remember deadspin.com, or you because you are a scumbag that led your life without honor and chased the coattails of great men hoping to shame them for a dollar. Fuck you, and fuck your entire staff of bumbling retards,

Mike R

So you feel real proud of yourselves by posting pictures of Josh Hamilton like a second rate National Enquirer.

Everyone who works for this trash tabloid website are just a bunch of jerkoff douche bags who never amounted to anything. A bunch of jock sniffing faggots who can't even report for credible news sources.

Fuck you losers, and please make everyone happy and just die.

I, like most people, am totally annoyed by Josh Hamilton's God talk. However, why run those pictures? I'd like to think I would be more inclined to sit on those and check with the team and his agent to see what's going on for his own good instead of trying to monetize his problems. I don't know, you guys win me over for a little but then somehow always manage to creep me out. I say this with little or no malice but it must be hard to feel good about yourself with some of the shitty things you do to people.

And my personal favorite:

Subject: Loser

faggot ass motherfucing moron!

Update: A man named Travis has a few things to get off his chest...

T

o steal a headline from you, predictably the media and blogosphere are quick to jump all over someone like Josh who has professed his faith publicly. Predictably you are quick to shout "hypocrite" and various other "I told you so" euphemisms in order to tout yourself as above such mentally bankrupt philosophies as Christianity. By publicly humiliating Josh for his misgivings, you are able to make yourself and others feel a little bit better and a little bit more validated for not being a believer or not going to church. This is likely because we all have a whole lot riding on such choices, and if you were to admit that Josh was right, well then you'd be in a heap of trouble.

Is this a valid story? Without a doubt. Am I upset with you publishing the story? Not at all. But to try to use the story as a way to denounce religion and faith is not only a gross misunderstanding of Christianity and its principles, it's also insane. The only thing Josh has done is profess his faith, which he feels strongly about, and he's admittedly done so quite often. In no way has he ever implored others to join him, or condemned others for not sharing his beliefs. He hasn't forced you to listen. But somehow you guys try to act as if he has, or as if his message is now less true or less valuable. If you knew what his message was you would know that this is not only false but it's poor reasoning. I know you guys don't purport to be a true news outlet, but if you did this would also be very sub-par journalism. That being said, even commentary ought to be honest commentary, and I don't think you have any reason to believe that honesty is what you have engaged in with this story and your constant insinuations that because of this story, now Josh and all other Christians are forever hypocrites.

Why don't you publish this criticism along with the 4 bumbling idiots' emails you trotted out to embolden yourself?

- a not-terribly-religious person that's not trying to make excuses for Josh and still finds your treatment of this story deplorable.

Second Update:A man (woman?) named Ami has something to get off his/her chest.

You are a real asshole for writing that article on Josh Hamilton. I hope you get hit by a truck and die. Who cares anyways whether he is out having drinks? All you are doing is trying to hurt him and other athletes with your stories. The media and paparazzi suck.

Hamilton addressed the photos, apologized, and many of his teammates were in attendance. Hamilton claims he spoke with Rangers GM Jon Daniels about the incident — isolated, of course — and that it happened in January.

D Magazine has a direct quote and the story up:

"I'm embarrassed about it, personally, for the Rangers, for my wife, my children and my family," Hamilton said at his locker with a handful of his teammates joining the crowd of media that had formed. "It reinforces one of the things that I can't have is alcohol. It's unfortunate that it happened. I was out there getting ready for the season and took my focus off the number one factor in my recovery - my relationship with Christ. I hate that this happened..."I wasn't mentally fit or spiritually fit," he said. "It just crossed my mind ‘Can I have a drink?' Obviously, I can't. One drink leads to two and two drink leads to 10 or 12. When I was in AA, one saying I heard was one drink is too many and 1,000 is never enough. Alcohol just doesn't mix well with me."

And...scene. Alright, kids, I'm going to bed. I've been up for a while. Plus, I have many more emails to sift through that look like this:

So this is what you guys do? What until the heat of the MLB season and try to bring down a guy on a team that's in the playoff race? What a fuckin' life you must live, devoting all your time to showing the world the bad side of good people, as if society doesn't have enough bad shit spreading around. Why don't you go do something positive and spread good in the world. Fuckin' low-life

Expected.

Barry will be back tomorrow with a normal routine (hopefully) and I'm sure we'll be talking about this/fighting about this/ruminating about this come Monday as well.

Oh and one more thing. I think this story may have saved "Homecoming." You owe me, Reilly.

Thanks for your continued support of Deadspin. I know it hurts sometimes.

Narron has been at Hamilton's side since their days in Cincinnati (where Narron's brother, Jerry, was the manager). The two bonded over their shared faith, and when Hamilton was traded to the Rangers, Narron followed him. Today, he serves, in Sports Illustrated's words, as a "baseball mentor, personal confidant and chaperone." He is not a babysitter, as Hamilton has pointed out, but he does keep tabs on his charge's whereabouts and stays in an adjoining hotel room on the road.

"I'm with him all the time," Narron says. Which is why Narron doesn't "put a lot of faith" in the photos I've described for him. "He doesn't have to ask me to go anywhere. He tells me where he's going to be."

Narron was with him last spring, during Spring Training in Surprise, Ariz., which lies about 50 miles from Tempe, on the other side of Phoenix. That's where the photos were taken, in March. (UPDATE: The photos were taken in January, according to Hamilton.) I ask if it's possible Hamilton went to any bars there. "Not to my knowledge," Narron says, adding, "He recognizes that addiction to him was all-encompassing — alcohol, drugs." He notes that Hamilton undergoes regular drug tests (he's screened every three days) and "hasn't tested positive."

"I'm sure, in the depths of his drug addiction, he was in a lot of bars," Narron goes on, suggesting that the photos predate Hamilton's recovery or perhaps were doctored. "He was in and out of bars, crackhouses, everything. There are probably photographs of him in all kinds of places."

Narron hasn't seen any evidence of a backslide. We spoke on Friday afternoon. Only the night before, he tells me, Hamilton had gone out with teammates Dustin Nippert, Derek Holland, David Murphy. Upon returning, he popped into Narron's room and announced, "Hey, I'm back."

"I would just be shocked if [the photos] have any validity," Narron says. "He's obviously high-profile. A lot of people are pulling for him, and some people would like to see him fail. There are all types. We deal with the negative comments, take it and move on.

"The young man went through an awful lot. He admitted he made mistakes. He fought his way back from an addiction some people say you cannot overcome. He's tried to do everything he can to work through his faith to do the right thing. He's a very big inspiration to a lot of people. He's attempted to do it the right way, inspire people, be the man, the husband, the father he wants to be. It'd be a shame to see anybody try to tear that down."

These photos are from the beginning of March. January. Hamilton was doing some pre-Spring Training workouts at the Athlete's Performance on ASU's campus. He supposedly rented a condo nearby, which also happened to be near the popular ASU hangout, Maloney's Tavern. One night, Hamilton went in. Here is a paraphrased account from people who were there the evening Josh Hamilton showed up. They wish to remain anonymous.

Because it was Spring Break and relatively early on a weeknight, the bar was kind of empty. According to one person who was there, a former employee, this big guy strolled into the bar and politely asked if they could change the television station to the MLB Network. You can see Al Leiter's head in the background of this photo. The MLB Network, you remember, first hit the airwaves in January of 2009. So these photos were taken well after he's been power-hitting for Jesus. And, also, this is what Josh Hamilton looked like in 2005.

One of the waitresses went to get the manager to change the station. The manager came out and saw Hamilton at the bar. Hamilton introduced himself, "Hi, I'm Josh." They made smalltalk. "Baseball season didn't start yet, right?" the bar manager inquired. Hamilton revealed he was a player. The manager, a baseball fan, but not a huge one, finally recognized the man sitting in front of him. "Oh, you're the home run derby guy." Josh said yes. "Well, just for that, lemme buy you a beer," the manager said, not knowing the full extent of Hamilton's history. Josh said yes again.

From there, things got weird. Josh drank. Josh was charming. Josh was a hit with the waitresses and bartenders who were hanging out between shifts. Shots were poured. Lots of shots. Josh kept drinking.

The person who took these photos arrived around 9. By then Hamilton was pretty wrecked. He was friendly, though and, obviously, having a really good time. He didn't even mind that photos were be taken of him as he did body shot after body shot off of some of the off-work waitstaff. He joked with Hamilton that he was going to send these photos to ESPN. "I'll kill you," Hamilton said, half-joking.

The girls left. According to one patron, Hamilton, piss-drunk by that point, asked the manager where he could buy blow. The manager didn't know. "Let's go to a strip club," Hamilton said. Someone drove Hamilton to Les Girls in Phoenix, Arizona.

Nobody knows what happened to Josh after the strip club that night.

Now, Hamilton isn't drinking in these photos; he's not doing drugs, either. He's just at a bar, shirtless, doing things with some strange women that most married men devoted to The Word Of God wouldn't usually partake in. That's it. But would a sober Josh Hamilton agree to be photographed laying across the bar shirtless, covered in whip cream with his head between a random girl's crotch?

Maloney's closed down soon after these photos were taken. I originally heard about this story second-hand from a tip way back in March. It seemed, at the time, implausible given how upfront and rigid Hamilton has been about his sobriety and his religious awakening. But then there was another tip about another night during the same time period, also from a Maloney's Tavern patron in Tempe. Then the pictures appeared and the story became more legit.

So now, here we are. Much will be made that Hamilton's sub-par season and injuries were a direct result of him backsliding during the off-season. Maybe this was isolated — a brief moment of weakness where Hamilton, possibly alone for the first time in years, just fell headfirst off that wobbly wagon.

Hamilton homered last night, though, and the Rangers beat the Angels 11-6. And Hamilton's been better at the plate lately, which he claims is because he ditched his ADD medicine. Last night's performance even prompted to DMN writer Rob Stroope to proclaim,"It looks like he's back in the groove." Hope so. The Rangers are investigating. Hamilton is aware these photos exist. Statements, no comments, excuses, explanations shall be forthcoming. UPDATES: Narron speaks. UPDATES: Josh Hamilton speaks.

That night, according to the Smoking Gun, America's home run derby almost-king punched in the windshield of a friend's truck, tore off its rearview mirror, and busted a baseball bat over his knee. (Brute strength or junkie strength?)

Unlike the cracked-out wizard sleeves he's so ashamed of, Hamilton was at least able to remove the two earrings. Was he into Color Me Badd or something?

But tonight, the world will be anxiously waiting for Hamilton to hit another home run, to save everyone's mortal soul in "Left Behind"-like fashion, and complete his heroic comeback without the Justin Morneau letdown ending. The more interesting subplot at the All-Star Game will be hearing the heartfelt welcome the Phillies' Chase Utley receives from the New York fans after he politely told them to fuck themselves last night.

Of course, once again, we have the most estimable member of the Live Blogerati, Matt Sussman, dutifully chronicling all the All-Star action and showing off the raw keystroke power the Lord gave him.

Be bold tonight, Deadspin readers, and mighty forces will come to your aid. Come back tomorrow. Please?

Josh Hamilton Mug [The Smoking Gun]

Jeff Allison, the 23-year-old pitcher buried in the Florida Marlins farm system is destined to hear the Josh Hamilton comparisons throughout the rest of his career. Like Hamilton, Allison was a highly-touted prospect, a high school pitching phenom, who's been featured in more fall-from-grace stories than positive ones in his disappointing, drug-addled career. Allison, now a pitcher for the Single-A Jupiter Hammerheads, is keeping a close eye on Hamilton during this All-Star game. It's all he's got, really.

In the five years he's struggled in the minor leagues, he's had plenty of "he's turned the corner" moments, only to quickly stumble off the wagon and return to hopelessness.

The Boston Herald contacted Allison on the phone last night before Hamilton jaw-dropped the world with his first round Derby performance, just to see what he was feeling. Hope, of course. And sadness. Amazingly, Allison and Hamilton have yet to meet.

Josh Hamilton was where I am now. And I know that when he was in my situation a couple of years ago, he had some motivation behind him. I know if I ever meet him, I’ll have a few questions for him. For now, I’m going to watch the All-Star Game and it’s going to mean a lot to me to see Josh Hamilton on the field. I remember last year, when he got a standing ovation when he got his first hit, and it meant so much to me. I choked a little bit. It brought chills down my spine.

It's highly unlikely that Allison will bounce-back from his heroin addiction and live up to his golden-armed promise of 2003. His unspectacular numbers in single-A this season don't have him on the fast-track to the bigs anytime soon, but that's not the only thing that's important to him right now. "If Josh Hamilton can make it, I can make it, " he told the Herald. You get the sense that he wasn't just talking about baseball with that statement.

Jeff Allison Finds Inspiration [Boston Herald]

'I'm Proof That Hope Is Never Lost' [ESPN]

Since the winner of the Derby is kind of irrelevant in the grand scheme of sports, if MLB had their way, they'd have probably stopped the contest after Hamilton's 28. Unfortunately, they put these rules in place, and by gum, they're going to stick to them. As a result, Hamilton's reserve power stored in his arm ink finally dried up, and Morneau's five homers in the final was enough to beat the redeemed Ranger's three.

The All-Star Game can't be any better than tonight. Unless Hamilton his the game-winning home run or something. (Or if Rick Reilly is impressive on camera.) Because already his story dwarfs Rick Ankiel's comeback. ("Oh, you came back from ... sucking at pitching? Well, congratu-fucking-lations, I don't remember most of 2005.") Still, in case that game does top this contest, I'll be right here, live blogging that one too.

Moye is partners with former Expos and Cubs pitcher Scott Sanderson, who retired from the majors in 1996. UmpBump found this article, in which Sanderson explained how his faith has driven his career.

It wasn't until his freshman year at Vanderbilt that he trusted in Christ for salvation. When two of his senior teammates invited him to attend a Fellowship of Christian Athletes meeting, he jumped at the chance. "I'm the youngest of five children. I'm not impulsive," he said. "I don't react quickly to things I don't investigate. I did some investigative journalism and found out that the claims Jesus Christ made were correct. Shortly thereafter, I asked Christ to come into my life."

Because you can't just take someone's word for something, even if it's the Son of God. You have to check his file down at the Department of Records.

Also, do you really want a devout Christian agent to be renegotiating your Major League Baseball contract? Seems unwise to me. I would want the most devious, heartless, widow-swindling, puppy-kicking, Girl-Scout-cookie-stealing bastard I could find.

What Would Jesus Do? Switch Agents [UmpBump]
Former Big Leaguer Sanderson Now Models Christ As Player Agent [BP Sports]