He is a direct reflection of what all young men strive to adhere to. From the millions of dollars, screaming girls, and record breaking accomplishments, he is an iconic figure in baseball history. I can almost bet you as you continue to read, he is signaling The Sign of the Cross, looking his wife in the eyes, and in a moderate jog, making his way to center field as the crowd goes wild. The thousands of fans are screaming his name though a tear slowly falls down his handsome face. You might wonder why this is happening. Behind his perfect smile, he is haunted by his dark and deep past of regret, which is resembled by numerous tattoos scarring his body.

Josh Hamilton came into this world on May 21, 1981 in Raleigh, North Carolina. His parents were both excellent athletes who played a strong role in his life. Tony, Josh’s father was the star baseball and football athlete, while his mother took the team to state on the softball diamond. Josh’s parents met on the diamond and were married as soon as six months later. Later Tony and Mary, his mother, had two boys: Jason and Josh.

As far back as Josh could recall, baseball had always been the greatest game known to man. Everything in the young boy’s life incorporated baseball in some form or fashion. Ironically, Josh’s family ate more “family dinners” at concession stands as opposed to the dinner table. Josh’s father, Tony, was a strict and demanding coach to Josh and his older brother.

With support from family members and the community, Josh’s dream to become a major leaguer and the first draft choice was always thrown across his mind. His parent’s still have a framed scratch paper in which Josh drew out prestigious and detailed plans to become a Major League Baseball Player. Josh was always told to follow his dreams. In addition to baseball, Josh decided to run track, and play football and softball. He always succeeded because he knew this would help his baseball career.

After endless days of batting practice, Josh would consistently exercise to improve his abilities in the great mental game of baseball. Setting numerous amounts of records at his high school, Josh became the poster- board athlete for the Athens Drive Jaguars. Josh was already being compared to sluggers in the big leagues and grew so large he had custom made apparel. After many successful years of high school and select baseball, he was headed into the June draft guaranteed to be the top 5 pick. Could his life get any better?

Josh was proving his talents in the minor league and in effect he signed an approximately 4 million dollar bonus with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He experimented with many teams proving his capabilities to become the top player. The tough work was taking a toll on his body. After an unexpected car wreck, Josh began to suffer from back injuries putting him on the DL.

At 20 years of age, Josh began to feel alone and unaccepted for the first time in his life after all the fame and freedom. He had time on his hands and money in his wallet, a lethal combination. Josh began to find a new friend group who did not make the smartest decisions. Suddenly he began to become covered in tattoos representing tribal tattoos and reflections of the devil and Jesus. He was becoming someone he did not even understand. Josh would soon make a decision impacting the rest of his life. It was one bad mistake. One experiment. His life would change forever.