Josh Hamilton Is Honest

That's Josh Hamilton's first big league hit, which also happened to be his first big league home run. We've given Hamilton a lot of attention here on the FanHouse, and for good reason: the guy's story is amazing. Once considered the top prospect in the game, he was pretty much left for dead as far as baseball is concerned after battling drug addiction the past several years.

He's resurfaced in Cincinnati this spring, but he's still battling addiction -- even though he's clean now, the temptation will exist for the rest of his life. In a Baseball Prospectus article (via Andrew Johnson) talking about his fast start (did you know only four other players hit their first six home runs faster than Hamilton?), he describes what lengths he goes to deal with that temptation:

"I never carry more than $20 in my pocket ,and my wife and I only have one vehicle in Cincinnati, and she is in charge of it," Hamilton said. "That's the best way to go, because it reduces the temptations. You can't buy drugs with only $20, and I won't have the urge to drive around and possibly find trouble if I don't have the keys."

He's honest with himself, and he's honest with the fans:

"One guy last night, yelled: 'I'm Josh Hamilton, and I'm a drug addict,' " Hamilton said.

Hamilton simply shook his head, as if to say "That's right."

"I was like, 'Tell me something, I don't know, dude,' " Hamilton said. "The guy loved it. He said, 'That's awesome! You're my favorite player.' Everyone went crazy."

I can see where that fan is coming from -- Hamilton's candor about his struggles is refreshing, and it makes him that much easier to root for.