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Hamilton Gets A Second Chance

Reds centerfielder Josh Hamilton took a detour into drug addiction

By Max Brallier,  Newser User

Posted Apr 22, 2007 10:28 AM CDT

(Newser) – Josh Hamilton was supposed to be a star. A North Carolina kid with Justin Timberlake  looks and astonishing skills at the plate and on the mound, he was so focused on the game he couldn't be bothered to go to the senior prom. But then he discovered cocaine. The drugs cost him three years of his baseball career.

Now he’s back. Writer Jeff Pearlman fell hard for Hamilton eight years ago: Here was a talent that could make a sportswriter giddy as a kid again. He watched miserably as his golden boy turned into tattooed drug addict. Now Pearlman's  got his fingers crossed as Hamilton reemerges as a force for the Reds.

Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds   (Associated Press)
Cincinnati Reds rookie Josh Hamilton smiles as he gets a standing ovation making his Major League debut as a pinch hitter in the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs, Monday, April 2, 2007, in Cincinnati. Hamilton flew out and the Reds won 5-1. (AP Photo/Tom Uhlman)
Cincinnati Reds rookie Josh Hamilton smiles as he gets a standing ovation making his Major League debut as a pinch hitter in the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs, Monday, April...   (Associated Press)
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