a few things to consider why you figure out how the Red Sox blew a 10-1 lead last night…

+ We’ve written about Josh Hamilton at PFB before, but Guideposts has a new article up on him that he wrote himself. Worth a quick read.

+ Many of you read about the Ohio High School football coach, Ed Thomas, who was murdered last week. But you might not have read the words that Green Bay Packer Aaron Kampman spoke about Thomas after his passing (via Justin Taylor’s Blog):

Coach Thomas was very special to me and many other young men from the Aplington-Parkersburg communities. His legacy for many will be identified with his tremendous success as a football coach. However, I believe his largest legacy comes not in how many football games he won or lost but in the fact that he was a committed follower of Jesus Christ. He lived his life trying to exemplify this faith and convey those values to those under his influence. His faith in Christ pervaded everything that he did and that is why in the midst of the heartache we all feel there is comfort in knowing he is with his Savior.

+ The Bleacher Report has a slideshow of the “Influential Christians in the Sports World”. Not sure why they included the late Reggie White, but there are some good quotes from Pujols and Mo Rivera, to name a few.

While skimming through my Publisher’s Marketplace weekly Publisher’s Lunch email I found this little tidbit in the “New Book Deals” section:

Texas Ranger Josh Hamilton’s comeback story from blue chip prospect to addict to American League All Star; after being confronted by his grandmother at rock bottom, Hamilton embraced Christianity, found his faith, and made it back to the pinnacle of his profession, to Harry Helm at Center Street, by Richard Abate at Endeavor.

I’m assuming this is a book that Hamilton is helping to write, but I could be wrong. In any event, it should make for a good read.

Being the slow sports news day that it is, there’s no way you can escape coverage of Josh Hamilton’s historic performance in the first round of last night’s Home Run Derby. It was a pretty magical moment, to be honest.

Imagine if, 5 years ago, I had told you that this drug-addicted kid would have all of Yankee Stadium chanting “HAM-IL-TON, HAM-IL-TON” as he pounded 13 homers in a row into every deck of right field. You might have believed me, I guess, just because of the enormous potential that this kid always had. But to see him follow up a 95-RBI first half with that sick display of power was, in the words of Tommy Boy, “AWESOME!”

We wrote about Hamilton back in January, pointing you to a story on his recovery in the Dallas Morning News. It’s a good read if you’ve got a few minutes. The story talks about Hamilton’s faith, something he mentioned last night in multiple interviews with ESPN’s Erin Andrews. Before his turn at bat last night he talked about a dream he had of hitting home runs in Yankee Stadium and using the platform to tell people about what God has done for him. 28 Home Runs later (including one that traveled 518 feet), he did just that, telling the crowd and the National TV audience how amazed he was that God turned his life around so fast.

It was a heartfelt moment of sincere gratitude and praise for God on the grandest stage of all, and something Hamilton will probably remember for the rest of his life.

I know I will.

Update: Here’s the video of all 28 of his first round homers.

Back in January we pointed you to the amazing story of Josh Hamilton’s rise and fall as a big league star, and how he rose again (in life and in baseball) thanks to a newfound faith in Christ and a commitment to stay clean and disciplined.

If you’ve watched any baseball this year, you know that the story is only getting better. Hamilton is absolutely raking. Like Big Brown and his cracked hoof, Hamilton is a legitimate triple crown threat, with a batting average of .327 (4th in the AL) with 17 HR (1st in AL) and 68 RBIs (1st in AL). Considering his average draft position in ESPN Fantasy Leagues was 112th, it’s safe to say that he’ll be the centerpiece of many a winning fantasy team come September.

The MLB Baseball Package on DirecTV has afforded me the opportunity to watch a handful of Rangers games this year, and I’ve been just as impressed as everyone else. In fact, he hit a home run the other day on a pitch that was up at his nipples. Not sure anyone else in the game could have put that pitch in the seats except for Vlad. (and maybe Barry Bonds, except, he’s not actually in the game).

This morning, Deadspin picked up on a story from SI.com that Hamilton has switched agents in the middle of contract negotiations with the Rangers. According to Jon Heyman, Hamilton switched from Matt Sosnick to Michael Moye, and apparently told friends he made the switch because he wanted to be with “a christian stable.”

You see? And you thought the only thing Hamilton had in common with Big Brown was that whole Triple Crown business.

(h/t: Deadspin)

The Dallas News has a riveting piece on Texas Rangers’ outfielder Josh Hamilton, and the hard journey that has led him to God. This guy tried pretty hard to throw away some amazing God-given talents, but apparently God had other plans.

Worth a few minutes to read the whole thing if you have the time. I especially like this quote from Josh’s wife Katie,

“God told me he was going to give Josh baseball back, but it wasn’t going to be for baseball…It was going to be for something much bigger. He was going to give Josh a platform to help others. He is the most beautiful choreographer. It’s not by accident that all the things that have happened in our lives have happened.”

(H/T: reader Aaron Lewis)