Book reviews was always an element I wanted to add to the site since its inception. For some reason or another, I never got around to it until now. Maybe it just took the right book. Josh Hamilton’s book just came out, and it’s called Beyond Belief: Finding the Strength to Come Back. I was pretty harsh on the media for their overbearing display in regard to Josh Hamilton at the Home Run Derby. While I don’t disagree with what I wrote at the time since it was directed towards the media, all those gaga feelings started to come back when I read the book.
To start, Tim Keown did an excellent job taking Hamilton’s story and putting it into words. His sentence structure and syntax made it an excellent and smooth ride. Hamilton’s story took care of the rest. I think what really sets Hamilton apart as you learn in the book, is how great he was as a young kid. As a six-year-old, he apparently was so good he was playing on his brother’s 11-12 year-old team — and producing. He was groomed to become a baseball player, working out and practicing constantly. As an 18-year-old when he was first drafted, he beat Jose Canseco in a home run derby during one of Tampa Bay’s pre-game batting practice sessions. The kid could hit 500 foot home runs in high school. He was just awesome. Superhuman. After taking you from his childhood background through the time he was drafted and the first couple years in the minors, the book then starts to get inside Hamilton’s head to see what led to his downfall.
