MLB Notes: Overlooking the Best Story.

Baseball is off to a swift start this season. The discussion thus far has been Barry Bonds and his quest to beat Hank Aaron' s (the most underrated player in baseball history) Home Run record. His totals are of note: first in homers (755), third in hits (3771), first in RBI (2297) and in a mass of other categories. Three gold gloves and MVP, 240 stolen bases and breaking the Home Run record while the country tried to overcome its history of hate. While I follow Barry Bonds' quest I am ambivalent just as Hank has said. Bonds was my favorite player as a young adult and his career, before he morphed into Babe Ruth, was a hall of fame one.

Alex Rodriguez, however is upstaging Barry Bonds with a Ruthian performance of his own. To date: he is batting .379 with 12 HRs and 31 RBI. He is having an historic April. ARod may be back to the player he once was, the most feared hitter in baseball and the heir apparent to the title: "the best ever."

This brings us to the real story of the baseball season. Is it Red Sox/Yanks rivalry back in the front pages, Glavine going for 300 wins, Griffey and the newly emergent Sammy Sosa ready to be the fifth player to hit 600 Home Runs? Nope. Note even close. His name is Josh Hamilton. Haven't heard of him? You will. Josh Hamilton first and foremost describes himself as a "drug addict...and it is going to be like that for the rest of my life."

He is a 6'4", 235 pound power house. In 1999 he was an all-American considered as a "can't miss" five tool player out of Raleigh, North Carolina. He was drafted #1 by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 1999 in the amateur draft. Steve Henderson, the hitting coach described him as a young George Brett, who will hit .300, 30 Homers a year and run. He also had the best left handed throwing arm Henderson had ever seen. In short this kid was a once in a decade kind of player.

Then, Hamilton met crack and it all came crashing down. He lost everything. His baseball contract, his wife and young child, his family had given up on him and he says today: "I can't believe I am alive today." He ended up on his grandmother's porch at two in the morning 50 pounds lighter, looking ill, trembling and without sleep in four days. His granny nursed him back to health and after he gained the trust of his family and most importantly himself, he decided to give baseball another try. His $3.96 million dollar signing bonus gone, he appealed to the commissioner who allowed him to participate in baseball activities.

Eventually, he was picked up by the Cincinnati Reds and this spring hit .400 to the amazement of anyone who was paying attention. Once the season began he was expected to fill in as a fourth outfielder for the Reds, while Griffey, Dunn and Freel get the majority of the starts. His first start was delayed by the flu, but once in the line-up Hamilton has not disappointed. As a part-time player, he is hitting .295 five HR, 11 RBI and 10 runs.

While his baseball talent is clear, he understands that the greatest challenge lies ahead. Staying sober. He knows it will be a struggle for the rest of his life.

For sports writing with a social conscience, check out Dave Zirin's the edge of sports at http://www.edgeofsports.com/index.html