June in Baseball: Pedro's Back, Hamilton's Reclamation

-Huge start by Pedro Martinez for the Mets last night. The 36-year-old righthander returned from the DL with a strong performance (6 IP, 3 ER, 109 pitches) against the Giants, and in so doing picked up career win number 210---against just 93 losses. Pedro's fastball tops out around 90 mph these days, about 8 mph less than he threw in his prime, but the guy's versatile arsenal is enough to make up the difference. Curveball, change-up, slider: he's still got the location to throw them all for strikes. If Pedro can keep it up, he's the ideal #2 starter that GM Omar Minaya envisioned when he acquired Johana Santana from Minnesota as the team's ace in the offseason. The only chance New York has to climb right back into the NL playoff race is a healthy Johan-Pedro 1-2 punch.

-Texas Rangers' OF Josh Hamilton is as inspiring a story as there is in the world of sports these days . . . The 26-year-old Hamilton was the #1 overall pick by Tampa Bay in 1999's MLB Draft, then got seriously sidetracked by injuries and drug addictions along the way. Things were looking awfully bleak for Hamilton when he was strung out on crack-cocaine four years ago, but not so much these days. Through the help of devoted friends, a loving family and a strong refound faith in God, Hamilton got his life back on track. Last year, he finally debuted in the Bigs with Cincinnati and had a respectable .292 batting average and 19 HRs in just 90 games (wrist injuries limited him). This year, after a trade with Texas, Hamilton is hands-down the best hitter in his sport. Currently, he leads the American League in all three triple crown categories (.333 average, 17 HRs, 63 RBI) and is the first player ever to win AL Player of the Month in both April and May.

It's a remarkable comeback story that proves once again how people are indeed capable of overcoming serious addiction problems with the proper support---if they truly want to change themselves, that is. Keep it up, Josh.

-JAB