An inspirational story plays out on the baseball field

For those who aren't Major League Baseball fans, I completely understand. However, a few interesting things surfaced during the recent All-Star break that transcend the game itself.

The most inspiring story came with the emergence of Josh Hamilton, an outfielder with the Texas Rangers.

Hamilton, a former first pick in the draft in 1999, fell into a life of drug addiction and fell completely out of baseball. He seemingly threw away his future and squandered his money.

He has battled back through a strong support system and his strong faith in God. He's putting up monster numbers this year and openly told his story of addiction and recovery to anyone who would listen during the All-Star break. He hopes his story might inspire others struggling with drugs to turn around their lives.

It made him a fan favorite at the annual home-run derby. There he belted home run after home run, hitting 28 in the first round alone, a record. He even brought Clay Council, his 71-year-old former coach from North Carolina, to pitch for him during the derby. Hamilton won over a tough-as-nails Yankee Stadium crowd and won the hearts of millions. And those Yankee fans are tough. They boo their own. But they cheered on Hamilton and chanted his name.

You can blame Hamilton for getting messed up with drugs in the first place. That's fair. But why not praise him for leaving that life behind? It was just a few years ago when he hit rock bottom and ended up on his grandmother's doorstep in dire need of help. I can't wait for someone to make a movie about this remarkable story. His arms are covered in tatoos, most of which he got while under the influence. They serve as a reminder of his past and the daily battle he faces to keep the demons at bay. Hamilton didn't end up winning the home run derby, but that was only a technicality. No one could talk about anything else. The guy who did win, the Minnesota Twin's Justin Morneau, looked guilt-ridden. Hamilton put on the show. He's what people will remember.

On the less inspiring side, All-Star Chase Utley of the Philadelphia Phillies shamed my fantasy baseball team by saying a major boo-boo on national TV during the home-run derby. We're talking about the big one. The baddest of the bad. Remember the movie "A Christmas Story?" In this case, however, he completed the word to the shock of ESPN. Didn't Utley notice the microphone on his uniform? While this wouldn't make the Janet Jackson memorial hall of shame, it was an embarrassing situation for all involved. Utley has always come across as a hardworking, intense player, but one who hasn't let success go to his head.

In watching it live on TV, Utley was obviously mad that the crowd was booing him. He was at Yankee Stadium. What did he expect? He's lucky they didn't throw things at him. Yankees fans are notorious for booing. They even booed poor Roger Maris who had the nerve to break the single-season home run record as a Yankee.

To his credit, Utley has apologized and that's good enough for me, but this might hurt his image with some folks. The video is all over the Internet now.

A little humility could go a long way for him now -- and a few more home runs wouldn't hurt either.

Jon Jimison is editor of The Star