Darkness To Light

Is there a better story than the rescue of the 33 miners in Chile? Through an international effort and many prayers, each one was brought back up safely months before the original projection date of Christmas. A great effort. It never got old seeing one miner after another coming up and being greeted by family members. A lot of heroism to go around with this experience!

In sports as in business-there are many situations where a person's performance has been impacted by an accident, situation or their own doing. As I thought about the miners, I thought of some sports stars that have seen the bottom, and have or appear to be making their way of out of the darkness.

Bobby Cox - he just retired after 32 years in the dugout or general manager's office. He was named Manager of the Year four times and won over 2,500 games. Last week, he managed his last game as he retired from the sport at 69. It was impressive that the Giants stopped their celebration on the field to tip their hat to Cox as he left the dugout. But not all was peaches and cream for Cox. In 1995, he was accused of punching his wife and pulling her hair. He completed a violence counseling session(s) and alcohol evaluation and charges were dismissed.

Michael Vick - we all know the story of Michael Vick. In August, 2007 he was convicted of animal cruelty and suspended indefinitely from the NFL. The Atlanta Falcons released him. He was broke and filed for bankruptcy. When he completed serving his time in 2009, he was signed by the Eagles and played sparingly last year. This year, he became the starting quarterback after Kevin Kolb was hurt in the first game. Since then, he himself got hurt and has missed two games. He is scheduled to be the starter when he heals. It appears that Vick is doing everything he can to turn the page. Time will tell on this one, but so far, so good.

Josh Hamilton - he is the center fielder for the Texas Rangers and will probably be the American League Most Valuable Player this year. He hit .359, hit 32 home runs and had 100 runs batted in. All this while missing most of September with an injury. His team is fighting the Yankees for the American League pennant as we speak. Hamilton was the first player drafted in 1999 by the Tampa Bay Rays. In 2001, he started down the long dark road of alcoholism and drug addiction. He has been in and out of rehab many times and didn't play baseball from 2004 to 2006. He has had many mentors and works hard every day to avoid temptation. He did slip in 2009 but has been clean since. His teammates chose to celebrate winning the series against the Rays last week with ginger ale in respect of his addictions. We all hope Josh Hamilton can slay the demons and continue with a successful career and care for his family.

Ron Washington - he is the manager of the Texas Rangers and has been since 2006. This spring, it was reported, and later confirmed by Washington that he had a positive test for cocaine. He admitted his mistake and has moved on to lead his team to the American League championship. His team and Rangers ownership backed him-not an easy thing to do. He is a good man who has been a baseball lifer-coming up with the Royals in 1970. Let's hope this was a one shot deal.

The Rangers have taken chances with Hamilton and Washington. Their support, accountability and high expectations have served them well on and off the field this year. Nolan Ryan is the owner-a great player, man and owner. He is a stand up guy and looks for others to do the same. That means he will look both men in the eye and ask them to be honest. To date, they both have looked at him and responded with honest answers. That's all we can do as leaders. Ask for an honest day's effort, tell the truth and then be supportive. Good luck to all and thank God the miners are free!