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Josh Hamilton thanks ‘Juice Lady’ infomercial (and God) for weight loss

Big League Stew

Slugger Josh Hamilton reported to Los Angeles Angels spring training Tuesday for the first time since coming over from the Texas Rangers via free agency. Hamilton and Albert Pujols in the same camp — in the same lineup! The power. When they met, it must have been like the manly embrace that Arnold Schwarzenegger and Carl Weathers shared at the beginning of "Predator." Just glistening biceps, legal testosterone and vaguely uncomfortable brotherly admiration.

And, at age 31, Hamilton has come in at least 20 pounds lighter than usual, reports Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register. How'd he do it? Juicing, of course:

The weight loss began as part of a fast Hamilton underwent for his church, he said. He gave up bread.

"The Lord kept waking me up in the middle of the night over a month and every time I'd wake up there'd be a doctor on [TV] talking about what you put in your body and how it makes you feel," Hamilton said. "And then the juice lady was on. It was like, all right, I always pray the Lord will help me feel better. Well, that's all great, but am I doing my part? Now its time for me to do my part."

[Also: King Felix gets his contract; Clay Buchholz gets hurt]

By juicing, he meant fruit and vegetable juice, not PEDs. Phew. No need for a spit take. Hamilton could have just had a V8, but why stop at one?! And by "juice lady," Hamilton might literally mean "The Juice Lady," noted nutrition author Cherie Calbom. Based on the themes of this infomercial — spirituality and healthy eating — it seems that two of Hamilton's worlds have collided:

Did you watch the whole thing? Of course you did. It lines up perfectly for Hamilton, a deeply spiritual recovering addict, in the post-rehab stage of his life. It might seem like a strange revelation for an experienced professional athlete like Hamilton — "Hey, I need to come into camp in shape!" — but it's a good sign that he's aware of his limitations increasing as he gets older. Maybe this health kick will head off a future injury that Rangers fans had gotten used to seeing.

And here's that "Predator" scene (mildly NSFW). Pujols, you son of a gun!

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