Putting the Hard(y) Days Behind Him

Two days after the New York Yankees won the World Series last year, J.J. Hardy was awaken from his sleep by Milwaukee Brewers GM Doug Melvin, who proceeded to inform him he was being traded to the Minnesota Twins. Hardy, fresh off a disappointing 2009 campaign that saw him toiling around during the Dog Days of August at Triple A, wasn’t surprised in the least bit:

“I expected to get traded, I knew I was getting traded, (but) I didn’t know where I was going. When I got the call and was told it was the Twins, I was pretty excited.”

For the average Minnesota Twins fan, it’s easy to understand his excitement. A new ballpark, competitive team, and all-around respected organization would be a few of the many reasons why. But for Hardy, the real reason was beyond anything most of us could ever understand.

“I swung out of my shoes. About halfway through, my shoulder pops out and swings around my body. I go down and I knew I needed surgery right then.”

It’s early in the 2004 season for Milwaukee’s Triple-A affiliate Indianapolis. Hardy has just swung at a pitch so hard that he tore the front and back of the labrum in his left shoulder and suffered damage to the shoulder capsule. A promising start that was sure to include a trip to the Big Leagues ended with a ticket home; Hardy’s season was over.

“I didn’t know what was going on,” Hardy said. “It was a shoulder injury that who knows if you’re going to come back from or not.”

Openly admitting he didn’t handle the injury well, Hardy was facing a long battle back – a battle that would include his best friend and older brother, Logan.

The Hardy boys grew up playing sports together; Logan was a star golf, tennis, and volleyball player who had a bright future on the links. But that future would never become reality, as Logan’s girlfriend got pregnant and he joined the Army. Ultimately, Logan would end up in Iraq, only to return to Arizona in 2004, right at the time brother JJ was handling his own personal issues.

Together, the Hardy boys dove into a deep and dark depression: JJ dealing with a potential shattered dream and Logan dealing with Post-Traumatic Stress in light of his experience overseas. Other than his occasional rehab for the shoulder, the two stayed put, moving in together and even ordering in food in favor of venturing out into Tempe.

Said Hardy, “We’d go out at night, sit in the hot tub for like 40 minutes and just talk. That’s where we would get everything off our chests. He talked about stuff he saw in Iraq, talked about stuff he had to do…how he felt he screwed up and had so many opportunities and got married to the wrong person”

Together, they reached a point where both were able to see the light they so desperately needed. For Hardy, that meant getting the shoulder back in shape and changing his attitude. Hardy eventually made it to the Show, becoming an All-Star in 2007 and smashing 26 home runs and driving in 80. He followed that up in 2008 with another solid season, hitting 24 home runs with 74 driven in. His stock had gone through the roof and much was expected in 2009.

“I was really hard on myself. I felt like I couldn’t do anything right. If I had a 2-for-4 day or a 1-for-3 day, which is pretty decent, it wasn’t good enough for me. I came to the ballpark in a bad mood the next day. I just kind of learned to not be so hard on myself.”

Hardy’s ’09 campaign was full of mental struggles and mechanical failures. Both being out of whack, Hardy batted .228 in June and July, followed by an anemic .190 in August. Hardy was shipped back to Triple-A until his call up in September, where he split time with prospect Alcides Escobar.

Hardy wasn’t sure where he would be next. That is, until the Twins came calling.

Now 28 games into the season, Hardy is the starting short-stop on arguably the best team in baseball, having committed zero errors in the field and hitting a respectable .250 with three home runs and 11 RBI. Just yesterday, Hardy single-handedly won the Twins a game that appeared to be slipping away.

With two outs and the go-ahead run at second, Hardy ranged to his right on a ground ball in the hole, fully extending to cut a ball that surely would have scored a run. Having the awareness to stay with the play, he threw behind the over-anxious Tiger runner at third, who round the bag with his head down. A Nick Punto tag-out brought JJ Hardy to the plate with one out and no one on. A long, deep fly ball to left put Hardy on third and the win only 90 feet away. A wild pitch with Wilson Ramos at the plate scored Hardy, the game-winning run, and brought mayhem from the Twin’s dugout.

For Hardy and the Twins, 2010 has gotten off to a better start than either could have dreamed of.

“It’s a great organization, a great team. (They) have a lot of fun, play the game right, it’s good; I am off to a good start.” said Hardy.

Hardy has come a long way since those dark days shacked up in his Tempe apartment. He learned from his mistakes and persevered, relaxing and learning to start over.

It’s exactly what he needed. And exactly what the Twins needed. They finally have the shortstop they’ve been looking for.

Hardy finally has a place to call home.