The Mavericks and the Heat kick off the NBA Finals Tuesday night in Miami followed by the first game of the Stanley Cup Finals Wednesday night between Boston and Vancouver. Add baseball, NASCAR, Indy Car and golf to the mix and it’s easily one of the sports world’s busiest times of the year. For your Memorial Day enjoyment, here are few inspirational sports stories from this past week:

Hamilton puts second pitch out of the park

It was a week ago today when Texas Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton got back on the field for the first time since an injury that occurred on April 12 as seen in this video clip here.

Hamilton didn’t waste any time getting back into the swing of things. On just the second pitch of his first a bat, he lined a homer over the right field wall in a home game against the Chicago White Sox. When asked about how he intends to deal with future sliding situations, he responded to reporters this way:

“Somebody asked me the question of ‘How much longer can you play?’ I said however long God has planned already for me. For me, He gave me the ability to play the game a certain way. It wouldn’t be giving Him glory and doing Him justification of that, if I didn’t do it the way I need to do it. I’m going to play hard.”

Bayne stays positive during recovery; Kenseth fills in for Charlotte win

It’s been a wild ride for NASCAR driver Trevor Bayne. After becoming the youngest Daytona 500 winner back in February, he struggled in his next seven Sprint Cup races. Even more bizarre was an illness caused by a spider bite that hospitalized the 20-year old following the Texas race and then again following Talladega. Bayne hasn’t raced since including several Nationwide Series races where he was competing for a championship.

This past weekend in Charlotte, Cup veteran Matt Kenseth took Bayne’s place in the Nationwide race where he won the Top Gear 300. Bayne, who went to a battery of tests at the Mayo Clinic, has been cleared and is slated to return to his Nationwide car at Chicago in two weeks. He will get back behind the Woods Brothers #21 Sprint Cup car on June 19 at Michigan.

Check out what the irrepressible Bayne had to say about his time away from racing here.

Broncos safety finds possible future career as substitute teacher

While the NFL owners and players struggle to end the lockout, some players are finding some interesting ways to pass the time. Along with his personal training regiment, Denver safety David Bruton is working in Miamisburg, Ohio school system as a substitute teacher. While hanging out in his hometown working out, Bruton’s old prep coach Tim Lewis suggested it as not just something to do, but as a way to try out a possible career path after his football days are done.

“With the second graders, the discipline is more gentle,” Bruton told Fox Sports Ohio. “If they start to act up, I can bribe them a little bit to get them back. It’s different with the high school kids. I can’t be afraid to stand up tall and let them know I mean business. It’s definitely been a different experience, but it’s been a good one. I have a new respect for all teachers.”

Tomorrow, join us for another Hot Topic Tuesday that asks the question: Should Christians care about winning?