Josh Hamilton

Due to his drinking problem, all of us know way too much about his personal life. Was saddened to read of his latest relapse. Sure hope and pray he gets it right. He is too good of an athlete to get drunk. And because of his career combined with his sobriety - he has a chance to really be a role model. Then you hear what happened last week and you wonder can he rebound? How many other relapses have been unannounced?
Pulling for you Josh!!
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11 comments:

  1. Tom HagertyFebruary 4, 2012 at 5:25 AM

    We're all human. All we can do is keep trying. I hope he continues to fight and beat his demons.

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  2. Gregg Shields, The CommissionerFebruary 4, 2012 at 9:23 AM

    Certainly, we all hope and pray he gets it right. Of course, the Dallas Morning News was loaded with stories about this. The best one is headline "We have seen this type of behavior before, and it doesn't end well." http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/columnists/kevin-sherrington/20120203-sherrington-we-ve-seen-this-type-of-behavior-before-and-it-doesn-t-end-well.ece

    But another article asks the question, what if you were a bartender, and Hamilton asked you for a drink. Many said it was a tough question, but if a customer is not visibly intoxicated, and behaving appropriately, they would serve him. "I'm no social worker." Chuck, you have been a bartender. What would you do?

    Sum and substance of the DMN article:
    -Steve Howe, alcohol and drug addict, pitched for Michigan, the Dodgers, the Rangers, Yankees and Twins. Had some great baseball years, but dead at 48 when he rolled his pick up while on meth.
    -Mark Tuinei, Cowboy Pro Bowl tackle, died of a heroin OD.
    -Michael Irvin, Hall of Fame Cowboy receiver, three trips to the Super Bowl, has been repeatedly arrested on drug and sexual assault charges.
    -Roy Tarpley, Detroit Cooley High, Michigan and Dallas Maverick star, repeatedly arrested on drug charges, although for years he knocked around European and minor leagues.

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  3. Chuck PiotrowskiFebruary 4, 2012 at 3:28 PM

    In my bartending days if a customer asked for a drink and was not intoxicated - I probably would have served them/him - because you were always working for a tip.
    My first day on the job at Pat O'gradys (1975), i refused to serve a drunk. Pat watched ho I handled the situation and when I refused to serve the drunk - Pat smiled and walked away. One time my alcoholic uncle came in and wanted me to buy him drinks - I declined andhe probably doesn;t even remember being there. If josh Hamilton came into my bar today (or any other notable alcoholic - like L. Brooks Patterson) I would not serve them on the basis of principal. Another Pat O'Grady's story - Ben Oglivie came in and carved his initials in the green bar rail. Long answer huh!!

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  4. Gregg Shields, The CommissionerFebruary 6, 2012 at 7:24 AM

    I think it's the start of a book: "Drunks I have Served...or Didn't." I'd buy it!

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  5. keith johnsonFebruary 7, 2012 at 2:33 PM

    he's a grown man, if he wants to drink he has the right to do it. unless hes on some kind of probation (i dont think he is). its none of our buisness. first of all its alcoholics annonymous, annonymous the key word. this is his personal struggle, he was suspended by baseball 4 or 5 years ago and i dont know what kind of agreement they have but other then having a few drinks and acting stupid he hasnt done anything wrong that i seen. the media tried making him a hero and we watched him overcome this horrrible addiction but we find out he isnt superman.

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  6. Gregg Shields, The CommissionerFebruary 7, 2012 at 6:04 PM

    It is other people's business (and illegal) when he drives intoxicated, which he appears to have done the other night. It's also his teammates business if he gets a long suspension. But in the end, it will most effect him. Rumor has it the Rangers won't discuss a new contract until the end of the season, and he will be a free agent.

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  7. keith johnsonFebruary 7, 2012 at 7:52 PM

    i dont think i did a good job of making the point i was trying to make. i didnt hear that he was driving drunk but "if" he where to get caught doing that it would affect alot of people. i just dont understand why its national headline news.

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  8. Chuck PiotrowskiFebruary 8, 2012 at 12:44 PM

    A drunk man/woman is not capable of making an informed decision about anything - including whether or not to drive.
    "No man is an island" - any person that decides to drink tio excess is hurting somebody some place.

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  9. Gregg Shields, The CommissionerFebruary 9, 2012 at 3:24 PM

    Keith,

    As a former PR man and ex-newspaper reporter, I can tell you it's national news for a couple of reasons. The only legitimate reason is that we are baseball fans, and we all care about our teams' chances in the future.

    There's a couple rather sad reasons it's news. First, it's big money. For example, if the Tigers or the City of Detroit spent $14 million on renovations to Comerica Park, it would be newsworthy. Probably not this newsworthy, but us baseball fans would hear about it.

    But perhaps the saddest fact of all is that the media loves two kinds of stories; "Local Boy Makes Good" and a fatal car crash or house fire that kills a family. Sadly, this has both elements. If I win the lottery tomorrow, the story will be "Unemployed Old Guy Hits the Jackpot!" They might even call me a bum. They love a turn-around. Hamilton is the ultimate turnaround. He was a drug-addicted, alcoholic, with buckets of talent that he was wasting. His Grandama tells him to sharpen up, he finds Jesus and a good woman, and seems to get it together. Good (and big time) news! But as the article in the Dallas Morning News points out, this guy is a car crash waiting to happen. And when he does, he, his family and his co-workers (and possibly people in a nearby car) will all be innocent victims.

    To bring it back to the very personal, if I got drunk, drive down I-75, crash the car and kill a family of four, I guarantee it will be news. They will quote you guys in the family as saying, "poor Gregg, he was such a nice guy, but he's certainly had his problems." Of course, if the person is a ball player, movie star or a rich and famous businessman, it's even bigger news.

    This is news because it's what people are interested in. If you drive past a car crash, you stare. You can't help it. You wonder what happened. You wonder about the victims. If you are religious, you might even say a prayer for those folks, but the fact is you were curious, and the media feeds on that curiosity. Sad, but true.

    I once asked a TV reporter, how could she go up to family members when a loved one had just died in such a tragedy. She said that in many cases, you barely had to ask for a comment. These grief stricken people often want to express their grief.

    So there are many reasons it is news, and big news when something like this happens. We all hope and pray that Hamilton will beat his demons, and be a fine competitor to the Tigers and the rest of baseball for years to come. But you know if he crashes and burns, we'll all read or listen to every word about the story, and talk about it with our pals.

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  10. keith johnsonFebruary 9, 2012 at 6:20 PM

    in november there where a couple interesting stories. one was mariners outfielder greg halman was stabbed to death by his brother, it didnt make the six oclock news but it was a back story on espn. in the same month the catcher for the washington nationals was kidnapped for ransom and held for 2 days in venezula before being rescued, and that got even less media attention. josh hamilton had a few drinks, we dont even know if he got drunk. im just saying how crazy that is, but i am getting ready to watch jersey shore with my girlfriend and that i understand even less. neither of those guys hit over .260 or had a 100 rbi's or where as good looking as josh hamilton. i could pull the race card and say neither where as white as hamilton either.. i guess its like anything else there are real stories out there and real problems and im stuck hearin about kim kardashians anxieties and marital problems.

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  11. Chuck PiotrowskiFebruary 10, 2012 at 8:07 AM

    Guess we are all ready for Spring Training to begin, looking at all the conversation this blog struck up. I am!!

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