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Josh Hamilton recently had a few drinks. Josh Hamilton is slated to become a free agent after this season, and is open to signing a contract extension with the Texas Rangers. For most players, these two sentences wouldn't have anything to do with one another. But, of course, Josh Hamilton is Josh Hamilton, soooo...
This is how Hamilton concluded his Friday statement:
I am sorry it had to be this way. It would've been nice if it was talking about a contract, but we'll put that on the backburner for a while.
And here's general manager Jon Daniels, via Danny Knobler:
Rangers GM Daniels on Hamilton contract talks: "Right now there's more important things to deal with."
Sensible and unsurprising enough. I, uh... yeah, I don't really know what to write here. Josh Hamilton's life is more important than Josh Hamilton's baseball career. Yeah, that just makes me sound like a moron. Basically, right now there's more important things to deal with than Josh Hamilton's contract status. Jon Daniels said it exactly right. Except for the "there's" part. It should be "there're", as "more important things" is plural. This is hardly the time to be colloquial.
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Comments
It’s pretty sad. Addiction can be a hell of a disease and recovery is a life long reminder of that. We all know prospects rarely pan out. Less likely still, is for a man to disappear into drug and alcohol oblivion to come back and be an elite athlete. Nearly impossible even. Maybe that’s why his story isn’t the Hollywood movie we liken it to. There hasn’t been a happy ending for Hamilton as is the case for many people in recovery.
But it’s not a total tragedy, he’s addressed it publicly and will work on it privately. He’s committed to his recovery, he know’s he’s capable and he’s shown that he is. He’s got the support of his family, his team, MLB, and the community he plays for.
Even though he’s messed up, I’ll still root for him. I’ll still share his story to people who don’t know it and celebrate it because I think there’s value to it. Sometimes in life there is no happy ending and sometimes you are continually challenged and tested. Being able to recognize that and to have the courage to face it head on is very much an admiration and very inspiring.
I hope the best for him and those with him and i’m confident he can succeed.
by notjoemorgan on Feb 3, 2012 8:32 PM EST reply actions
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