What am I missing on Josh Hamilton?

[wayne1218]

Im not going to get in the middle of IS HAMILTON a HERO or not because there have been cases made for both sides and each is going to believe what he wants...but why blame Hamilton once again for what ESPN deems newsworthy, thats all this is...Hamilton hasnt once asked for any of this nor has he asked to be proclaimed a HERO, ROLE MODEL or anything...he is just living out his dream and overcoming an addiction that nearly ruined his entire life...if anyone is to blame it is ESPN, they are the ones that speak about this daily, which in turn makes all talk show hosts on radio talk about it....im also sick and tired of hearing about FAVRE, but ESPN will not drop it...I mean seriously do they really have to run in the ticker that Favre txted the GM...they blow everything out of proportion and drill it into our heads over and over and over...my thing is Hamilton didnt ask for this...ESPN created it....and as for they not celebrating Lester or Davis, thats because they arent STARS...if either one was on a CY YOUNG type run believe me we would hear their stories over and over and over and over......

I do agree with that. I really like Hamilton, i'm just sick of hearing how much of a hero he is too. I do not dislike Josh for it though.

"Homer Alert"
Only 4 guys have done all 3 of these things ... Pitched a no hitter, pitched a complete game shutout in Yankee Stadium and Started/Won the deciding game of a WS. Three of them are NYY players and the 4th is John Lester. Pretty good for a guy who missed 18 months due to cancer!

[ogarza]

[QUOTE=ELJUGO]What about the fact the guy is hitting the shit out of the baseball??? His performance on the field is the only reason they're really talking about him. The guy is balling out of control!! The fact he beat a drug addiction just makes his story that much more impressive.

If he sucked, nobody would be talking about him. He is an RBI machine and not only did he beat a drug addiction, but he is performing at a world class level after 3 years out of baseball.
QUOTE]

EXACTLY MY POINT!!!

[frankb03]

Im not going to get in the middle of IS HAMILTON a HERO or not because there have been cases made for both sides and each is going to believe what he wants...but why blame Hamilton once again for what ESPN deems newsworthy, thats all this is...Hamilton hasnt once asked for any of this nor has he asked to be proclaimed a HERO, ROLE MODEL or anything...he is just living out his dream and overcoming an addiction that nearly ruined his entire life...if anyone is to blame it is ESPN, they are the ones that speak about this daily, which in turn makes all talk show hosts on radio talk about it....im also sick and tired of hearing about FAVRE, but ESPN will not drop it...I mean seriously do they really have to run in the ticker that Favre txted the GM...they blow everything out of proportion and drill it into our heads over and over and over...my thing is Hamilton didnt ask for this...ESPN created it....and as for they not celebrating Lester or Davis, thats because they arent STARS...if either one was on a CY YOUNG type run believe me we would hear their stories over and over and over and over......

BRAVE! GREAT POINT!

IMO ESPN in many ways has caused the demise in American sports. They need to fill hours and hours of airtime with BS.

[harold_bush]

Did your mother-in-law addiction affect your life? Did you live with your mother-in-law during her addiction? Did you witness her internal struggle each and every day? If not then it's not the same.

We all know someone that's an alcoholic etc. Knowing someone that suffers from addiction and living/loving someone that suffers from addictions are very different things.

I didn't live with her, but they live 5 minutes from us, and trust me, it had an impact on my life both directly and indirectly through my wife.

Besides, I know this discussion has morphed into addicts in general, but that wasn't the point of my post. My post isn't about my mother-in-law, Chado, the kid that was raped as a child, etc. The topic was about JOSH HAMILTON, who I've still seen nothing to think he wasn't just a loser.

I also think you are misinterpreting what I'm saying about addicts in general. I totally understand that once you are hooked, it is a very difficult life. There is no dispute on that. The issue to me is that you started the shit to begin with. We all make decisions in life. I grew up in an upper middle class family, and had a great childhood. All my friends had that same upbringing. Some of those friends, like myself, made good decisions. We didn't take hard drugs, we applied ourselves in college, we graduated, and got good jobs. Some of those friends fucked around in college, got kicked out, and are back living at home in their 30s. Some of that latter group CHOSE to take drugs in college, and that is why they failed out. I understand there are many addicts that weren't given the proper decision making skills (although you don't have to be Einstein to know that doing crack/heroin is idiotic), but I know there are millions that had a normal childhood, no mental illness, and just made poor decisions. Hamilton seems to follow in that mold, and shouldn't be made out to be a hero.

[wayne1218]

Frank, I know all about addiction. I watch intervention!

[ogarza]

I do agree with that. I really like Hamilton, i'm just sick of hearing how much of a hero he is too. I do not dislike Josh for it though.

"Homer Alert"
Only 4 guys have done all 3 of these things ... Pitched a no hitter, pitched a complete game shutout in Yankee Stadium and Started/Won the deciding game of a WS. Three of them are NYY players and the 4th is John Lester. Pretty good for a guy who missed 18 months due to cancer!

Im not saying Lester sucks...and doesnt pitch a great game every now and again...but he isnt a BONA FIDE STAR, which is why they dont mention him as much...but go back to any one of those games and listen to how many times, him coming back from cancer was brought up...im sure it was plenty...its part of the story with him...it would be part of the story if Davis is was pitching shut-outs...it just so happens that Hamilton has been GREAT all year which is why we are hearing about it over and over...these ESPN guys need to find another angle or something else to talk about, since they dont have anything the drug addiction comes up time and time again.

[wayne1218]

Im not saying Lester sucks...and doesnt pitch a great game every now and again...but he isnt a BONA FIDE STAR, which is why they dont mention him as much...but go back to any one of those games and listen to how many times, him coming back from cancer was brought up...im sure it was plenty...its part of the story with him...it would be part of the story if Davis is was pitching shut-outs...it just so happens that Hamilton has been GREAT all year which is why we are hearing about it over and over...these ESPN guys need to find another angle or something else to talk about, since they dont have anything the drug addiction comes up time and time again.

I know, i'm just messing around. I heard that the other day and thought it was interesting!

[ogarza]

BRAVE! GREAT POINT!

IMO ESPN in many ways has caused the demise in American sports. They need to fill hours and hours of airtime with BS.

It sure has and I thought i couldnt live without it...its getting to the point where im searching for something else to watch besides sportscenter crap and all those dumb shows...same shit over and over...ill never give up the actual baseball, nfl, nba games...but ESPN is way out of hand with all their BS.

[wayne1218]

ESPN is talking about all this shit 'til no end because it is summertime and they have nothing else to fill a 90 minute Sportscenter with. I think it really is that simple. It sucks though!

[ctt8410]

Just as they've done with many great sports stories, ESPN drives it into our heads so consistently for so long that they ruin the story for most sports fans. Thanks again worldwide leader.

[wayne1218]

As much as ESPN irritates me with this stuff, i don't know what i would do if they were gone. I remember Sports on T.V. before ESPN came and it SUCKED!!!!!!!! lol

[BigMike]

It is idiots like you that need to be educated that we as addicts did not "choose" to get addicted or do it ourselves. You need to take a class and learn about why people become addicted to drugs and alcohol before you ever have the slightest clue. He is a hero and everything he has done is one of the most remarkable things I have ever heard. What you do not know is that only a SMALL percentage of people do not go back to their old life and VERY FEW succeed in beating this desease before they are either in jails, institutions, or dead....

Add me to that list of idiots...this guy is no hero. He hits homeruns, he's not saving kids from burning buildings. Let's be realistic here. No one here told him to become a crack head.

[GrandPa]

I started a thread earlier today stating this is the worst day of the year, the only one with no sports.

This thread shows what every day would be like without it! Another emotional issue bringing out lots of comments and opinions, mostly good reads.

I won't waste any space with my feelings on the subject , other than to say that with all of the stories about fallen athletes who get into trouble either with criminal acts, drugs, or whatever, it is indeed rare for the fallen star to rise again, and that is what makes the story remarkable. Comeback stories are one thing, but this is special for its rarity.

Ken Caminiti was one of the greats of the game, and even won an MVP one year. His demons not only ruined his brilliant career, but ended his life too. He was the first baseball player to speak out about steroids, yes, even before Canseco. He stated that 75-80% of the players were on "the juice" and everyone looked the other way, saying it was too outlandish to be believed.

I remember a few months before he died, a few months after getting arrested holed up in a Houston hotel room high on crack, running into a former girlfriend of mine at a bar who had just gotten through spending the weekend doing crack with Caminiti. The only thing remarkable about this was that this was the evening before Caminiti was to appear before the judge on the crack charges.

The point here is that Caminiti had it all, too, and multiple addictions, and with all of the people trying to help him, ultimately succumbed as his heart gave up.

These stories occur far more frequently than Hamilton's, who not only is overcoming ( day-to-day, right?) his addiction, but excelling at his profession.

Hamilton is no hero, no role model, and as wayne1218 stated, is a PUBLIC SPEAKER.

I don't know if all of the excessive talking about Hamilton's stories will deter anyone from getting into a life of drugs, but if it stops one person, I am OK with it. Some topics make for ugly discussion, but if it teaches anything good, it is worth enduring, IMO

[savage1]

Having read all of the different opinions, I find myself agreeing with various points made by both sides-I'm sort of in the middle.
The way I see the entire matter is that if just one person who is roughly presently in the position Hamilton was prior to his turnaround benefits specifically and because of all the publicity that Hamilton has received and turns his own life around to the point where he is not longer an addict and is a much better and more productive person, then all of the attention Hamilton has received is worth it.
This is more or less what Grandpa said in the post previous to this one.

[Chado1]

Please don't be naive with your ignorant statement. Honestly, until you live through, until your life is touched with addiction you truly are clueless.

Frank you know it exactly....

People who have not been through it either directly or indirectly truely cannot understand and are very clueless...thats why when harold started this thread with that post I was like "classic" uninformed post...