Tip-Off for 8/2/12 (featuring Rick James): Note to MLB: Deal with Josh Hamilton Now!
(CBS Sports)
Josh Hamilton opened the 2012 season in eye-popping fashion, posting MVP numbers in what was to be a record contract year. The man who earlier this season hit four home runs in a game has hit a major slump. The raucous cheers have become uncharacteristic boos by the same Rangers fans who have stuck with him through thick and thin.
Hamilton has hinted that there is more to his recent slump than his timing or inability to locate a pitch.
It’s time for the Texas Rangers and MLB officials to take off the kid gloves when it comes to dealing with Hamilton.
(Dallas Morning News)
Last weekend Hamilton opened the Rangers homestand going 1-for-14, the power-hitting leftfielders’ numbers have dropped drastically since his hot start including batting .145 for the month of July.
When speaking with the media, Hamilton didn’t deny that anything was wrong, he just stopped short of revealing what it was.
“There’s so much more involved. I don’t know,” he said. “I’m cool, man. I’m really good. The frustrating part is this [dealing with the media] and not being able to share everything with you guys. When the time is right, I’ll be honest with you, you’ll be right in the loop,” Hamilton said according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “I’ve been shown a lot of things over the past week. There’s disobedience and there’s obedience to God. I’ve been being disobedient. It may be a small thing to you, but it’s a big thing to him. There’s consequences. It’s like a father and a kid. There are disciplines. You guys can chew on that and think about it.”
On Wednesday, Rangers manager Ron Washington, who has dealt with his own demons, told ESPN Dallas 103.3 that he is aware of Hamilton’s problem but noted that is up to Hamilton when he will address it:
“The issues is something that I think Josh would definitely have to be the one to expose.It’s certainly not physical. It has nothing to do with injuries. Josh is the one that made the statement and got all the inquiries going, and I think Josh is the one that has to put a rest to the inquiries, not Ron Washington. I can just tell you one thing: It is not because he’s hurt.”
It’s time for major league baseball to deal with Josh Hamilton. He’s run through all the stop signs and is headed for a collision at the plate. There is no more feel good story - get this man some real help outside of his clubhouse. Steve Howe, Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden were suspended several times and I’ll take a chance in stating that Hamilton has never seen the inside of Bud Selig’s office. Hamilton’s history with substance abuse and these recent comments negates his leverage. Now he’s kicking game like ‘Gator’ in ‘Jungle Fever’ and the press is buying it. This whole charade with him is tired and outdated. This is the same person said that he didn’t owe the Rangers organization anything in terms of a hometown discount in the upcoming free agency period. The Rangers are fools if they mortgage their future on a player like Hamilton by offering him top dollar.
To everyone else, buyer beware.
The Lineup:
Thousands await results from Hepatitis serial infector in NY (NY Times).
Floyd Mayweather awaits release from prison tomorrow (ESPN).
Cam Newton looking to embrace superstar status in second season (The Republic).
Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles says he’s back (Pro Football Talk).
Big Ben reveals torn rotator cuff (Wild Thing Football).
Injuries along Eagles D-Line offer opportunity (Philly.com).
Man goes all out to paint proposal on billboard (In Flex We Trust).
Redskins, Bills cleared in NFL bounty probe (Wild Thing Football).
Today’s Olympic schedule (CBS Sports).
Three planes nearly collide in Washington, D.C. (CNN).
She’s alright!
Guess he’s trying to do some damage control…
https://twitter.com/thejoshhamilton/status/230903867938861056/photo/1
agreed with your take on Josh…
is josh saying that his slump is because God is punishing him for his relapse(s)?
Couple of things here:
The post reads as if Hamilton has never been punished by MLB when others were. This is false. While in the Minors, he was suspended for failing a drug test.
The difference between his issues and those of the players cited in the post, all of whom played for the Yankees at some point, is that Hamilton’s arrest record is limited to a misdemeanor property destruction warrant in 2005. This incident occurred while Hamilton was out of baseball and not subject to its jurisdiction.
While I wouldn’t want a powder keg like Hamilton on my team — particularly at $20M/year — his recent relapses have not involved criminal activity or failed drug tests.
This differentiates him from Howe, Strawberry and Gooden.
While it’s tempting to suggest that Strawberry in particular was berated unmercifully by the power structure of MLB, the facts suggest otherwise.
Baseball did not suspend him until 1995. Before that time, he was twice arrested on domestic-violence charges. In one of the cases, the alleged victim declined to prosecute. In the other, the DA’s office agreed to forego prosecution because Strawberry had admitted he had a drinking problem and was headed to Detox Mansion. This was his first rehab stint.
Only after being indicted on tax-evasion charges, going for a second time to Detox Mansion and failing a drug test was he disciplined by Baseball. He failed yet another drug test a couple of years later and was knocked out for 120 days.
Steve Howe was suspended seven times for his various drug and alcohol issues and kept getting reinstated. He even returned after being banned “for life” in 1994.
Baseball has had a long and ineffective way of dealing with these issues.
As far as I know, Hamilton’s relapses have not been detected by MLB; they have been reported through Everyman-As-Alleged- Journalist technology and by his own admissions, whether specific or tacit. Therefore, Baseball can’t do much.
Remember that this isn’t the NFL. MLB players have been far more successful than their NFL brethren in every way regarding discipline. As a result, Bud Selig does not have the same freedom to mete out punishment that Roger Goodell enjoys. Selig can’t knock a guy out of action simply for having a beer. He needs an incident report or a bail revocation or something tangible.
This may strike many as unfair, but it’s fact.
I, too, am growing weary of Hamilton, whose declarations of piety and passive-aggressive captivity of the Rangers franchise are losing value with every passing strikeout. But the larger context is important here.
Thought provoking…