Josh Hamilton: The vicissitudes continue
The Texas Rangers’ slugger Josh Hamilton is a fighter. On the batting plate, representing his team, he has not only blasted the best of pitchers, but also brought glory to the team. As far as consolidating the Rangers’ offence is concerned, Hamilton has
evinced remarkable consistency.
However, there is another arena where his battle has been complex and formidable.
The fatiguing battle is with the seemingly inalienable controversy that pertains to his supposed alcohol addiction. If his career has seen professional ascension, it is the virtual social decline or downfall that he is almost tirelessly battling.
Last month, a startling revelation was made that the player had several drinks in a couple of Dallas restaurants. Known to be a recovering alcoholic and drug abuser, Hamilton quickly became subject of intense discussions in the press for this new controversy.
This was all the more important because he had in the recent past, found himself embroiled in an episode that left a profound impact on him and his professional career. In 2003, representing the Tampa Bay Rays, he faced suspension from a game due to heavy
use of alcohol.
That episode was something entangling. He could not disentangle himself from it easily; thereby finding himself in the middle of a suspension order that was, in effect, a punitive punishment. He remained away from the game for over three years, starting
from 2003 to 2006.
But as the episode elapsed and he reverted to the game, it was thought he will find it tremendously challenging to rid himself of this addiction. That will somehow prove to be true in the days to come.
Only three years later, Josh Hamilton was back in the media limelight. However, this was not because of being extraordinarily good on the batting plate, it was once again due to heavy drinking in Arizona during January 2009.
As the Texas Rangers gave the player immense social, professional and moral support, the player was able to come out of it after the tests of taking drugs came negative. But only three years later, prior to Spring Training, there is another tough battle
to fight once again.
He came in front of media last week, on Friday, February 3, to make a public apology for his reprehensible behaviour. Fortunately, he has not had to bear any humiliation for having also used any drug.
He is indeed apologetic about it.
“Things happened that me, personally, I’m not proud of after I drank, and they are personal and are being handled as that,” he said Friday. “Knowing this was going to get out in social media, Twitter, people get excited.”
“I could hide in shame, and not show up tonight and be withdrawn, but I didn’t want to do that,” Hamilton told the group. “I’m doing what I had to do today. I am fessing up. I am going to be a man about it; I am fessing up. People are going to call me a
hypocrite, but I am a sinful man.”
As much as Josh Hamilton remains an inseparable part of the Texas Rangers, regularly contributing for the team with his .308 average, Hamilton will have to set a lot of things right if he wants to avoid negative media attention and get himself out of a tight
spot. The Rangers will be hoping Hamilton is able to overcome his recent issues as they will want him to be at his best before the start of the 2012 Major League Baseball season.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
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