Josh Hamilton will come cheaper

[weams]

http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/tex...e?ssimg=276508

If he is allowed to play.

[Can_of_corn]

Right now it looks like alcohol only and one night only. He had a relapse a couple years ago and managed to get back on track.

All that aside this is one of the reasons I wouldn't want Hamilton on a long term deal.

[backwardsk]

I hate how his struggles have to play out in the media. He broke no law.

[EddieMurrayfan]

I haven't had an addiction problem so I'm certainly no authority on the issue, but it seems like the media is making this a much bigger deal than necessary. And then on various blogs and comments sections people are piling on and bashing him.

I say its no big deal. I love watching the guy play and respect him for being open about his life. Just dont understand the need for people to be so negative about him and his issues. Its like they really wish for him to be punished because he is a talented guy who wasted so much in the past. He lost both of his parents and had some struggles. Give the guy a break!

[sdmarkakis]

I haven't had an addiction problem so I'm certainly no authority on the issue, but it seems like the media is making this a much bigger deal than necessary. And then on various blogs and comments sections people are piling on and bashing him.

I say its no big deal. I love watching the guy play and respect him for being open about his life. Just dont understand the need for people to be so negative about him and his issues. Its like they really wish for him to be punished because he is a talented guy who wasted so much in the past. He lost both of his parents and had some struggles. Give the guy a break!

Yeah and an addiction like he had is no joke. It's something I'm sure he'll struggle with off and on for the rest of his life. Hard to pile on and bash the guy when he's come so far.

[OrangeJerseys]

Funny to see so many folks bash Josh when their doctor, dentist, lawyer or broker is probably a recovering alcoholic and/or addict as well.

[srock]

So long as he keeps his nose clean, I'm not overly concerned.

[BohSoHard]

When I first heard about it I thought, "the man can't occasionally have a brew or two?" After hearing about what he did and said that he had 3-4 drinks then told Ian Kinsler that he was going home and came back out to drink more made it obvious that he actually relapsed. I agree on the long term contract ideas though, you'd have to take a long look before committing to that. However, I think he is different from other athletes where they do something wrong and just release a statement about it, he actually scheduled the media to come listen to him. He spoke from the heart and I have more respect for a player like him than some of the other ones out there...no need to mention any names, I'm sure everyone has someone in mind.

The MLB network analysts were on the money too if anyone watched it earlier today.

[Moose Milligan]

I like how he comes right out and addresses it.

He's a good dude, I don't doubt that for a minute. I also think it's unfair that teams are going to try to lower his value cause of this. He's not relapsing hard.

[Dr. FLK]

I like how he comes right out and addresses it.

He's a good dude, I don't doubt that for a minute. I also think it's unfair that teams are going to try to lower his value cause of this. He's not relapsing hard.

Well said. Sure, he had a relapse. But man does he handle this well. He seems to truly understand the magnitude of his addiction, and he honestly seems hell-bent on defeating it. I certainly hope that occasional stories like this are all that we hear about his relapses. While I think the "Josh for World Hero" stories are blown way out of proportion, it certainly is a nice story...and I'm rooting for him to keep on going down the right path.

[tennOsfan]

All of that idle time during the offseason can work on a guy like Hamilton. He bounced back from the last relapse, so hopefully he does the same this time.