Just an interesting article(Hamilton)

[Can_of_corn]

He relapsed with alcohol and missed zero games because of it.

Oh, so he only relapsed a little bit?

He relapsed and if something harder had been made available while he was intoxicated do you think he would have refused it?

[Il BuonO]

Oh, so he only relapsed a little bit?

He relapsed and if something harder had been made available while he was intoxicated do you think he would have refused it?

Do you think something else wasn't made available? The facts are he missed zero games.

[Can_of_corn]

Do you think something else wasn't made available? The facts are he missed zero games.

I think it is entirely possible that at two bars near his home in Texas that no one had anything harder on them. I seem to recall Weams having a source that said Hamilton was in fact inquiring about cocaine on one of these occasions.

All it takes is one positive test for something like Coke and Hamilton is out of MLB for good.

[TradeAngelos]

He hasn't been sober for five years. He has lapsed twice while with the Rangers.

He has been clean from hard drugs for more than 7 years, and the fact he maintained that with one little slip up with alcohol, makes it even more encouraging that he won't go down that road again. If he was going to go back to hard drugs it would have been right there, but he didn't.

And LOL about anything "not being available" in a Texas bar at 12am, especially when you are Josh Hamilton. Everything is always available, you can best believe that.

[Can_of_corn]

He has been clean from hard drugs for more than 7 years, and the fact he maintained that with one little slip up with alcohol, makes it even more encouraging that he won't go down that road again. If he was going to go back to hard drugs it would have been right there, but he didn't.

And LOL about anything "not being available" in a Texas bar at 12am, especially when you are Josh Hamilton. Everything is always available, you can best believe that.

Once again he has had two alcohol related relapses.

http://blog.palmpartners.com/tag/cocaine/

Josh Hamilton’s relapse in 2009 made headlines. He was photographed licking whip cream off a woman’s fake breasts in a bar in Tempe. According to sources, he was drinking and asking people where he could obtain cocaine

[mdbdotcom]

Josh Hamilton’s relapse in 2009 made headlines. He was photographed licking whip cream off a woman’s fake breasts in a bar in Tempe. According to sources, he was drinking and asking people where he could obtain cocaine

I'd be willing to bet the whip cream was fake, too.

[sevastras]

Wow, didnt expect this thread to take off like this. I have been working non stop since I started this and this is the first time back on the boards since. I just read the entire thread, some really great thoughts. Now my thoughts, whether you want them or not! I have signed quite a few contracts in my life(unfortunately none were baseball or $25 million a year contracts) and the one thing that is always the same in these contracts are clauses. I am not an attorney or a baseball rules guru, but why could there not be a clause that states: If Hamilton were to test positive for any illegal drug, the O's could void the contract at their discression? I dont know any major corp. that would allow their COO's to use illegal drugs and then pay them any portion of the remaining contract. My point is, this clause could remove the entire risk of the contract for his drug problems.

Next, I am sure that these big contracts are insured for major injury(see Albert Belle).

Next, if the guy believes that God was punishing him for his tobacco use, this guy is going to try hard to be a good guy.

I dont like the guy, but I think that he would be an awesome fit for this team. Then again I liked Tex before he signed with the MFY's and am now happy because we didnt spend 8/180 on a guy that is no better than Davis offensively and even though he won the GG may be no better than Reynolds defensively. Heck, Reynolds might be an overall good comp for Tex.

[weams]

It wasn't a source. It was a published report that he was asking where to get it. Not that he was able to. He has tested clean for drugs of abuse every time that he has been tested.

[24fps]

Wow, didnt expect this thread to take off like this. I have been working non stop since I started this and this is the first time back on the boards since. I just read the entire thread, some really great thoughts. Now my thoughts, whether you want them or not! I have signed quite a few contracts in my life(unfortunately none were baseball or $25 million a year contracts) and the one thing that is always the same in these contracts are clauses. I am not an attorney or a baseball rules guru, but why could there not be a clause that states: If Hamilton were to test positive for any illegal drug, the O's could void the contract at their discression? I dont know any major corp. that would allow their COO's to use illegal drugs and then pay them any portion of the remaining contract. My point is, this clause could remove the entire risk of the contract for his drug problems.

Next, I am sure that these big contracts are insured for major injury(see Albert Belle).

Next, if the guy believes that God was punishing him for his tobacco use, this guy is going to try hard to be a good guy.

I dont like the guy, but I think that he would be an awesome fit for this team. Then again I liked Tex before he signed with the MFY's and am now happy because we didnt spend 8/180 on a guy that is no better than Davis offensively and even though he won the GG may be no better than Reynolds defensively. Heck, Reynolds might be an overall good comp for Tex.

Insurance policies are contracts and many insurance policies exclude pre-existing conditions. If you were an insurer, would you write a policy guaranteeing say up to a $100 million payout if Josh Hamilton decides to go on an extended coke binge? What might the premiums be if there were an insurer willing to take on the risk without stipulating drug and alcohol addiction as a pre-existing condition? I doubt he's insurable and if that's true, it alters the risk profile considerably.

Even if all the financial downside was insured, would you want to risk the consequences that a relapse would happen in the middle of a pennant race? What if his relapse diminished his skills but didn't completely ruin them? Would you like the considerable legal hassle of trying to prove that and to what degree? As to voiding an MLB contract, the Orioles already have experience there and it wasn't a pleasant one.

Sobriety is the key to Josh Hamilton's long-term health and I wish him nothing but the best. Sober judgement is the key to the Orioles' long-term success and I hope a little of that is exercised here.

[joedogg9999]

Once again he has had two alcohol related relapses.

http://blog.palmpartners.com/tag/cocaine/

So you wouldent lick some whip cream off some nice bitties if given the chance?

Alcohol or no alcohol the guy puts up mvp and even sometimes triple crown numbers. Hes worth it.

[Ooooooohhhh!!!!]

No matter how you feel about Reynolds, you have to admit there's no real predicting anything with him. It's a damn crap shoot. And as a GM, that would drive me crazy and as an owner drive me NOT to pay the man. If I want to shell out cash, I want predictability.

With Hamilton, I feel it's less of a crap shoot and more predictable.

OPS+ by season

Reynolds: 109, 96, 127, 97, 116, 107

Hamilton: 131, 135, 90, 170, 130, 139

War by season

Reynolds: 1.2, 0.3, 3.0, 0.2, 0.5, -0.1

Hamilton: 2.4, 5.2, 0.4, 8.4, 3.5, 3.4

All players are prone to swings from year to year. Hamilton is no exception. A 90 OPS+ and .4 WAR wouldn't be all that great for $25MM a year.

What's scary is that Hamilton battled a tobacco addiction and a caffeine addiction this past season and still put up those numbers. There's no denying that when his head is on straight he is a monster.

[Orange_Crush]

According to John Perrotto of Baseball Prospectus, Josh Hamilton is looking for a seven year deal worth about $175 million overall, $25 million a season.

I bet he has a better chance than A-Rod not to play out his whole contract if that happens.

[Orange_Crush]

He hasn't been sober for five years. He has lapsed twice while with the Rangers.[/quote

]

He relapsed with alcohol and missed zero games because of it.

There was an article in SI a few months ago, I believe this relapse happened in the winter.

[tntoriole]

According to John Perrotto of Baseball Prospectus, Josh Hamilton is looking for a seven year deal worth about $175 million overall, $25 million a season.

Hopefully this will cement Os saying no. Any team dumb enough to come close to this should also take ARods contract as a matching set.

[Il BuonO]

Hopefully this will cement Os saying no. Any team dumb enough to come close to this should also take ARods contract as a matching set.

It's a starting point. I could see him ending up with the dollars and four years. Or maybe in the $22-23mil range per year.