News out of Texas this week was that Rangers star outfielder Josh Hamilton relapsed in his fight with alcoholism.
It's something that he battled with in the early part of his career, having been drafted first overall in 1999 but failing to reach the majors until 2007 because of his struggles with crack and alcohol.
Last Monday night, that same beast reared its ugly head.
This isn't the first relapse for Hamilton. In 2009 the slugger saw embarrassing photos surface of him at a bar licking whipped cream off of multiple women that weren't his wife.
It's been a little over three years since the last time he succumbed to temptations; and in that time he's endured hardships that most athletes can't say they've been through.
Sure, people say it's hard to feel bad for a guy who makes $12 million a year to play a children's game. But how many other athletes have the death of a fan on their conscious.
In July, Hamilton tossed a ball in to the outfield bleachers – something that he estimates he's done over 1,000 times in his career. But this time would be devastating as Shannon Stone, a firefighter from Arlington tumbled over the railing to his death in front of the watching eyes of his 4-year-old son.
Hamilton has struggled with the alcohol, fought with the drugs, and tossed the ball that inadvertently led to a man's death.
I'm definitely not suggesting that Hamilton should carry no accountability; he needs to be more responsible and not put himself in a vulnerable position. He shouldn't be in bars if he can't handle it.
But to put yourself in Hamilton's shoes – watching a man fall to his death, reaching for the ball you tossed. Combine that with his history of being a junkie and you have a recipe for disaster.
He called the organization immediately afterward to tell it of his mistake, and agreed to table the discussions on his contract extension until he goes to Major League Baseball's substance abuse program.
He understands his mistake and to some extent needs to see ramifications from it. But I have much more sympathy for someone who is battling alcoholism and makes a mistake along the way than I do Ryan Braun or Manny Ramirez, who took performance-enhancing drugs.
In fact, I respect Hamilton's resiliency.
Hamilton has battled through it before and most likely will again, but hopefully this time he doesn't experience any setbacks.
Email: tyler.cady@ubspectrum.com
