Archive for the ‘Josh Hamilton’ Category

After missing five games with what was later diagnosed as ocular keratitis, Josh Hamilton returned to the Texas Rangers lineup last night to wreak havoc on the Oakland Athletics’ chances at postseason baseball with a key home run in the fifth inning of his team’s 5-4 victory.

Hamilton, who will almost undoubtedly test the free agent market this winter, has had a very good season, and even though he’s played in more games in 2012 than in any year since 2008, he’s still suffered through a myriad of injuries that have combined to see him miss 14 games. The latest, with symptoms including blurry vision and a lack of balance, was apparently brought on by an over consumption of energy drinks that led to his corneas drying out.

This is the second time this season that a substance dependency has interfered with the play of the recovering drug and alcohol addict, as his attempts to kick a chewing tabacco habit received blamed for a mid-season slump.

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Last weekend, Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers seemed to have something of a press junket, speaking with multiple reporters specifically about his struggles of late. While the outfielder and former American League Most Valuable Player listed the typical cliches to most of the assembled as a means of explaining his current slump, which has led to monthly declines in the slugger’s wOBA to the point of irrelevance in the Rangers lineup, he said a little bit extra to beat writer Jeff Wilson of the Star-Telegram.

There’s so much more involved. I don’t know. 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.

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.

Hamilton, quite infamously, is a recovering drug and alcohol addict, whose most recent known relapse was just back in February at a bar in Fort Worth, Texas. After his drinking that night became public, Hamilton issued a somber apology. His openness in dealing with his addiction has never been questionable, but the cryptic words he used with Wilson indicate something bigger under the surface that’s affecting his performance on the field.

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