2011-2012 MLB Off-Season Thread

[Miamarlin21]

Ken_Rosenthal Ken Rosenthal
Source: E. Jackson in agreement with #Nationals. One-year deal expected to be in $10 million range. First reported by @JonHeymanCBS. #MLB

I am scared of the Nats.

[MiamiHomer]

Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton, recovering from alcohol and drug addictions, had a relapse this week in his quest to remain sober. According to individuals familiar with the episode, Hamilton drank alcohol on Monday night in an area bar. The circumstances that led to Hamilton's use of alcohol could not be determined. In a statement, the Rangers said they were ``aware of a situation, but we don't have further comment at this time.''

From the Dallas news

[Miamarlin21]

So did he just have one drink or got black-out drunk?

[MiamiHomer]

When you are a known addict, just having one isn't a good thing. Especially when the team you play for is negotiating with you on whether or not to invest a lot of their money in you for the next few years.

[CrimsonCane]

So did he just have one drink or got black-out drunk?

When you're a former addict, it's never just one drink.

[Bobbob1313]

When you're a former addict, it's never just one drink.

No such thing as a former addict, either.

Least, that's what they say.

[Miamarlin21]

That's what I assumed CC. It's not going to be a good situation and could potentially lose him millions more.

[HUGG]

I hope he drinks his way into our budget.

[CrimsonCane]

No such thing as a former addict, either.

Least, that's what they say.

Yea. Poor word choice. Should've been recovering addict.

[DropkickAlex]

Ian Kinsler apparently was there trying to persuade Hamilton home.

[Ramp]

sounds bad

[Swifty]

I'm upset the AP story uses "accountability partner" why not 'accountabilibuddy". South Park has given us so much.

[MiamiHomer]

Yahoo’s Jeff Passan wrote a rather knee-jerk reaction to Josh Hamilton’s reported relapse with alcohol, last night. It included this:

The worst part about Josh Hamilton’s relapse is that he didn’t care. The most famous addict in sports does not go to a bar in the town where he is best known without full knowledge that his exploits will become public in a matter of hours. That it took three full days for Hamilton’s latest relapse to go viral – and that incriminating pictures have yet to surface – is something of a miracle.

Passan goes on to say that Hamilton’s possible contract extension is “gone”, and later in the same article:

Hamilton does care, of course, even if for the tiniest sliver of time it eluded him.

Passan’s message is confusing, and whenever writing about topics like this, it’s difficult for anyone who doesn’t suffer from addiction the way Hamilton does to truly understand, as Craig Calcaterra points out:

It’s easy for those of us who do not have experience with addiction to frame this as a black and white issue and think of it as Josh Hamilton making a bad choice. But from what I understand from those who know more about this, the essential nature of alcoholism is that, subjectively speaking, the person doesn’t have a choice. Or doesn’t feel like they’re making one at the time. It’s a compulsion. Reason is cast to the wind. It’s the very thing that separates a person who can handle alcohol from one who can’t.

Craig goes on to say his reaction is primarily “sadness”, and that’s quite true. This isn’t something that ought to be subject to instant analysis, probably the reason the Rangers haven’t made public comment yet.

PASSAN: Josh Hamilton 'Didn't Care' About Relapse

[Beef]

the worst part, what a boob

[Ramp]

Jeff Passan sucks