The Spectrum Of Josh Hamilton Articles

No one has the same definition of addiction. Some people will define it as a disease. Some will define it as a moral failing. Each side thinks the other side is filled with reprehensible people. You can see how this Josh Hamilton story will bring out goofballs from all sides.

And when it comes to writing about it, here’s how it works: News of Josh Hamilton’s reported relapse broke last night, and people had to form instant opinions on it. There’s no time for nuance or reflection. This means that you’ll get some great, heartfelt stuff. This also means that you’ll get loathsome bleating from people who don’t know how to turn off the bleat-o-matic when a situation requires it.

First, from Steven Goldman, you get the good stuff. The entire article is worth reading, but my favorite part was this:

As for the moral issue, I simply say this: Shut up. Judge not, for addiction is never simple and is rarely just a matter of mere disregard of self or weakness.That works with things other than addiction. Poverty. Fidelity. Or to bring it back to baseball a bit, performance-enhancing drugs. The best way to look stupid is to point fingers and judge after knowing a fraction of a sliver of a part of the context.

That’s the good stuff, the writing with the appropriate amount of self awareness. Then you get to the bleating, like this, from Randy Galloway of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram:

Hamilton repeatedly gives the hardball speech to the media of granting the Rangers no hometown discount in money because he owes it to the union to get all he can get to boost the contractual benefits of those players coming up behind him.Great. So where was the union Monday night?

What the ...

But at some point, loyalty matters, or at least it should, although I’m not sure Josh, as a baseball businessman, actually agreed where his loyalty should have been focused.I guess that nuance is just some sort of newfangled dance music that the kids are listening to these days. Shades of gray don’t make for compelling copy. A report of Hamilton at a bar, having a drink, can be cast only as a damning judgment on Hamilton. There is no other explanation. Also, the union’s involved. Somehow. And the Freemasons.

You’ll read a lot about Josh Hamilton today if you’re so inclined. You probably aren’t going to read anything better or worse than these two articles.