Hamilton will not be suspended: per DiGiovanna

[Vegas Halo Fan]

I have over 10 years of working with addicts myself. We can all pull out expertise. This is still all based on assumptions and the bias of those on this site. Many things color that bias. Additionally initial assumptions are being added to and whole conspiracies are being created.

 

I grant you, some of the specifics being added (like when/if he started drinking again) are pure speculation. Conclusions about the thinking of addicts and the rationale for their actions are not. I don't pretend to know every circumstance i Josh Hamilton's life, but that doesn't mean that I know nothing about what is going on here. Certain things hold true in all cases of addiction.

[AngelsLongBall]

I'd imagine a grown man not being able to have access to his money and being treated like an 11 year old boy likely causes some clashes.

I blame that goddamn Real Housewives show.

[Stradling]

It goes to the fact that Hamilton seemingly doesn't give a shit about contributing to the team. Maybe he really does, I don't know, but as a fan it sure seems like he took a cavalier attitutde toward his shoulder. If he acted like he gave a damn, I think people might be more supportive.

I don't think that is what it is at all. I'm not a huge Hamilton fan, but the team and him decided to wait to see if it healed. This has nothing to do with a cavalier approach. He was letting it heal, then it wouldn't heal, but that wasn't noticed until he ramped up his off season work outs. Now before you say, well why didn't he ramp up his routine earlier, well simple, because he was giving it time to fully heal. This could have happened to a performing player as well and we wouldn't be calling him out on it, we would be calling it unfortunate or we would be blaming the approach and recommendation of the medical staff.

[Stradling]

Well I might be wrong. Maybe he never even quit drinking. I'm sure Josh will soon tell us all the truth so you can keep believing in him. Addicts can be very convincing when they need to be. Just ask Arte. He had $125 million reasons to believe in Josh Hamilton.

Imagine that, $125 Million, a signing bonus, a large press conference and a large fan base welcoming him to Anaheim. He shit on everybody including his fans, friends and family. But go ahead and keep the faith.

It has nothing to do with me keeping faith, it has to do with not making shit up. If you want to make shit up, go right ahead, just expect to be called out on it when you share it on a board like this.

[Ohtaniland]

I blame that goddamn Real Housewives show.

Which is a good indicator about what type of support system he's had to rely on after the accountability guy was sent packing.

[AngelsSurfer]

So, hypothetically, the Angels fired his accountability coach. I don't believe that either, but let's just say that they did. What would have stopped Hamilton from hiring that guy himself, on his own dime? He's making eight figures every year and he can't hire his own accountability person? That should be his responsibility anyway, not the Angels'.

[GregAlso]

So, hypothetically, the Angels fired his accountability coach. I don't believe that either, but let's just say that they did. What would have stopped Hamilton from hiring that guy himself, on his own dime? He's making eight figures every year and he can't hire his own accountability person? That should be his responsibility anyway, not the Angels'.

This is interesting that Jeff Fletcher reports Josh fired him and supposedly the broadcast said the Anges fired him. To answer this question, even if Josh hired him I don't think he could've travelled on the team plane or been in the dugout if not on the team payroll. This really hampers his ability to be there for Josh when he was needed.

[AngelsSurfer]

It's a good point, but even if the accountability person couldn't stay with Josh the dugout, but the real danger for him is when he's *away* from the stadium, isn't it? The accountability person could have stayed in the same hotel and been with Josh whenever he was off work. That could have certainly helped.

Edited April 5, 2015 by AngelsSurfer

[HaloMagic]

I don't think that is what it is at all. I'm not a huge Hamilton fan, but the team and him decided to wait to see if it healed. This has nothing to do with a cavalier approach. He was letting it heal, then it wouldn't heal, but that wasn't noticed until he ramped up his off season work outs. Now before you say, well why didn't he ramp up his routine earlier, well simple, because he was giving it time to fully heal. This could have happened to a performing player as well and we wouldn't be calling him out on it, we would be calling it unfortunate or we would be blaming the approach and recommendation of the medical staff.

Happened to Coco Crisp this season. I don't hear a bunch of hate for him up here in the middle of A's country. I agree, people mad at Josh for delaying the surgery wouldn't be so mad if he didn't have all the extra baggage. The surgery delay is a non-issue. Sometimes it just works like that.

[Docwaukee]

But where is he now?  Is he rehabbing?  Is he in rehab?

 

Was he asked to not be around until the dust settled so it wouldn't be a distraction?  

 

Is he sorry?  Does he have a plan?  

 

His surgery was in early Feb.  About 8 weeks ago so he should be ready to start ramping up no?  

 

Hello?  Josh? 

[HaloMagic]

Oh I get it, your a NorCal douche.

When you have money you can afford to live away from the border. You'll get there one day.

[Angels Never Die]

I'm not following this story that closely, so I really can't speak to the character of Josh in all this, all I know is that him relapsing and admitting it, on its own, doesn't imply that he's been especially remiss in anything.  Why? Because I don't think it's reasonable to expect an addict to be perfect and mistake-less in their continual long term recovery.  As far as I'm concerned, this is a health issue, not a moral one, and his obligation to the Angels is to manage his addiction with the same level of responsibility as he would a physical injury.  Something tells me though, that the level of outrage and vindictiveness towards Josh would be different if he had been playing up to expectations since coming here.  Maybe I'm just being cynical, but I don't think many people really care about much here beyond how much Josh is producing vs. how much he's getting paid, and they're trying to disguise that motivation with moral indignation of his drug use.  You can argue that his lack of production is relevant here, but I don't think it is, because you ultimately cannot prove that the two are causally connected.  You can try to argue that it's too much of a coincidence, but I'll argue that there's enough history of players falling off the table around Josh's age, especially with his history of durability issues and lack of plate discipline, that would suggest there's just as plausible (if not more plausible) alternative explanations for it.

Edited April 5, 2015 by Angels Never Die

[ten ocho recon scout]

This is interesting that Jeff Fletcher reports Josh fired him and supposedly the broadcast said the Anges fired him. To answer this question, even if Josh hired him I don't think he could've travelled on the team plane or been in the dugout if not on the team payroll. This really hampers his ability to be there for Josh when he was needed.

Meh, like stated above, hamilton is stupid rich. No reason he couldnt buy him plane tickets to travel with him. It would all be a tax write off to boot

[yk9001]

Ha ha, the wife, who is on a real housewife show, is the accountability partner. What a shit show.

[beatlesrule]

honest questions-

how can a grown man have an accountability partner?

how can a grown man be dependant on his wife to control his behavior?

He's a drug addict.

[Puget Sound Angel]

If we are stuck with Hamilton, can we just suspend his contract at least?

[beatlesrule]

If we are stuck with Hamilton, can we just suspend his contract at least?

How? There is no language in his contract to punish him.

[AngelsSurfer]

I guess that's the problem. The Angels have four options:

1. Release him and pay for his contract;
2. Bench him or keep him on the DL and let others play, while paying his contract;
3. Find another team and get him to agree to a trade, which is highly unlikely, and still might result in covering some of his contract;
4. Let him play, even though he's half-assed about it; denying the better players a chance to play and perhaps hurting the team's win record.

And none of those are particularly good options. There SHOULD be some recourse in the collective bargaining agreement to discipline a player like this, and it does everyone a disservice that there isn't.

Edited April 6, 2015 by AngelsSurfer

[Troll Daddy]

Angels should trade him back to Texas.

[seenoevil]

Wow Olbermann pretty much trashed the angels organization

[seenoevil]