OC Register: Andrelton Simmons opens up about depression and thoughts of suicide

[Pancake Bear]

Feeling pretty good about my posts on Simba opting out. I think I said something like Simmons is awesome and I don't care what his reasons were for opting out, he was free to do what was best for him. Nothing has changed for me. I wish him all the best and hope he's able to move past this positively. 

[Vlad27Trout27]

Damn...Why didn't we resign him! I wanted him back! 

[bloodbrother]

1 hour ago, calscuf said:

He played for the Angels.  We should have connected the dots. 

[Taylor]

22 minutes ago, Pancake Bear said:

Feeling pretty good about my posts on Simba opting out. I think I said something like Simmons is awesome and I don't care what his reasons were for opting out, he was free to do what was best for him. Nothing has changed for me. I wish him all the best and hope he's able to move past this positively. 

This was the only correct way to respond at the time.

[Pancake Bear]

4 minutes ago, Taylor said:

This was the only correct way to respond at the time.

I agree.

[tdawg87]

Quote

Simmons had severe depression and suicidal thoughts, which is why he opted out at the end of 2020

Angelswin: Fuck Yes! I didn't say anything bad about him before!

[failos]

Man, what is wrong with this team?

[tdawg87]

[ScottT]

Yeah, some of y'all are strange. Keeping score on something like this.

I enjoyed watching Simmons play.  I understand letting him go, though. 

[Erstad Grit]

I feel like an ass now. I assumed a lot about his reasons to opt out. Great reminder we shouldn't presume to know all the details in others' lives and make judgments. 

[Bronson]

[Jeff Fletcher]

27 minutes ago, Erstad Grit said:

I feel like an ass now. I assumed a lot about his reasons to opt out. Great reminder we shouldn't presume to know all the details in others' lives and make judgments. 

This is a good time to remind people that you should never ever ever ever try to know what’s going on inside a person based on how he looks on TV. 
 

I read comments all the time about who has “fire” and who “cares” and all that nonsense. 
 

We know very little about any of these guys besides how well they play baseball. 

[failos]

Really sorry to hear this. I hope he overcomes these feelings. I feel bad for criticizing his decision to opt out now, there is no doubt that my judgements were premature and disgusting in hindsight.

[Tank]

wow, this was tough to read. i hope he's getting the help he needs.

there's always more to the story than any of us realize. always.

[disarcina]

geez - Andrelton Simmons and his stellar play at SS quickly made him buy Halos favorite.

sorry to hear this -- 

I think he was just a tremendous player both with Atlanta and then with the Halos where he seemed to find his stroke at the plate.

I hope he's able to come back in 2021 and do well (as long as it's not for one of our Division rivals !) 

 

[tdawg87]

As someone who has suffered from depression for 20 years now, I can confidently say it's absolutely nothing to take lightly.

Suicidal thoughts can be common with depression. For me, personally, it's more of a "what if" thought. I would never actually attempt something like that, but it's an invasive thought that is never pleasant when it occurs. 

I think we all look at these players like they're robots. The playing field is completely even and whomever has the best robots wins the World Series. But we forget that they are human beings with real, human emotions. They get sad, they feel anxious, and they have bad days. Are you at 100% every single day? Of course not. No one is. 

@Jeff Fletcher brought up a good point. We are all guilty of questioning a certain player's "fire" or if they are even trying. It's silly when you sit back and think about it. Imagine if you had people watching you at work, judging every little thing you do. "Oh he was a bit short with that last client. He doesn’t seem to have the fire today. Not good." 

Every team has 25 (26?) guys playing for 7 months. Imagine everything you have experienced in the last 7 months. These guys are going through that shit, too.

[aznhockeyguy]

As a person who used to suffer from very heavy depression, I hope he gets the help that he needs.

[Angelsjunky]

I don't know what's douchier: those remarks @T.G. quoted or the fact that he quoted them. Seems like a wash, to me.

But I love you anyway, @T.G..

[Stradling]

5 hours ago, Angelsjunky said:

I don't know what's douchier: those remarks @T.G. quoted or the fact that he quoted them. Seems like a wash, to me.

But I love you anyway, @T.G..

I know which ones are douchier. Own your shit.  If you were ignorant or petty or jealous or projecting or just an asshole and assumed Simmons quit on his team because of pending free agency, then own it.  If you are willing to be that type of fan then you better be willing to get called out for being that person. 

[tdawg87]

12 minutes ago, Stradling said:

I know which ones are douchier. Own your shit.  If you were ignorant or petty or jealous or projecting or just an asshole and assumed Simmons quit on his team because of pending free agency, then own it.  If you are willing to be that type of fan then you better be willing to get called out for being that person. 

I don't agree with this take, at all.

This forum has a thing for "being right". In cases like, say, a trade working out that we all hated when it happened, it's fine. It's lighthearted fun.

In this case? How about we don't do that. It looked bad when it happened, and while no one considered it to be something like this...no one considered it. Patting yourself on the back because you didn't say something you now regret is just dumb (not saying this is what you are doing, Stradling). We all say incredibly stupid shit here. How many of us called Skaggs a pussy? Or hell, how many of you old guys ragged on Donnie Moore?

How about we all just try a little harder to understand that these players are human beings? No one should have to "own" anything because they said something then that now looks bad. No one expected something like this. It's a lesson for everyone, not just a "I agree" jerkfest.

[Stradling]

1 minute ago, tdawg87 said:

I don't agree with this take, at all.

This forum has a thing for "being right". In cases like, say, a trade working out that we all hated when it happened, it's fine. It's lighthearted fun.

In this case? How about we don't do that. It looked bad when it happened, and while no one considered it to be something like this...no one considered it. Patting yourself on the back because you didn't say something you now regret is just dumb (not saying this is what you are doing, Stradling). We all say incredibly stupid shit here. How many of us called Skaggs a pussy? Or hell, how many of you old guys ragged on Donnie Moore?

How about we all just try a little harder to understand that these players are human beings? No one should have to "own" anything because they said something then that now looks bad. No one expected something like this. It's a lesson for everyone, not just a "I agree" jerkfest.

Because they attacked his character and not his performance.  That’s the issue. 

[tdawg87]

4 minutes ago, Stradling said:

Because they attacked his character and not his performance.  That’s the issue. 

Again, we all have done that at some point. Every single one of us.

In this case, it looks bad in hindsight. Had this never come out, people wouldn't be calling for others to "own it".

If people choose to do that, that's great. Respect. But if they don't? Doesn’t make me think less of them.

[tdawg87]

Josh Hamilton. Dude's struggling with addiction. He's done some awful shit since then but still, it likely circles back to his addiction (thats not an excuse for his behavior, just a possible explanation).

Addiction isn't something to fuck with. Hell I struggle with it myself. But you won't find a soul on this website who didn't think negatively on his character after the 2014 ALDS.

[Stradling]

2 minutes ago, tdawg87 said:

Josh Hamilton. Dude's struggling with addiction. He's done some awful shit since then but still, it likely circles back to his addiction (thats not an excuse for his behavior, just a possible explanation).

Addiction isn't something to fuck with. Hell I struggle with it myself. But you won't find a soul on this website who didn't think negatively on his character after the 2014 ALDS.

I guess for me and I tried to mention it at the time, is if someone does something out of character then give them the benefit of the doubt. With Hamilton, him relapsing, wasn’t out of character.  

[tdawg87]

6 minutes ago, Stradling said:

I guess for me and I tried to mention it at the time, is if someone does something out of character then give them the benefit of the doubt. With Hamilton, him relapsing, wasn’t out of character.  

That's true, but did people know he had relapsed during his performance in the ALDS? 

Did they suspect it? That comes back to "being right" again.