Let's Talk -- About Josh Hamilton

Hey readers!  You might have noticed a few (okay, several) changes here in my little blog world.  That's because I'm moving my blog into a new direction.  Not to say I won't be putting random tidbits of my life in here, because it is my journal of sorts.  But it's going to be more about events out in the world that make me want to talk.  So -- welcome to the first official entry of my blog now called "Joe Talk."

Let's talk about Josh Hamilton, slugger and possible gold glover outfielder, and possible MVP of the 2010 AL West Champion Texas Rangers.  Why talk about a celebrity athelete you may wonder?  Well -- because unlike any other athelete I've ever heard or followed, Josh is real.  He's a real man, with real struggles, real dark days, and unbelievable real triumphs.  And I believe he's a true role model for what he did during the Rangers' celebration of their first division title in 11 years.

Quick background -- Josh was a rising star in baseball with Tampa Bay until drugs and alcohol derailed his career.  Unlike many, Josh found the strength, both inside of himself as well as from up above, to get off the path of addiction and ruin.  Instead of hiding from this dark past, he wears it on his sleeve.  He tries, every where he goes, to let young people know of the extreme dangers of drugs and alcohol addiciton, that they are real, a disease, and one not to dabble with.

So why am I impressed with Mr. Hamilton?  When pro athletes celebrate, for whatever reason, it involves shaking up bottles of champagne and beer and pouring it all over each other.  I don't get it, but it's their thing.  We all knew this, and Josh knew it too.  Instead of risking the temptation, he avoided it all together by quickly changing in a trainer's room and leaving the club house.  He did get to celebrate with his teammates on the field, but he needed to leave the temptation behind.

And what did he go do instead of tempting himself?  He went and talked about his faith along with other players from the Oakland A's to a crowd of fans that gathered.  He made a promise to them to do it, and he did.  And he didn't think it'd be right to show up smelling of alcohol or cigars, even though he didn't partake.

Show me another professional athlete that can walk away from temptation like Josh.  He's fallen off the wagon before, and instead of hiding or lying, he acknowledged it outright.  Everytime this man does something, I gain more and more respect and admiration for him.  He's not an MVP b/c of his playing ability in my book, he's an MVP for what he's done in his life.  It's not just about the success for him, but also about his struggles.  He's real, and you have to respect it.

Hats off to Josh Hamilton -- definitely someone you want to talk about with your kids.  Whether you believe in God or not (even though I do), he can teach young people more than just how to play ball, he can teach one of the toughest lessons in life.  The lesson he teaches is how to pick yourself up when you are at the lowest of lows and to turn it around.  And there's not many more qualified to teach it . . .

Fall of Heroes

Today, I wasn't feeling well, so I took off from work a few hours early. As I drove home, which is my custom to keep me from getting too tired, I listened to sports radio. I enjoy listening to the 3rd Shift on Fox Sports Radio because they are both entertaining and somewhat informative.

Since I had left early, I wasn't listening to them, but rather another program on that station. The callers were calling in and upset about the Clements hearing tomorrow in D.C. Now, don't get me started on that whole issue, let's stick with this. People were calling in saying how McNamee (sp might be wrong) was just an awful person because he wasn't loyal to Roger Clements. How dare he turn on Roger and tell that he took HGH, steroids, or whatever he shot in his ass.

The point isn't whether he did or didn't, because honestly I don't care. I don't care what any of them did. I just don't anymore . . . it's so disgraceful.

• Disgraceful that owners and GM's allowed players to inject themselves and turn a blind eye
• Disgraceful that the player's union worried about individual achievement instead of the players as a whole
• Disgraceful that for untold years, reporters, broadcasters, and fans turned blind eyes to what was going on in front of them
• All of it is disgraceful . . . all of it

However, the thing that disappoints me more is how people are outraged about the lack of loyalty the trainer had INSTEAD of the apparent lack of integrity among all these players! They put their goals, their desires, everything they wanted above the goals of their team. Playing sports since I was in second grade until I graduated HS, I can tell you I was NEVER taught that!

Then, there was conversaton on the radio about him being under oath. When did you have to be under oath to tell the truth?? Everyone was saying he shouldn't tell the truth unless they put him under oath!!! Are you kidding me??? What happened to honor? What happened to owning up to your mistakes. INTEGRITY is something that all people, of all walks of life, need a new lesson in.

The crux of the situation is that these so called sports heroes have put themselves above all others. They wanted to break the records, be the best. And in their drive to be stars, they were blinded by the fame. This isn't isolated to baseball. There are 'me' people all throughout professional sports. Free agency has a lot to do with this, as do commercial deals. It's sad really, that kids will no longer have the heroes I had growing up. Basically, it's come to this --

Congress: "What did he inject in your butt?"

Clements: "B12! I swear! And kids -- remember to play fair!"

What message are we sending our younger generations?? I'm soooooo glad I will never have kids!