The Great Debate

Let us begin this discussion with the simple question. Should Josh Hamilton return to the Texas Rangers Baseball team?

That’s a loaded questions to start with.

Why? You might ask… well its simple. Josh left this team, and when he did, upon his first return in an Angels uniform, told anyone with a recorder, or pad of paper in hand, that “This is not a baseball town”. OH! Did that just anger the hell out of people? YES IT DID! BUT!!!!!! (Wait for it). HE was not too far off from the fact!

IF you consider that, this part of the North Texas has been constantly barraged by, sports talk stations (that number three in the market) and by TWO newspapers, and FOUR TV stations (and those are just the English speaking ones), they cover the Dallas Cowboys constantly! Of the THREE sports talk station, ONE is the flagship station of the franchise!

But lets not stop there… lets figure that the Cowboys, the Mavericks, and the Stars all have championship rings and trophy’s in their possession! Do the Rangers? NOPE! They were close—twice, 2010 and 2011, but came up short both times.

So here is Josh Hamilton, who lived here, played here, was a part of those two teams that went to the post season and made to the World Series both times, a league MVP, a American League Championship Series MVP, and he listens to the radio, watches TV, reads the Newspapers, and knows exactly what he observes. That this is INDEED, a FOOTBALL TOWN! And its not just the Cowboys, it’s the Mustangs, the Mean Green Eagles, The Horned Frogs, the Longhorns, the Aggies, the Raiders, and so on. Its FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS, with high school football, its everything BUT BASEBALL!

I am a born and raised Dallasite, and I have seen how the Cowboys rule the media, and even before there was a Jerry Jones and that circus, the Cowboys still were the lead story most of the time!

Since 1972, the Rangers have called Arlington, Texas home, and with all that the team has done, getting over 3 million though the doors in 2011 and 2012, they haven’t come close to that number since. They haven’t won the division since 2011, they barely made it to the post season in 2012, and did a one game against the Rays to see who would play in the post season. This team isn’t the same team at all!

So that brings us back to this debate about Josh Hamilton. Should the Rangers bring him back into the fold?

Frankly, its really not our decision, its that of Management, that means Jon Daniels and company that wish to bring #32 back to the clubhouse.

Players such as Adrian Beltre, and Elvis Andrus, Derek Holland, Colby Lewis, all have said “YES” bring him back, there are those who didn’t play with Hamilton when he was here the first time, like Prince Field, and Leonys Martin who wish to have him back, Michael Young, who is a special assistant to the GM, wants him back. There are those who believe, that this team, this town, would be more of an asset to Hamilton, to make sure that he stays “Healthy”.

Hamilton fell off the wagon, so to speak, when he relaspsed into the world of drug abuse and alcohol. He freely admitted it before spring training. However, he never took a drug test, and therefore, the arbitration that was asked for by the Angels, said that Hamilton did not need, nor warranted a suspension from the league.

With that, the team, in their own mind, wanted to do something to punish Hamilton, and yet they couldn’t suspend him without the Players Association getting involved, so they sat him on the bench and have basically said, that “We don’t want you—WE DON’T NEED YOU—you’re on your own buddy!”

125 Million dollar contract, and of that the still owe something like 83 million to Hamilton. The Rangers came in and said that they would pay 7.5 million of that contract, but the Angels had to pay off the rest!

Hamilton in February filed for divorce from his wife, and with four children involved, you know that can’t be easy on him either, or how about going back into history, when in 2011 on a July night, Josh gets a ball that was hit foul down the left field line, and then tosses it into the stands, there a man with his son, he reaches over to get the ball, and he flips over the railing and falls 14 feet behind the out of town scoreboard. Shannon Stone, a father, a husband, a firefighter from Brownwood, Texas, died. And Josh Hamilton has had to live with that! I am not making excuses for his actions, but I know how hard it is to forgive yourself for something like that!

Josh slipped, he relapsed, he fell off the pedestal, and he is mortal!

The fans most likely will “boo” his at bats, they might even heckle him in the outfield, but the fact that the organization is willing to accept him with open arms and allow him to be a part of this team, and this clubhouse, is speaking volumes, that they are here to take care of him, to watch him, and to protect him!

The GREAT DEBATE! Is his talents enough to help this team?

His bat, his glove, his ability to play left field, can he play full time, and if his bat is once again sound from the left side of the plate, there is a jet stream in Globe Life Park that has his name written all over it!

Can he still hit 30 home runs in a season, 100 RBI’s, and score 80 to 100 runs? If any of those answers are YES, then, then the debate is over! He can wear a Ranger uniform once again, and maybe give a little glimmer of hope to this team, who right now could use a little bit of a prayer, or at best what is left in the Jeff Hamilton tank!

There is only one real answer to all of this! Are YOU willing to forgive Josh Hamilton for his transgressions? Are you willing to forgive those things that he has said in the past, or you willing to look at the future, and see what might be, or what could have been?

I think that this is the time for Josh Hamilton to look himself in the mirror and look those demons in the eye, and start the fight, and live each day and try and forgive himself for the tragedy that happened in July of 2011, and put the other speed bumps in his life behind him.

Josh Hamilton needs the love of the Rangers Family as much as that family needs him!

Its just a thought!