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Columnist: Josh Hamilton lacks mental toughness

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by Dick Whitman, Sep 24, 2012.

  1. Dick Whitman

    Dick Whitman Well-Known Member

    This was published a couple days ago on ESPN.com, calling out Hamilton for asking out of a game with a sinus infection. The columnist belittles the affliction as not very serious:

    http://espn.go.com/blog/dallas/texas-rangers/post/_/id/4891774/josh-hamilton-lacks-mental-toughness

    We're not talking about a punctured lung or cracked rib like Tony Romo suffered last year against San Francisco. Or Jason Witten rushing back to play the opener less than a month after lacerating his spleen.

    We're talking about something a couple of tablets usually knocks out.


    Am I wrong, or is this pretty appalling? My wife suffers from sinus infections, and I've seen first-hand how they knock her silly for days on end sometimes. Since this was written, Hamilton hasn't return to action, and is getting checked for vision problems related to the infection. Not to mention that this is a player who wrote in graphic, grotesque detail about some of the issues that his prior drug abuse caused to his sinuses.

    I know that Hamilton's difficulties staying healthy through the years can be frustrating. And I certainly think there are athletes who lack heart and won't "play hurt." But it's a fine, fine line to walk for columnists, and this particular piece seems to come off almost neanderthal to me.
     
  2. cranberry

    cranberry Well-Known Member

    This guy is an idiot. Isn't there better talent available for these regional ESPN things?
     
  3. YGBFKM

    YGBFKM Guest

    Anyone who has battled the demons he has and has done it to the extent he made it to the pinnacle of his profession has more mental toughness than most. There's no telling where Hamilton will end up, but you don't go from rock bottom to MVP without dealing with a whole lot of shit that would leave most people curled up in a corner weeping -- or worse.

    Taylor's an idiot.
     
  4. Mizzougrad96

    Mizzougrad96 Active Member

    I have a relative who gets them all the time and has had to have a couple surgeries to clear out the sinus area.

    Unless this columnist knows how serious the infection is, he should STFU.
     
  5. Mizzougrad96

    Mizzougrad96 Active Member

    Taylor isn't an idiot. But he's wrong here.
     
  6. doctorquant

    doctorquant Well-Known Member

    Partially agree on both points.

    Hamilton asked out of the lineup because he was having vision troubles resulting from the sinus issue. The next day, reportedly he had trouble tracking down batting practice fly balls without falling (dizziness, etc.). That don't fly ... you can't hit what you can't see, and you can't dodge what you can't see, either.

    JJT conveniently overlooks the fact that Hamilton will likely play in more games this season than he has in all but one of his major-league career. On the other hand, local writers (e.g., Gil Lebreton (http://www.star-telegram.com/2012/09/20/4276685/sinus-problems-make-hamiltons.html)) appear to be sensing some Hamilton fatigue among his teammates. Perhaps JJT was giving stronger voice than was appropriate to a situation that nevertheless is real.
     
  7. Dick Whitman

    Dick Whitman Well-Known Member

    I was wondering about this last part and whether that may have been driving the column.

    Didn't the Reds players essentially hate having the Josh Hamilton sideshow in town?
     
  8. doctorquant

    doctorquant Well-Known Member

    That was reportedly an issue, but at the time he wasn't the Josh Hamilton we've come to know performance-wise. He was simply the Josh Hamilton we thought we might see. Pretty big difference.
     
  9. Dick Whitman

    Dick Whitman Well-Known Member

    I finished the column, and it's actually noted in there, too.

    He's not as overt about it as Taylor, but he clearly questions his toughness, as well. In one sentence he tells us that everyone plays hurt this time of year. Then he writes something like, "But, hey, Josh Hamilton doesn't have to answer to anyone." When clearly he thinks that he does. Very flaccid opinion writing, to me.

    It's clear by now that Hamilton has difficulty staying healthy. But I don't quite understand the impulse to make it a character issue. It's a biological issue. Why is that so hard?
     
  10. YGBFKM

    YGBFKM Guest

    Ya, it's obvious that his immune system is and always will be a wreck after what he did to his body during his lost years. I'm surprised he's as healthy as he has been the last few years.
     
  11. LongTimeListener

    LongTimeListener Well-Known Member

    Why is it a biological issue and not character? Jaking it is as old as the game itself. Nobody knows how serious it is, obviously. But this is one reason the whole Hamilton redemption story annoys me. Because he hits a lot of home runs, people see his recovery as some sign of superhuman strength. If he were the guy next to you in the office and staying home, you'd say "a sinus infection?" and wonder why the company puts up with this crap.
     
  12. Armchair_QB

    Armchair_QB Well-Known Member

    Seems to me that not being able to see a pitched or batted baseball would qualify as a pretty serious problem for a baseball player and warrant taking him out of the line-up.

    Hamilton is going to be more suspectible to injuries and illness due to his past drug abuse and I'm sure the Rangers organization understands that even if his teammates are allegedly getting tired of it. Hamilton shouldn't use it as an excuse but it is the reality.
     
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