I'm sorry Josh hamilton

Relevance is not optional in today's fast-moving, instantaneous update world. So another blog post on the Texas Rangers may be unwise considering they have not been challenging for a playoff spot since my last post in LATE-AUGUST. A wise old editor quipped, "They don't call 'em 'olds-papers'" However, I didn't think my lack of diligence should be Josh Hamilton's problem, and so I wanted to finish my review of his first year as a Ranger with a much needed apology.

Josh, I'm sorry for the way we (your fans) have treated you this year.

We couldn't help it, really. You started out so hot, and your story was so compelling and hopeful, how could we reign in our excitement. It was PERFECT. The accolades nationally, the redemption from addiction, the success you led the Rangers too. We weren't ready for you Josh, and as a result we did a very bad thing to you.

Addicts say they are never recovered. Every day is a battle and the path to recovery is a long one. Unable to speak intelligently about the biology and psychology of addicts, I can't refute or endorse that claim. I hope they recover. I believe people can change. I think you, Josh, have done so many wonderful things in preparation for success that I think you won't relapse. It shows a lot of maturity when you are making six figures to set a limit of cash you can have with you at any given moment. The mentor, Jerry Narron, traveling with you during the season, must be invaluable for stifling the urges you have and staying accountable. You're a great athlete. The Hambone, the Super-natural, Superman are your fan's favorite monikers for you. It would be easy to believe the press about yourself, and walking humbly while surrounded with the adulation you have earned this year must have been nearly impossible.

We can see the effects this roller coaster year has had too. Your stats in the second half aren't nearly what they were. You have lagged in almost every statistical category, and, unfortunately, the club's complementary demise only added to the pressure. But its not just your stats man. I'm not saying this happens all the time, but sometimes when the camera catches you in the dugout the fraying begins to show. With your shoulders slumping and your mouth slightly agape, the blankness of your stare belies more than the physical toil you have faced for the last six months since spring training. I can't help but fear the emotional toil of carrying so many people's expectations all year might be more difficult to bear.

Around the time your wife had your third child, there was an alarming report of you tearing into an overeager autograph seeker who was harrassing you as you made arrangements to get home and be with your wife for the special occasion. Josh, your reaction is understandable. Its actually very human, but you got lambasted in the press for being a hypocrite. Its true this incident was out of character. You sign more autographs and give more interviews than any of your teammates. You want to give hope to people struggling with addiction, and your perspective on this new life you have been given stands out in this world. That's why I am sorry, Josh. Somewhere along the way we missed it. In seeing how far you had come and watching how remarkably you played a very difficult game, we forgot who you are. We wanted you to be what we want to be. Perfection. Please forgive us.

Your Christian testimony only fuels this hero-worship. The church loves a good testimony. We want to see how powerful God is and we see that most clearly unfortunately when someone like you changes so drastically for good as a result of your faith in Jesus. Here's where we miss it, though. Even though God has done some unbelievable things in your life, you are not perfect. He's not finished with you. Just like he's not finished with any of us. So we still struggle, and like an addict, we are never completely recovered. Ay, there's the rub. When people we put on pedestals fall off them, the crash hurts, and I can't help but wonder if, as we see your human side, you don't worry about betraying us, disappointing us, frustrating us.

Josh, I wish I knew you. Selfishly, I would love to talk about baseball and the Home Run Derby, and how you have no intention to ever sign a contract with the Angels, the Red Sox, (shudder) the Yankees, or anyone else for that matter. Please Josh, seriously...

However, I also want to encourage you. You are not the one who has to live the perfect life for us. You don't have to "be all that we can be" for us, and your story is remarkable purely for the role God played in changing you and using you so obviously to proclaim his glory. Even the secular media has caught on to that as a famous sportswriter, talking about the HR derby, said, "Its a bad night to be an atheist."

Congratulations and thank you! Its been a joy to watch.