You're making a huge and inaccurate assumption RM. No one has ever said they want him to fail or wish he had stayed hooked on drugs.

 

It's not even in the same ballpark as someone battling cancer. Last time I checked cancer isn't something you do to yourself. All his struggles and tribulations were by his own causing.

 

He talks about his "faith" and puts that attitude forward in the public eye, but from accounts I've been told from someone who experienced them first hand (numerous times), it's all a charade. The real Josh Hamilton is not the one that the public sees.

 

Some forms you do bring on yourself.

Is that the only way to contract those forms of cancer? I didn't think so...

A person could never smoke a cigarette in their lives, and still die from lung cancer, so the situations are completely different IMO.

 

How else but deciding you want to use the drugs, do you become addicted? When you engage in an action, such as drug use, where the only outcomes are addiction or death, why do you deserve sympathy when you do in fact become addicted or die?

 

That's not what I asked...I asked if it's safe to assume that you have no sympathy for any person with a problem, disease or otherwise, that was caused by their own decisions? That doesn't just apply to drug addicts.

I sympathize with people who have went through these hard times. Yes he brought it on himself, but the same thing can be said of most anyone who brings trouble to themselves with a bad decision. Has anyone here not made bad decisions? Is there a human alive today who hasn't? I know I've messed up and trouble stemmed from it, so when I see others who have made strides in improving their lives and telling their stories to help prevent others from making the same mistakes, I'll support that person.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/baseball/rangers/stories/012708dnspowebrangersz.218a1b6.html

 

Expression of faith

Faith. It comes up often in the story of 26-year-old Joshua Holt Hamilton. It's virtually impossible to tell his story without mentioning his Christian faith. He'd prefer you not even try.

 

New Rangers center fielder Josh Hamilton, here with his daugher, Sierra, lost 3 1/2 seasons to drug addiction before being signed in 2006 by Cincinnati. Faith, he regularly testifies, has put him back in baseball after four years of addiction problems so ugly you can't blame his family for not wanting to relive them. But because of faith, they do – to churches, youth groups and halfway houses.

 

On this particular January weekend, Hamilton tells the story three times: To a reporter, to an audience of 500 at Apex Baptist Church and to a rescue mission. The talks usually last about an hour. When Katie is involved, they almost always involve tears. And the crowd, whether it's one or 500, sits engrossed.

 

The full story can't be captured in an hour. To really understand how far Hamilton has come, it's important to understand just how far he fell.

 

"Doctors told us he'd need somebody to talk to, somebody who he could trust, who he could depend on," Jerry says. "The guy that fit that to a 'T' was Johnny."

 

Within a week, Hamilton and Johnny were working together in Smithfield. Johnny joined Cincinnati's staff. In addition to scouting video and assisting with hitting instruction, Hamilton's welfare fell under Johnny's duties.

 

They were rarely apart. When Hamilton got antsy in the clubhouse, Johnny would play patsy on NCAA Football '07. When Hamilton went on the disabled list, Narron accompanied him on daily movie expeditions, even if meant sitting through "Transformers" for three consecutive days. They talked daily about baseball, life and faith.

 

The Rangers spoke to doctors about dealing with addiction. They did some basic research on athletes and addiction. They found, at least on an anecdotal level, athletes who had strong faith-based beliefs were better positioned to stay clean.

 

UT-Southwestern addiction specialist Dr. Bryon Adinoff concurs.

 

"If you replace addiction with religion, it's not an addiction' it's something meaningful, socially appropriate and rewarding," Adinoff says. "It's typically very healthy behavior."

 

To that end, the Rangers wanted first-hand knowledge of how Hamilton expressed his faith. They sent scouts to some of his talks.

 

"He seemed to be presenting a very consistent message," Daniels says. "Before he got involved with drugs, everybody who dealt with him thought he was a very high-quality guy. We saw that. I think there are two things that have played a part in why this attempt at fighting addiction has been successful: Family and faith."

 

"I haven't gotten tired of telling this story yet," Hamilton says. "It's my obligation – no, it's my privilege – to tell it to whoever wants to hear it. I realize how fortunate I am. If people can see that I'm not that different than them, maybe it can help them, too."