Josh Hamilton's recovery should continue in Texas

Texas Rangers center fielder Josh Hamilton has battled demons in his life. He has seen the darkest side of a life, but he's getting better.

Hamilton was a top prospect coming out of high school. His expectations only surpassed his potential. He was selected with the number-1 overall pick by the then expansion Tampa Bay Devil Rays. But unlike many predicted, his highest of highs were not on the diamond playing the game of baseball, his addiction to a plethora of drugs took over his life.

What happened next in his life is not only inspirational, but divine and something people, in this unfortunately crazy world, should appreciate.

He hasn’t turned his life around, it’s actually far from it.

Hamilton literally cannot go anywhere without someone at his side. He just doesn’t trust himself enough to not give in to the pressures and evils that still haunt him to this day. The tattoos he dons on his forearms are signs of worse times, but they are too painful to remove. To comply with Major League Baseball’s drug testing policies Hamilton gives a urine sample at least three times a week.

He is growing up, overcoming and doing the most courageous thing you can do. He is learning to trust himself the same way a small child learns to walk.

So while he has stumbled several times in the past two years, and most recently last week. He gave into it, only as many as 4 or 5 drinks of alcohol and nothing more, almost subconsciously because that is what his brain was trained to urge for during his darkest days.

Hamilton is finishing up a 2-year, $24-million contract with the Rangers, who are coming off their best season in franchise history, and this latest incident is causing much hesitation on contract negotiations.

That addiction isn’t terminal. We all waver, and Texas should be able to overlook this isolated incident. His future is not his past, it's only a reflection of how much he can overcome.

Lincecum arbitration complication

Asterisk, arbitration and absolute zero, to baseball fans and astrophysicists alike, they are, in a word, "arbitrary". Their definitions and emcancipations elude the greatest minds of the sports world and beyond.

In a fit, and legal argument that could not be avoided Tim Lincecum got the worst of the deal.

He did get offered $17-million by the San Francisco Giants, but it feels like a slap in the face. Like getting hit by your girlfriend with a silk pillow. (But I guess I really wouldn't know. Beside the point, moving on.... Like always. Tear.)

But the two-time Cy Young award winner was asking for four-million dollars MORE, a whopping $21-million a year, deservedly or not, grander than the team was offering.

Arbitration is like the MLB divorce court. There is nothing pleasant about it; arguing the worth of a player using, in some cases, any means necessary to prove their value or rather lack there of. The inevitable tug-of-war, hurt feelings and testy in-laws.

And this legal off-season battle doesn't happen often but it should be taken notice of by the public. A good player, and agent cannot come to terms on an agreement with their team and are forced into court to resolve these issues. During the NFL Lockout the court went as far as to assign a mediator to try to loosen the grip of the school-age-kid-like-adults trying to swap pudding packs.

This won't end pretty for either side; it would be hard to iron out all four-million of those differences. The whole situation, including the conception of arbitration, between Lincecum and the Giants is a shady situation. A bit arborous if you ask me.

Baseball night in America; Overblown

Do you remember what a week ago was?

No, it wasn’t your birthday, and thus deserving of an ice-cream cake. It wasn’t the anniversary of the Spaghetti House Siege. (Well, it actually was, but that is completely beside the point.)

September 28, 2011 it was proclaimed the, “Greatest. Night. Of. Baseball. Ever.” by radio and television personality Jim Rome, and then Forbes Magazine wagered this article’s title, “Best Night of Baseball Ever: You Can Bet on It”.

It was not that. And a whole week later we could care less who made it into the postseason. All that matters now is who is going to take the last bathe of bubbly.

The night was extremely special to baseball fans, or disappointing to others, and it was sure entertaining. But the word historic is not a proper adjective.

The Red Sox went 7-20 in the month of September to lose a large lead in the AL Wild Card. The team they lost to in game #162, the Baltimore Orioles went 7-20 in July.

Then the Rays came back from 7 runs down to beat New York and put them in the playoffs. Tampa Bay came back from 8 runs down in a game in 2009. (Excluding the NL here.)

Nothing-extraordinary there.

A dismal Wednesday was highlighted by a dramatic comeback, both in the standings and on Tropicana Field. It took 162 games to define the 8 team, two-league playoff. In the matter of 3 hours we were a witness to captivation baseball and  fates that were written in front of our eyes. The night was fun, it was exciting, but IT. WAS. NOT the best night OF. ALL. TIME.

[Don’t baseball players live for October too?]

Rockies arguments 101: 'Their Due'

Baseball is a numbers game; baseball nerds can rattle off a player’s WHIP, ISOS, ERA, OWAR, BAbip or RC27 and then forget that same player’s name.

And the true beauty behind the game is that no matter what haphazard digit you look at there is an argument that arises indefinitely. A simple numerical value can split sides, tear families apart and divide a nation of fans and pundits alike.

And at the last two Rockies game we have seen the ‘Their Due’ argument in full force.

On Thursday night Colorado took on Ricky Nolasco and the Florida Marlins. Coming into the game Nolasco was a superfluous 5-0 against these Purple counterparts. He got touched up early and often, giving up 11 earned runs in just three innings of work and taking his first lose to the Rockies.

Then last night the Los Angeles Dodgers came to town with Hiroki Kuroda on the mound. Kuroda being the anti-Nolasco against the Rockies was a disheartening 0-5. He pitched 6 innings of 4 hit baseball and got some extra run support. Kuroda went on to take the victory; his first against Colorado.

Both pitchers were due for a change of luck against the Rockies, and both got what they had coming, Soprano style.

The sport is a never ending game of tiffs. People try to figure out the code if the streak is going to continue moving in the same direction or instantly change. Agree to disagree on all fronts.

Baseball statistics and determining what is going to happen on the next pitch, next at-bat or next matchup is like a game of Bop-It. No matter how you twist-it, pull-it or spin-it you have a good chance to win if you argue-it.

Sunday Bloody Rockies Sunday

The 6-2 loss to the Cardinals, which happened to be broadcast on ESPN for the entire world to see, made it 17 straight losses on Sunday for the Rockies.

All the other days of the week you would just think it’s an unlucky coincidence. But on the ‘Day of Rest’ there must be something much more to it; something divine is occurring that we, humans, cannot explain.

Yesterday Jim Tracy and the Rockies must have re-unintentionally prodded the higher deity. In batting practice Colorado’s 3rd base coach Richie Dauer took a ball to the nose, on an errant throw nonetheless. He was bloodied up and taken to the hospital before the game even started. Dauer later returned, with a couple black eyes and a broken nose to see the Rockies lose.

But this is bigger than Richie.

The Rockies are not destined to win on Sunday; they just aren’t supposed to win on the first day of the week. There is Black Sunday, Selection Sunday, Cold Sunday, Super Bowl Sunday, Sunday Fun-day, ‘Gloomy Sunday’, and now there is “The Seventeenth Sunday”.

Colorado has two more chances to beat the streak before the end of the year; both come against the Los Angeles Dodgers later this month. Both are viable options for the Sunday skid to stop.

The Rockies can’t win on Sunday; maybe someone up there thinks its football season in Denver already by mistake.

Milwaukee Brewers; No Time For Sour Grapes

As August gets underway the darrrrrlings of the big leagues are the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are 54-54, which doesn’t seem all that good to most. But when you have 18 straight losing seasons and are .500 this late in the year it’s like winning the Indy 500 blindfolded on your step-moms Mo-Ped.

But the real team, the real team you should be paying attention to out of the NL Central aren’t the Bucos. The real team that is concocting, stirring and distilling a chance to go deep into October is the Brew Crew.

The Milwaukee Brewers are the real deal.

Ryan Braun is a fan favorite; he led the NL in All-Star votes…. The lean vegetarian Prince Fielder is hitting home runs into Canada… they signed Francisco ‘Blackjack’ Rodriguez… John Axford would look better with a leather vest than mit …. And Bob Uecker’s crazy antics in the booth.

The Brewers are playing good baseball. But they don’t necessarily have enough pitching to take on some other rotations when it matters most. Their roster is not stacked the way a Jimmy Kimmel prank is loaded. Their fan base isn’t so drastically hungry for a title it makes their Wisconsin cows dry.

And yet, this has all the makings for a perfect ‘Milwaukee’ story book ending. It’s just so crazy it could work.

Ubaldo Jimenez is on the move to Cleveland

Great Rockies pitchers are as rare as a Wyoming vegan. They are found as often as a buried bone in the backyard.

Colorado ace Ubaldo Jimenez was traded to the Cleveland Indians for 4 prospects. He completed the first inning of his last start against San Diego then got whisked off to Cleveland off like the Homecoming Queen.

Jimenez is an Indian and Rockies fans should not be mad.

Colorado fans fell in love with the Dominican flame-thrower when he tore apart the majors for 15 wins before the All-Star game a year ago. They got attached to Jimenez after he threw the franchise’s first ever no-no. And now Rockies fans are as lost as that dog sniffing the ground for hours, and are never going to find the bone.

Ubaldo will be better off, and Rockies fans should be looking forward to the future with the bright young prospects joining the Rockies farm system.

There is no necessarily right or wrong in the trade. The Rockies management looked to the future when the season seemed out of reach. They found the right deal for the team, they made the trade even amid public strife and now they are sitting pretty if the prospects become something good.

Ubaldo won an Emmy in Colorado, he rounded into and out of form in 2010 showcasing his potential, and now he’s in Cleveland.

Good, now let’s move on.

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Rockies pitchers

You are what you eat. And it’s looking like the Colorado Rockies starting pitchers are vanilla soft serve.

The Rockies three BEST pitchers (due to injury and lack of production) have 10,9 and 7 losses. Jason Hammel, Ubaldo Jimenez and Jhouyls Chacin all are the disappointing conclusion to the gallon ice-cream carton. They were supposed to be #1, #3 and #4 in the rotation and now even Baskin Robbins would drop them from their 31 flavor lineup.

Colorado has been, and will always be, a hitter friendly environment. What Dan O’Dowd and Rockies faithful need are bats, and just enough pitching to get by.

But they have gotten by like you get by security without getting a wink from the creepy x-ray TSA guy.

The Rockies pitching is the 26^th best in the baseball, only Chicago and Houston are worse in the National League. They are giving up more than 4 runs every game. Of the 54 losses, 39 are on the hands of the starters. And the ace of the staff is rumored to be a possibly trading piece.

Colorado doesn’t have one guy they can put on the mound that they feel confident they will win. When Jim Tracy picks up the bullpen phone he hopes the ‘Help-Line’ is on the other end. And ironically, the relievers are worse than generic Tums, they aren’t providing relief.

And it’s not going to get any better.

The Rockies are 11 games out of first place with very little light at the end of the tunnel. Like the tub that is sitting in the back of any Purple Hearted fan’s mini freezer; the rest of the season is going to be ‘slow churned’.

Is it time for Todd Helton to go?

Is it time? Like moving away from ‘Puppy Love’ it will not be easy on people. 

Statistically Todd Helton is playing All-Star baseball. He is batting .324 and has 10 dingers just past the midway point of season. This, in part, is due to his good health. Back spasms do get to the 37 year old at times, but not like last year or in 2008. His 14 years in Colorado are nothing, not even close, short of a Hall of Fame career.

Dan O’Dowd must do it like a band-aid “Right off”.

Helton is making $20.275 million in 2011, but only makes $9.9 million over the next two seasons. There are only 6 players that are making more than the Toddfather this year. 

 

The Rockies sit 10 games out of first place in the National League West and 6 games under .500. It would take another Mile High Miracle for Colorado to even get back in the race. I mean it would take something truly special, and I definitely haven’t seen Nuns lining up for Rockpile tickets just yet.

This has all the makings for a potential trade. It makes sense.

Take a cut in team salary. Get some flexibility that’ll give you the potential to go make a move in the future that is crucial for a stretch run. Find some good, professional, players (not pitchers) in return. Get players that will blossom in this system next year and years to come. And finally, trade Todd to a team with a chance to make a run deep into October. Give the man whom you would give anything to trim his beard, shine his cleats and pick the bugs of his sunglasses the chance at a ring to solidify his place in baseball lore.

No other Rockie will ever wear #17 in Colorado, but moving Todd Helton would be in the best interest of both parties.