Josh Hamilton Owes the Texas Rangers Nothing, but Does He Need Them?

Josh Hamilton is right; he doesn’t owe the Texas Rangers anything. No one can question the fact that he has physically laid it all on the line for the Rangers and their fans every game. He is willing to run into walls, dive for balls, run the bases full speed and everything else asked of him on the field.

What he fails to realize is although he does not owe the Rangers anything, with all his personal issues, he needs the Rangers and their fans.

Why does he need them? Simple: Support. Josh has had a well-documented history with addiction that will undoubtedly be turned into a Oscar-nominated major motion picture with Josh’s character probably played by an older Zac Efron with the main theme song being Under the Bridge by The Red Hot Chili Peppers.

When Josh got traded to the Rangers from the Cincinnati Reds after just one season in MLB for the highly valued young fire-baller Edinson Volquez, who was the only remaining member of what was supposed to be the trio of young pitchers that were supposed to be the saviors of the Texas Rangers (Danks-Volquez-Diamond), the Ranger fan base already skeptical of another big hitter when this team desperately needed pitching.

What Josh managed to do however, was prove he was more than just another big bat. His reckless disregard for his body in order to make a play, natural athletic ability and big bat mixed with his history and genuine personality made him impossible not to root for.

Josh has become a MLB superstar under the Ranger umbrella. As far as Rangers fans and organization is concerned, he isn’t an outsider who was traded for; he is the face of the Texas Rangers.

To protect their investment, the Rangers have pulled out all the stops to make sure Josh does not go back to the dark place that he once was.

In addition to having a caretaker watch his every move outside the field, they built a Josh-friendly environment filled with a close-knit, family-like locker room that understand what Josh is going through and are willing to help in any way.

Being the face of the franchise has brought a lot of credibility with the fan base as well. Even after two relapses, the majority of the fans were solely behind Josh.

They understood the demons he was dealing with, and wanted to cheer him on and let him know that he is still cared for because he is an icon here.

So for him to basically say he would not be willing to give the Rangers a home discount as he approaches free agency, even after his second relapse, shows that Josh doesn’t fully understand the picture.

It is not just “x” amount of money that he will get here as opposed to somewhere else; it is a support system too.

Sure he will get more money elsewhere, but what happens if/when another relapse occurs? He will not be the home grown icon there that he is here. He will be a highly priced free agent that already has screwed up twice since “becoming clean” and is now a liability to a foreign media and fanbase.

How will Josh handle the backlash? How will Josh handle a locker room that may not be so willing to understand and help? Is that really worth the extra millions of dollars if in the end it all gets snorted up his nose or injected into his veins because he doesn’t have the support system he does here?

It is clear that he has control issues, all addicts do, so this should be a legit concern on his behalf. So yeah Josh, you are right that this is a business.

But this particular business, their employees, and their clients care about your safety and life. Isn’t that worth giving a little discount?