First, there were the denials: When pictures first surfaced of what appeared to be the Texas Rangers centerfielder at an Arizona bar last January (some with his shirt on, some without) the response from friends and fans was “that couldn’t be him.” He’s been sober since 2005 and wrote a book about his miraculous recovery from alcoholism with God’s help. Surely a high profile athlete wouldn’t be so stupid? Eventually Hamilton admitted the pictures were real and yes, he had a relapse, but heck he’s only human. He may well be, but–from what we see in the pictures–he didn’t just have a drink or two, looks like he had about a dozen and drank a few of them from (shall we say) some “non-traditional” containers, such as a young woman’s navel. Not that there’s anything illegal about that, but I guess if you’re gonna fall off, best to fall all the way, right?
Our favorite quote from Hamilton about this incident: “This guy I knew … he always used to joke, ‘I’m allergic to alcohol. Every time I drink it, I break out in orange jumpsuits and handcuffs.’ Some people it just doesn’t mix with, and I’m one of those people.”
Now Mrs. Hamilton (Katie) has weighed in on the controversy via her blog and had this to say to all the “haters” who are calling the reborn Christian a hypocrite and worse: “We are all flawed and that’s why we need a Savior. I pray that you all know that he is a very sincere individual with a love for the Lord that is REAL. Again, he’s not perfect – this was a night that he’s certainly not proud of, but I am very proud of how he handled it.” So, apparently she has forgiven him and we should as well . . . for for God’s sake stop looking at those pictures of him with all those young, hot women, while I’m at home taking care of his children! (Dallas Morning News)

See all the Josh Hamilton bar pictures at Deadspin.com. The guys at Deadspin, no strangers to controversy, are also getting a lot of hate mail from Hamilton fans for posting these pictures. Read some of their diatribes here. Kinda reminds us of the hate mail another sports website received a few years ago . . .