...or at least willing to admit it?

http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/mlb/...pse/ar-BBi1SqL

This guy is a case study as to why any professional team should never take a chance on a known addict. No matter what level of talent the player possesses, he is always one day away from implosion.

Yeah, I know...it's a "disease" and we should all give support and help to ones inflicted with these terrible diseases.

Maybe....it's just a character issue? Maybe a guy who signed a $125 MILLION contract should exercise good judgement and actually earn that trust by acting responsibly, keeping himself clean to warrant that kind of pay, show the kind of character that would justify it? Acting accordingly as a professional would be choosing to build a support system around yourself, with friends and family that support his efforts to stay clean.

Before you say "He did...he turned himself in!" Yep, he sure did. Because he knew he was about to be busted for a failed drug test (cocaine) taken after a recent binge.

What about Josh's team, who took a 5-year bet for his services? What about his teammates who he has let down tremendously? What about their chances of winning now with the burden of his contract and his vacancy in the line-up due to his most recent transgressions?

"But he just had shoulder surgery, he was depressed!?"

$125 MILLION for 5 YEARS. Would that "depress" you? That's guaranteed pay, not some pipe dream. Athletes get hurt. They get well too, a lot faster than we would because of the care they receive.

Then there are those dang intangibles. What about the effect it has on Pujols, who just lost protection in the line-up? Add Hamilton's loss now for a good chunk of the season to Howie Kendrick jumping zip codes, and the Angels are hamstringed defensively even with the amazing Mike Trout. A team can't just change a player of his Hamilton's ability with another pair of socks.

So who is to blame? Hamilton, or the Angels? He's an addict. He has done this before (relapsed and turned himself in). The Angels knew that. They signed him for BIG bucks anyways.

Maybe if he is suspended the Angels at least won't have to pay the portion of the suspension. But basically the Angels have rolled the dice on a known addict, and as easily predicted, they crapped out. Whatever happens from this moment forward, the Angels lose. They gambled big on a loser. What else could they have expected? It doesn't matter how much money you throw at a problem when there is an addiction involved.

Josh has much bigger problems on his hands than a suspension. He has the rest of his life to deal with. And most addicts don't do well with that. As a human being, I wish him well in his attempts to get it right. As a baseball fan, I SMH at the Angels for making this poor decision. I think it will be a long time before you ever see another MLB team roll the dice on another known addict, no matter what his talent level. And if they do, then they get what they paid for.

Anyone have an opinion?

Steve